Sam trickett beaten up by 6 guys

[jackinbeat]

Close protection Sam, you are worth enough now to interest all kinds of low lifes, and walking around unprotected is going to lead to further incidents, sad that the world forces the succesful to take these steps, but clearly you need it.

[smashedagain]

Close protection Sam, you are worth enough now to interest all kinds of low lifes, and walking around unprotected is going to lead to further incidents, sad that the world forces the succesful to take these steps, but clearly you need it.

Yeah this does worry me. Can't see it being long before these crims that target pro footy players turn their attention to young pro poker players. In these sort of incidents the police are next to helpless and it certainly pays to know the right people

[77dave]

.

[easypickings]

Why is it a running theme of the thread that it is a good and important thing to be hard and streetwise? Are we suggesting that us majority of poker players that are not should feel inferior?

The hard guy who takes a few punches, but comes off the best, wakes up better off than the man he beat, but the best off of all the next morning is the man who saw a situation coming, put his head down, and walked away.

(This is of course not a comment at all on what happened, as all we have is speculation, but just on the general tone of the thread.)

Stu,

If someone spat on your girlfriend, would you walk away?

No.

I feel that there is a strong argument that if a man wants to go through life without getting into a single fight against a stranger, he almost definitely can, and that this is his best choice.

However, this is only "almost definite," because of the one specific situation where it is no longer right to believe that it's better to take the idiot's insult, and avoid his injury, by walking away. That is of course the situation you're talking about, where the insult is directed at your girl, and the insult in this case was the most disgusting possible.

I guess to get much further, we would have to speculate on the order of events, and we don't know what that is.  Let's take one hypothetical scenario, however, that a girl friend had run her tongue against potential thugs enough for them to spit at her. I would of course stand up for her, knowing it was probably going to be fruitless, but that my beating was likely not much worse than her ordeal. And then ask her very strongly to realise next time the situation it puts a man in.

[easypickings]

Too many idealists itt imo.

Disagree with throwing a punch first/starting trouble, but nothing wrong with standing your ground.

I would attribute a lot of it to things such as your upbringing. I was taught from an early age if anyone hits you to hit them back twice as hard and being one of 6 white kids in a class of 30 I got a lot of shit, if i resorted to walking away I would have been a walking punching bag.

Would much rather wake up with a few cuts and grazes getting stuck in than wake up with the feeling of guilt knowing I let a few scoundrels completely mug me off.  

Agree with your point, there definitely are spots where you just have to stand your ground.

However, I think there is a big difference between spots with a group of people you know and see every day, and the kind of spots that happen on nights out. They're either against the kind of person who thinks that accidentally bumping into them is worth a drunken beating, or the kind who will deliberately create this kind of situation, specifically to get into a fight. Against them, the tactic of "head down, they're not worth it" is the only one sure to defeat them.

On a rare occasion, it's more than a few cuts and grazes, and on an incredibly rare occasion, the guy who stood his ground does not wake up the next day. I would argue that when a situation begins, there is often no way of being 100% sure that it cannot be those rare occasions.

[kinboshi]

Too many idealists itt imo.

Disagree with throwing a punch first/starting trouble, but nothing wrong with standing your ground.

I would attribute a lot of it to things such as your upbringing. I was taught from an early age if anyone hits you to hit them back twice as hard and being one of 6 white kids in a class of 30 I got a lot of shit, if i resorted to walking away I would have been a walking punching bag.

Would much rather wake up with a few cuts and grazes getting stuck in than wake up with the feeling of guilt knowing I let a few scoundrels completely mug me off. 

Agree with your point, there definitely are spots where you just have to stand your ground.

However, I think there is a big difference between spots with a group of people you know and see every day, and the kind of spots that happen on nights out. They're either against the kind of person who thinks that accidentally bumping into them is worth a drunken beating, or the kind who will deliberately create this kind of situation, specifically to get into a fight. Against them, the tactic of "head down, they're not worth it" is the only one sure to defeat them.

On a rare occasion, it's more than a few cuts and grazes, and on an incredibly rare occasion, the guy who stood his ground does not wake up the next day. I would argue that when a situation begins, there is often no way of being 100% sure that it cannot be those rare occasions.

/thread

[Simon Galloway]

You don't want to look back in 5 years time and reflect on the fact that a few plebs had a significant influence on how your life unfolded.  They've already had a couple of minutes of your life, that's more than they deserve already, move on.  If you are able to retain any kind of control, walking is still the best option.  Whether you got mugged off or not doesn't really matter when you look back on it.  Sometimes you get a "Prescott moment" where you lash out ~ last happened to me aged 18 and I will be happy if it never happens again.  Otherwise, winning all fights by at least 100 yards is always the best route.

Also appreciated if one's g/f learns to zip it at the right moment.

[pleno1]

the would you fight if your gf got her face spat on argument is so ridic as 99.9% of ours gf's wouldn't be in that situ at the time.

[easypickings]

You don't want to look back in 5 years time and reflect on the fact that a few plebs had a significant influence on how your life unfolded.  They've already had a couple of minutes of your life, that's more than they deserve already, move on.  If you are able to retain any kind of control, walking is still the best option.  Whether you got mugged off or not doesn't really matter when you look back on it.  Sometimes you get a "Prescott moment" where you lash out ~ last happened to me aged 18 and I will be happy if it never happens again.  Otherwise, winning all fights by at least 100 yards is always the best route.

Also appreciated if one's g/f learns to zip it at the right moment.

massively this

[millidonk]

Too many idealists itt imo.

Disagree with throwing a punch first/starting trouble, but nothing wrong with standing your ground.

I would attribute a lot of it to things such as your upbringing. I was taught from an early age if anyone hits you to hit them back twice as hard and being one of 6 white kids in a class of 30 I got a lot of shit, if i resorted to walking away I would have been a walking punching bag.

Would much rather wake up with a few cuts and grazes getting stuck in than wake up with the feeling of guilt knowing I let a few scoundrels completely mug me off. 

Agree with your point, there definitely are spots where you just have to stand your ground.

However, I think there is a big difference between spots with a group of people you know and see every day, and the kind of spots that happen on nights out. They're either against the kind of person who thinks that accidentally bumping into them is worth a drunken beating, or the kind who will deliberately create this kind of situation, specifically to get into a fight. Against them, the tactic of "head down, they're not worth it" is the only one sure to defeat them.

On a rare occasion, it's more than a few cuts and grazes, and on an incredibly rare occasion, the guy who stood his ground does not wake up the next day. I would argue that when a situation begins, there is often no way of being 100% sure that it cannot be those rare occasions.

You make some very good points and I completely understand where you are coming from, your last point is hugely valid and I don't think enough people take this into account imo, I happen to know someone who did wake up with more than a few cuts and bruises, the main thing is he woke up but he is still in a wheelchair, all because he said "nice hat" to a man wearing a pink cowboy hat who then punched him in the face.

From my own experience not every situation is as black and white as you are making out, the type of person intent on causing you harm for no reason will not just let you walk away without some sort of altercation, more likely to give you a few digs, kick at you etc. Walking away is obv the 'ideal' solution but i don't think its always as simple as that. Does nobody else feel kind of guilty that they are just making someone else have to deal with this particular person instead?

[RED-DOG]

I told Tony this story a while ago, I wouldn't normally have told anyone else but this thread, and Stu's post in particular has prompted me.

I always take the "Don't fight if you don't have to" stance. It proves nothing and could easily get you crippled, killed, or see you doing time for killing someone else.

It's not really about bravery, it's about common sense. If you keep getting in to fights, sooner or later you're going to bang your head on a curb, or some little shit is going to stick a knife in you. So. If at all possible, walk away. Just walk away.

But walking away isn't always easy, and it certainly isn't pain free. Sometimes the hurt to your pride or your self esteem lingers far far longer than a few cuts and bruises would have.

You can't be sure it will stop at cuts and bruises though. Men don't fight like they did back in the day, when it was fists only and your mates watched fair play until one of you gave 'best', at which point you stopped fighting and shook hands.

So. To sum up, I know it makes sense to avoid fighting. I hate confrontation, and I'm a bit of a coward. I virtually always  turn the other cheek, but sometimes, when something has been really unjust, I've hated myself for ages afterwards.

Anyway. I was out on my bike riding along a lonely stretch of road between the villages of Stony Stanton and Barwell when I saw two youths walking along the pavement ahead of me. One was of medium build, one was quite big.

 I just knew that these two were going to do or say something intimidating. I could tell by their body language, by the smirks of their faces, and by the fact that they both made full eye contact. Sometimes, you just know.

Except for my initial glance, I didn't look at them again and I made a point if giving them a wide berth as I rode past. Still, one of then stepped into the road, forcing me to pass even wider and as I drew level he shouted "Why don't you get a fucking car?".

Of course I did the sensible thing and rode on. Yes, I was annoyed, but that would fade in a few minutes. They hadn't hurt me, they hadn't even inconvenienced me much. The indecent certainly wasn't worth arguing about.

Strangely though, my annoyance didn't subside. The further I rode. the angrier I got. Who the fuck were they to intimidate a complete stranger for no reason?  They didn't get a good look at me, I had my hat pulled down and my collar up. For all they know, I could have been a pensioner, or a soldier who had fought for his country before becoming too old and frail  to stand up for himself.

After riding on for about a mile or so, I was absolutely fuming. These to youths seemed to have become the embodiment of all the times I've been shit upon, but swallowed my pride and walked away because it was the sensible thing to do.

A sort of cold determination came over me. I wasn't going to let this one go. I turned my bike around and started riding back.

Eventually I saw them in the distance, and they saw me coming, I could see them talking and pointing. My heart was going like a trip hammer. I knew what I was doing was really foolish, but I couldn't help myself.

I knew I had to go for the big one first. I might get a kicking, but my God I was going to leave my mark on him. He would be remembering this day for a long time which ever way the cookie crumbled.

I threw my bike down, ran up,  grabbed his shirt front, stuck my face into his and shouted "Who the fuck do you think you're swearing at? Cu*t!  

At this point, his mate retreated about 20 yards. Normally I would have been glad to see his mate leg it, but I was just so raging mad that I didn't care.

The one I had grabbed had gone completely limp and was hanging is my hands like a wet rag. "No, you've got it wrong, I wasn't swearing at you, honest...

He was so pathetic that all the anger went out of me. I picked up my bike and rode away.

Had I been right to go back? No. Of course not. It was really foolish and completely out of character.

Still. maybe those youths will think twice the next time. So perhaps it's a good thing that normally meek people act out of character occasionally.  

 

[millidonk]

Said it once and I'll say it again RED-THUG.. 


Thanks for sharing Tom, I imagine you didn't find that easy. Obv there was no need to get involved but you can gurantee they will think twice about doing it again. Eveyone has a breaking point. #CommunityHero

[Woodsey]

Don't fk with the dawg, especially when he's turned from red to green  

[nirvana]

Silly dog, but I'm glad you did it.

Evil triumphs while good men do nothing and all that

[bobAlike]

I told Tony this story a while ago, I wouldn't normally have told anyone else but this thread, and Stu's post in particular has prompted me.

I always take the "Don't fight if you don't have to" stance. It proves nothing and could easily get you crippled, killed, or see you doing time for killing someone else.

It's not really about bravery, it's about common sense. If you keep getting in to fights, sooner or later you're going to bang your head on a curb, or some little shit is going to stick a knife in you. So. If at all possible, walk away. Just walk away.

But walking away isn't always easy, and it certainly isn't pain free. Sometimes the hurt to your pride or your self esteem lingers far far longer than a few cuts and bruises would have.

You can't be sure it will stop at cuts and bruises though. Men don't fight like they did back in the day, when it was fists only and your mates watched fair play until one of you gave 'best', at which point you stopped fighting and shook hands.

So. To sum up, I know it makes sense to avoid fighting. I hate confrontation, and I'm a bit of a coward. I virtually always  turn the other cheek, but sometimes, when something has been really unjust, I've hated myself for ages afterwards.

Anyway. I was out on my bike riding along a lonely stretch of road between the villages of Stony Stanton and Barwell when I saw two youths walking along the pavement ahead of me. One was of medium build, one was quite big.

 I just knew that these two were going to do or say something intimidating. I could tell by their body language, by the smirks of their faces, and by the fact that they both made full eye contact. Sometimes, you just know.

Except for my initial glance, I didn't look at them again and I made a point if giving them a wide berth as I rode past. Still, one of then stepped into the road, forcing me to pass even wider and as I drew level he shouted "Why don't you get a fucking car?".

Of course I did the sensible thing and rode on. Yes, I was annoyed, but that would fade in a few minutes. They hadn't hurt me, they hadn't even inconvenienced me much. The indecent certainly wasn't worth arguing about.

Strangely though, my annoyance didn't subside. The further I rode. the angrier I got. Who the fuck were they to intimidate a complete stranger for no reason?  They didn't get a good look at me, I had my hat pulled down and my collar up. For all they know, I could have been a pensioner, or a soldier who had fought for his country before becoming too old and frail  to stand up for himself.

After riding on for about a mile or so, I was absolutely fuming. These to youths seemed to have become the embodiment of all the times I've been shit upon, but swallowed my pride and walked away because it was the sensible thing to do.

A sort of cold determination came over me. I wasn't going to let this one go. I turned my bike around and started riding back.

Eventually I saw them in the distance, and they saw me coming, I could see them talking and pointing. My heart was going like a trip hammer. I knew what I was doing was really foolish, but I couldn't help myself.

I knew I had to go for the big one first. I might get a kicking, but my God I was going to leave my mark on him. He would be remembering this day for a long time which ever way the cookie crumbled.

I threw my bike down, ran up,  grabbed his shirt front, stuck my face into his and shouted "Who the fuck do you think you're swearing at? Cu*t!  

At this point, his mate retreated about 20 yards. Normally I would have been glad to see his mate leg it, but I was just so raging mad that I didn't care.

The one I had grabbed had gone completely limp and was hanging is my hands like a wet rag. "No, you've got it wrong, I wasn't swearing at you, honest...

He was so pathetic that all the anger went out of me. I picked up my bike and rode away.

Had I been right to go back? No. Of course not. It was really foolish and completely out of character.

Still. maybe those youths will think twice the next time. So perhaps it's a good thing that normally meek people act out of character occasionally.  

 

I so get this post. Sometimes right doesn't come into it though and emotions take over leaving yourself wide open for whatever outcome.

When my house was burgled while my family and I were asleep my first thoughts were why didn't I wake up and protect my family. As the type of person who prided himself on that fact that I would do anything to protect my family, this burned deep inside for weeks. I accept it now that it was for the better.