Violence as a plot device... but in real life? by chrisisall

TALK STORY

Violence as a plot device... but in real life?

POSTED BY: CHRISISALL
UPDATED: Tuesday, September 21, 2010 19:00
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Tuesday, September 21, 2010 4:41 PM

Question: how many peeps here have ever had to hit someone in self-defense?
In the story of your lives, has violence ever played a part like on TV or the movies?
I've had many moments in my life where I could have chosen to pummel peeps, but I always defaulted to "Check rather than hurt."
And given the choice, I'd do the same again. As a trained Martial Artist, it's the most natural of choices.

It's also why I love the TV series CHUCK.
Bartowski rules.

The no-kill-I Chrisisall

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Tuesday, September 21, 2010 4:55 PM

KWICKO

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." -- William Casey, Reagan's presidential campaign manager & CIA Director (from first staff meeting in 1981)

[raises hand]

Couple times. It was pure reaction. Guy pointed a gun at me; I disarmed him, roughly. I may have dislocated his elbow. Took his li'l revolver, unloaded it, pocketed the shells, threw the pistol in the weeds, and told him to go fetch, and went on my merry.

Another guy hit his girl at a party; he blackened her eye, so I broke his nose. I told him to get out before I got pissed, he said he was going to get his friends. Never saw him again, but his (former) girl is still a friend of mine 30 years later.

Did the violence "help"? Well, it ended the situation, so I guess it helped.

AURaptor's Greatest Hits:

Friday, May 28, 2010 - 20:32 To AnthonyT:
Go fuck yourself.
On this matter, make no mistake. I want you to go fuck yourself long and hard, as well as anyone who agrees with you. I got no use for you.

Friday, May 28, 2010 - 18:26 To President Obama:
Mr. President, you're a god damn, mother fucking liar.
Fuck you, you cock sucking community activist piece of shit.
... go fuck yourself, Mr. President.

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Tuesday, September 21, 2010 5:06 PM

CHRISISALL

Quote:
Originally posted by Kwicko:

Did the violence "help"? Well, it ended the situation, so I guess it helped.

Cool beans.

The laughing Chrisisall

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Tuesday, September 21, 2010 6:04 PM

FREMDFIRMA

All too often, and it's ever been one of my laments, too - I try reason and negotiation, I try cleverness and humor, and always, always, it seems to come down to a fistfull of metal, offering threats and violence, albeit it probably seems more than it has, but still more often than it should.

And you pay for it too, that's what I dislike about movies, is that they make it so clean, not just physically, but emotionally, spiritually.

Inflicting violence can harm you, WILL harm you, no matter the reasons, or justifications, the mere act of doing so will leave damage both physical and emotional - no matter how tough the hammer, how weak the nails, the hammer takes a beating too, over time, and all those minor little twinges which you shrug off so easily at nineteen come back twenty years later with an awful, awful vengeance, cause that price ALWAYS gets paid, ain't no escaping it.

The only question I guess, is whether you think it was worth it.

Waking up from horrifing dreams into a seizure of cramps like a fullisade of lightning bolts, leaving you feeling like someone's been at your joints with a flensing knife as you crawl to a wheelchair isn't exactly the future "reward" most people have in mind when they decide to start playing rough for a cause they felt mattered.

As a plot device, violence has a place, but when the consequences of it are never shown, even for the "winner", I think it does a disservice to us all.

That said, I *do* think it was "worth it", whenever I see a kid who's different enough that their life might have gone in a very different way had that option not been removed from play.

I might not think much of Yoda, but he was right about one thing - that whole Adventure and Excitement thing sure as hell ain't all it's cracked up to be.

-Frem

ETA: I kinda have to add this, good heavens I know EXACTLY how he feels, right down to the horrified epiphany of why his mentor/father is such an iron-handed jerk.
http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20080303
http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20080305

You TRY to be nice, you TRY to be reasonable, and all you get is not taken seriously....
So you break some heads.

Story of my life, really.

-F

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Tuesday, September 21, 2010 7:00 PM

THEHAPPYTRADER

I've never backed down from a fight. That being said, I've also never engaged in one. Prolly don't make sense so I'll explain.

I can count on one hand the number of particularly terrifying and violent situations I've found myself in, the first experience completely changed my view of the world. It was a few years ago in college and myself, a guy friend and five female friends were just leaving a club (this was also to first time I went to a club, I'm from a small town) and this black guy came after on of the girls with a knife and stole her purse. He slashed at her too but missed. He was like some kind of animal, probably on drugs I suppose. He pushed her too the ground and I put myself between him and the rest of the girls and he ran away. Then I ran to the first girl.

When we finally got back to campus I asked my guy friend to walk every woman to their dorms with me before we went back to our dorm. While we were walking red headed girl back to her place she said she thought my protectiveness was adorable. I later found out she was a 3rd degree tie qwan do black belt (is that how you spell that?) and was a far more capable fighter than I am. Anyway, on two other occasions, which were more harassment and possible violence than an out right violent mugging, I again stepped between my friends and the aggressors and the aggressors backed off. Probably cause I just made it inconvenient for them. Violence is just not in my nature, even during contact sports I'm self conscious of folks gettin' knocked around and me accidentally hurting them.

But violence has made me more wary, especially at night, and well... I kinda lost that part of myself that used to believe a stranger is a friend you've never met. Now it's like, who is this person, what do they want. I should be careful not to tell them anything about myself or expose myself to possible harm until I know more. Also, it's hard not to feel uncomfortable near a black person at night. I know they aren't inherently bad or violent folk, but it still primes my flight or fight reflex.

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