MAJOR black eye for all of us

[Farbmeister]

In the total sum of human events what has TALKING IT OUT ever accomplished in the long run? Not much.

I am a firm believer in cleansing the gene pool, or at LEAST adjusting the attitude of individuals that appear to be in need of said attitude adjustment.

Again, I don't think anything will come of this... but the parent is on better legal grounds, civilaly (sp?) if he wanted to sue.

Course his could would STILL not get much time on the field.

[Pittbug]

I really feel bad for the kid. How many parents will let their children have play dates with this kid now?

[exceltoexcel]

I have gotten into two altercations that required slight physical persuasion.

No blows just a lock.

I've talked it out at least a dozen maybe two dozen times in my life.

If you control your reaction to your emotions and learn to identify why the other is acting upon their emotions then you can, if the other doesn't react too soon, convince most people that a physical altercation isn't necessary and still not back down.

It takes finesse and some emotional control training to think logically when confronted. The result is more than satisfying. In many cases those same people often times buy me a drink and apologies profusely later. In some cases I'm the one that has to admit that I was wrong when I was wrong. Far more valiant way to handle other human beings and conduct yourself.

Sometimes an altercation cannot be avoided, for me only when the other party has acted violently too soon. However most of the time the altercation can easily be diffused with a logical conversation taking into account why the other person feels wronged. The first thing you tend to have to do is posture to show you're up for the challenge and then ask them why they feel wronged.

That conversation usually will work its way out if you control yourself.

Personally I find this to be a worthy skill to pursue

[SierraSIX]

Excel

Best reply I have seen here. You are exactly right, de-escalation is a skill that is very worthwhile to learn. And as you said it is very gratifying to be able to talk someone that is intent on starting an altercation out of it without using force. It is also gratifying (and can save you later in court) if you have to defend yourself to know that you did everything in your power to keep the situation from heading that way. This is especially true if you are a CCW holder. As was said earlier, anytime you strap a firearm on your hip, it is your duty to be the bigger, more mature man and walk away. The second the coach said "Lets settle this like men" the parent knowing he was carrying a weapon, should have de-escalated the situation. If he was attacked after that then he would have every right to defend himself to the fullest extent. This man did give us a black eye, and anyone that believes he did not and would act the same, will probably add to the problem someday.
One of the reasons I am moving to PA is because the peoples republic of MD does not allow just any law abiding citizen to carry a firearm to protect their family or themselves. This incident is the exact thing the anti-gunners use to justify thier stance.
I could go on forever but I will close by saying this. If you invest money in buying a firearm and taking classes to learn when and how to use it. Then do yourself a favor and invest in training on how to avoid situations where you would need to use it. If you dont want to invest a lot of money doing this, then there is one book that will go a long way. Verbal Judo (The gentle art of pursuasion) by Dr. George Thompson. Not expensive and very eye opening.
Ok im off my soapbox.

Semper Fi