4 ms·

"Anyone that says violence doesn't solve anything has never had their ass kicked" - My HS best friend's Dad teaching us about dealing with bullies circa 1991

artursapek 10y ago
That's one hell of a dad quote
spacemanmatt 10y ago
Lotsa dads make the point for me, that kids who do not tend to turn to violence have not experienced it. But it's lost on them -- they usually think not experiencing violence is a weakness.
- kstenerud 10y ago
  Not a weakness per se, but rather a lost opportunity for learning how to assert yourself. Violence is the purest form of assertion, and can be extrapolated into nonviolent aspects of life later on. Being bullied (and fighting back) made me consider the philosophy of violence as a kid, and made me strong. It also taught me to stand my ground and take no shit from anyone, which was true in school, in the workplace, dealing with customer support, you name it.
  - spacemanmatt 10y ago
    I do not agree that violence is the purest form of assertion. On what basis did you judge purity, anyway? That seems like the sort of thing a violent person tells themselves in justification of their world view.
pavlov 10y ago
"Anyone that says waterboarding doesn't work has never been interrogated by torturers." Makes as much sense. This kind of dad wisdom is the brand of false "common sense" currently peddled by the Trumps and Putins of this world.
- dexterdog 10y ago
  That's a lovely strawman you built there.
  - pavlov 10y ago
    I'm trying to point out the slippery slope of adults offering this kind of arguments to children. I wouldn't tell it to my kid because I feel it would be the wrong thing to say: "Here's a piece of advice that might work in the schoolyard, but it's wrong in life overall."
    - nocman 10y ago
      Except that it is definitely NOT wrong in life overall. There is a big difference between saying "violence doesn't solve anything" and saying that "violence solves everything". There are many situations in which a person needs to defend themselves, and reacting to physical violence with a physical response is the right thing to do. Just because this gets out of hand because some people take it too far doesn't mean that all physical responses are wrong.
      - pavlov 10y ago
        I feel violence is wrong overall, and would die to defend that conviction if a situation came to that.
        theorique 10y ago
        So if one of your closest loved ones were threatened by a violent criminal (in a home invasion, for example), you would actually allow yourself and/or your loved one to die rather than commit an act of violence that eliminated the threat? I'm not sure if I believe that.
        Goronmon 10y ago
        Hypothetically speaking, if a grown man was beating up your own child, you wouldn't do anything to stop him, even at the risk of your child dying?

artursapek 10y ago

That's one hell of a dad quote

spacemanmatt 10y ago

Lotsa dads make the point for me, that kids who do not tend to turn to violence have not experienced it. But it's lost on them -- they usually think not experiencing violence is a weakness.

kstenerud 10y ago
Not a weakness per se, but rather a lost opportunity for learning how to assert yourself. Violence is the purest form of assertion, and can be extrapolated into nonviolent aspects of life later on. Being bullied (and fighting back) made me consider the philosophy of violence as a kid, and made me strong. It also taught me to stand my ground and take no shit from anyone, which was true in school, in the workplace, dealing with customer support, you name it.
- spacemanmatt 10y ago
  I do not agree that violence is the purest form of assertion. On what basis did you judge purity, anyway? That seems like the sort of thing a violent person tells themselves in justification of their world view.

pavlov 10y ago

"Anyone that says waterboarding doesn't work has never been interrogated by torturers." Makes as much sense. This kind of dad wisdom is the brand of false "common sense" currently peddled by the Trumps and Putins of this world.

dexterdog 10y ago
That's a lovely strawman you built there.
- pavlov 10y ago
  I'm trying to point out the slippery slope of adults offering this kind of arguments to children. I wouldn't tell it to my kid because I feel it would be the wrong thing to say: "Here's a piece of advice that might work in the schoolyard, but it's wrong in life overall."
  - nocman 10y ago
    Except that it is definitely NOT wrong in life overall. There is a big difference between saying "violence doesn't solve anything" and saying that "violence solves everything". There are many situations in which a person needs to defend themselves, and reacting to physical violence with a physical response is the right thing to do. Just because this gets out of hand because some people take it too far doesn't mean that all physical responses are wrong.
    - pavlov 10y ago
      I feel violence is wrong overall, and would die to defend that conviction if a situation came to that.
      - theorique 10y ago
        So if one of your closest loved ones were threatened by a violent criminal (in a home invasion, for example), you would actually allow yourself and/or your loved one to die rather than commit an act of violence that eliminated the threat? I'm not sure if I believe that.
      - Goronmon 10y ago
        Hypothetically speaking, if a grown man was beating up your own child, you wouldn't do anything to stop him, even at the risk of your child dying?