Fights with Strangers - Street Confrontations
Sun Tzu: The side that is the most loyal, has the ablest general, chooses the best time and place, is the stronger and more disciplined, will prevail in war.
With the advent of “boxercize” the traditional ladylike slap on the face has been replaced by the right hook.
I was backing into a public car parking space. A lady driver beeped her horn and when I stopped to let her pass, she cut into the (my) space.
Initially, she explained that she was in a hurry and needed the space, then that she saw it first, and then that I was a dickhead. (I do not know how she worked that one out.) She was a lady in her forties with that scary, blonde, gym-user look. Alarmingly, she then said “Get out of my face” in that tone the police use before they apply the taser.
A nearby crowd of people waiting at a bus stop, outraged by her actions, began shouting at her to move her car.
My wife attempted to reason with her.
“Are you going to try and hit me?” she hopefully replied, to which my wife responded, “No, you are in bad enough shape as it is.” She always gets the best lines.
“Outgunned” the woman drove off and victory was ours.
It seems that road rage, trolley rage and all sorts of other rage are becoming, well...all the rage. One supermarket incident ended with a customer being hit with a flying frozen turkey.
But there are those who take advantage of people’s propensity to be “wound up” and use provocation to win disputes, aided by the system. In these politically correct times, the police are less likely to let people off with a warning. People can end up in court over something as petty as a car parking space dispute if they do not keep their cool.
If you are a crazed individual with a short fuse and a criminal record, go for it. But for ordinary people, confrontation with strangers is best avoided, as you can no longer be sure of their reaction. A lone gunman who opened fire in a US church was immediately, and unexpectedly, shot dead by a lady in the congregation. Incredibly, God was given credit for the kill (sic).
Statistically, there are more loonies alive today than ever before or at least it seems that way.
Now it is acceptable for security guards emboldened by the terrorist threat, to resort to physical violence to resolve disturbances rather than urge moderation. Once I intervened when I saw a flight attendant bait an irate passenger with the clear intention of calling security to have her dragged away in those plastic handcuffs.
As a lawyer, my job is to advise clients to walk away from potential legal issues. In retrospect, would it not have been better for me to avoid the dispute all together and drive on? Well, yes, certainly, but only over her dead body.
A week later, I read in the Darwin Awards that a man who had shovelled snow for an hour to clear a space for his car during a blizzard in Chicago returned with his vehicle to find a woman had taken the space. Understandably, he shot her.
Conclusion
In disputes close to home; a disciplined rather than a hysterical approach is desirable.
Extract from "The Art of War, Peace & Palaver - The Contentious Guide to Legal Disputes" by Paul Brennan
