The mental gymnastics you are doing are extreme. STABBING someone in response to this is absolutely not ok. There is no consistent social norm reasoning that co

The mental gymnastics you are doing are extreme. STABBING someone in response to this is absolutely not ok. There is no consistent social norm reasoning that could make it so. What you describe as mental gymnastics seems straightforward to me. As for what you perceive as escalation. The situation has already escalated: Confined space, obvious aggressor doing OBVIOUSLY wrong thing to a vulnerable, complete stranger. There is no way to read their intent as friendly at that point. This is self defence. Hence your other later reasonable sentence DOES apply. in a position of self-defense, reaching for any countermeasures you can makes sense, stabbing with a random object included About the only thing you said that was reasonable. As for your lame "blood clotting" mental gymnastics, this is extra information not available at the time. You can't make decisions on information you don't have or can't reasonably assume. If you assume your blood clotting disorder argument to be valid then in a split second of self-defence: - I need to canvass the knowledge of the medical establishment to know every possible medical condition a person could have and... - avoid triggering every such possibility. Tell me again that your "blood clotting" argument makes sense. And even assuming it played out this way, I would be unhappy a person died, but given the information at the time I wouldn't regret the decision/action one iota. Morally clean and happy to sleep like a baby. Accidental bump? Not what this was. Another mental gymnastic flip on your part. This was a simple moment of self defence with a measured (She didn't stab him in the face) - but not unwarranted - action. Edit:text flow, no words deleted.