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This question isn't meant as serious social commentary or to infer that young men are sissies. I notice various threads talking about martial arts training, hand to hand combat training, knife fight training etc. and wonder how many folks on this forum have ever been in a real fight. I wonder because it sometimes seems that fighting as a kid is so "incorrect" these days that.. well I just wonder how any kid learns about such things before he grows up.
I was talking to a retired police officer acquaintance recently about the son of a mutual friend who had recently become a Portland cop. He stated that he had known the kid since he was a baby and knew the kid had never been in a fight in his life. He said that many of the "new cops" are in the same situation and he wonders how they will ever survive on the streets. He further stated that he had become uncomfortable as a cop when his department began partnering female officers with veteran male cops, and even more uncomfortable near the end of his carrer when he found that even some of the young male officers had never been in a fight before pinning on a badge. I won't repeat what he had to say about Portland assigning Social Workers to go on calls with street cops
I grew up at the same time this retired cop did and the world was a different place... I think. Virtually every boy got into fights now and then...and it was socially acceptable as long as you didn't start it. Often, it was one of your friends you ending up giving a black eye, or the other way around. Defending your mother's honor was about the only time it was considered acceptable to throw the first punch, but sometimes that rule was stretched some. I don't recall anyone getting very hurt but that is beside the point. Well, that's not entirely true... I have broken the pinky finger knuckles on both hands in youthful fights, and I have a little scar under my lip where someone's fist pushed my lip through my front tooth
Excluding military vets and LEO's, how many of you in the oh, under 40 year old crowd have ever been in a fight? Computer games don't count, nor does name calling and pushing. Who has been in a real fight where mutiple blows were thrown and something, no matter how stupid, was actually settled?
I was talking to a retired police officer acquaintance recently about the son of a mutual friend who had recently become a Portland cop. He stated that he had known the kid since he was a baby and knew the kid had never been in a fight in his life. He said that many of the "new cops" are in the same situation and he wonders how they will ever survive on the streets. He further stated that he had become uncomfortable as a cop when his department began partnering female officers with veteran male cops, and even more uncomfortable near the end of his carrer when he found that even some of the young male officers had never been in a fight before pinning on a badge. I won't repeat what he had to say about Portland assigning Social Workers to go on calls with street cops
I grew up at the same time this retired cop did and the world was a different place... I think. Virtually every boy got into fights now and then...and it was socially acceptable as long as you didn't start it. Often, it was one of your friends you ending up giving a black eye, or the other way around. Defending your mother's honor was about the only time it was considered acceptable to throw the first punch, but sometimes that rule was stretched some. I don't recall anyone getting very hurt but that is beside the point. Well, that's not entirely true... I have broken the pinky finger knuckles on both hands in youthful fights, and I have a little scar under my lip where someone's fist pushed my lip through my front tooth
Excluding military vets and LEO's, how many of you in the oh, under 40 year old crowd have ever been in a fight? Computer games don't count, nor does name calling and pushing. Who has been in a real fight where mutiple blows were thrown and something, no matter how stupid, was actually settled?
