4 ms·

Be careful of heeding this as fact, depending on the laws of the locale you could end up in prison, subject to civil suits, and/or other consequences for practi

Be careful of heeding this as fact, depending on the laws of the locale you could end up in prison, subject to civil suits, and/or other consequences for practicing violent behavior even if it is in self-defense. For example, an eyewitness may only see you break the assailant's arm and miss that they initiated aggression. Then you go to court and are held liable for damages to your assailant plus a felony charge, because the assailant's lawyer was able to convince a jury you used greater than necessary force or even that there were no witnesses to support your assertion that the assailant initiated the attack, and then you are labeled as the violent felon. So what's the solution? Not easy to decide, but if these situations are a concern best to think ahead and get appropriately prepared instead of just reacting with unrestrained violence..

conductr 10y ago
I guess I see your point, but I disagree. Part of sticking up for yourself is willing to risk these things. The bully's advantage is that he is willing to break the rules and you aren't. So you have to break the rules and risk some of these things that may happen. Maybe just draw the line at snapping the kids arm and you'll be safe.
- jupiter90000 10y ago
  No, a person may not be safe under the law when doing that. There are ways to minimize legal risk and also fighting back, if one is willing to look into them. Risking going to prison and becoming a felon to prove yourself is foolhardy. Edit: one example of this back-firing: http://crimefeed.com/2014/10/bullied-teen-charged-with-assault/ http://crimefeed.com/2014/10/bullied-teen-charged-with-assau...
  - dismantlethesun 10y ago
    Getting back to the original premise: would the same advise be given to adults that is regularly given to children? If an adult comes to tell you that they are being regularly harassed and beaten up by a coworker, will they be told to be careful about retaliation, and oh shucks since there's no direct proof of anything we can't separate you from your attacker? No. And I think there's a good reason (not that I particularly agree with it). People, the justice system in general, trust adults to be reasonable and act within the law so anyone who goes to a police officer and says X man attacked me is believed. With children, there's always the question in the back of the mind "did they lie to get their enemy in trouble? are they pushing boundaries? Are they just seeking attention? Are they exaggerating?" For an adult, just your word that you were attacked is often good enough to kick start an investigation for physical evidence. For a child attacked by another child, their word is often not seen as good enough.
    - jupiter90000 10y ago
      I do agree with you on what you're saying about the original premise. That norm of ignoring genuine violence kids are facing needs to be changed.

conductr 10y ago

I guess I see your point, but I disagree. Part of sticking up for yourself is willing to risk these things. The bully's advantage is that he is willing to break the rules and you aren't. So you have to break the rules and risk some of these things that may happen. Maybe just draw the line at snapping the kids arm and you'll be safe.

jupiter90000 10y ago
No, a person may not be safe under the law when doing that. There are ways to minimize legal risk and also fighting back, if one is willing to look into them. Risking going to prison and becoming a felon to prove yourself is foolhardy. Edit: one example of this back-firing: http://crimefeed.com/2014/10/bullied-teen-charged-with-assault/ http://crimefeed.com/2014/10/bullied-teen-charged-with-assau...
- dismantlethesun 10y ago
  Getting back to the original premise: would the same advise be given to adults that is regularly given to children? If an adult comes to tell you that they are being regularly harassed and beaten up by a coworker, will they be told to be careful about retaliation, and oh shucks since there's no direct proof of anything we can't separate you from your attacker? No. And I think there's a good reason (not that I particularly agree with it). People, the justice system in general, trust adults to be reasonable and act within the law so anyone who goes to a police officer and says X man attacked me is believed. With children, there's always the question in the back of the mind "did they lie to get their enemy in trouble? are they pushing boundaries? Are they just seeking attention? Are they exaggerating?" For an adult, just your word that you were attacked is often good enough to kick start an investigation for physical evidence. For a child attacked by another child, their word is often not seen as good enough.
  - jupiter90000 10y ago
    I do agree with you on what you're saying about the original premise. That norm of ignoring genuine violence kids are facing needs to be changed.