Goth Fights

There were some influential people in my life as a young Goth. Some were Pacifists. There activity of not resorting to violence was admirable, yet when someone hit them and went to the hospital I wondered why they said mean things. It seemed as though they provoked fights.

After years of practicing pacifism there are several methods to avoid fights with various strategies. Learning is a rewarding experience. Through watching them it became more important to see signs of tension. Obviously declarations of pacifism are not enough to stop someone from hitting you. After years I found some conflicts are easily resolved with demonstrations of strength or numbers. Though violence does not resolve the issue sometimes it is necessary. Now I do everything possible to resolve conflict before using violence.

I learned many things as a child. One day, as I walked home with my Safety Buddy, this older kid threw snow balls at us. We were in third grade; he was in fifth or sixth grade. He knocked her to the ground. I knocked him to the ground to defend her and myself. He was not expecting this reaction. He feels my action was wrong. He was her older brother, yet I would do the same. This action against him showed her women are able to fight, even though much smaller, it was possible to defend us.

Speculation I might be a boy or highly aggressive person makes pacifism appealing. Even then, I felt it was a method to force me into submission. This was irritating though continuing to avoid fights. As an adult I have a totally clean record. He is otherwise a stalker while telling the stories of youth. I never heard the story about the much smaller, weaker bully beating up the larger opponent or the bully who never gets into fights.

Men have it more difficult than women. There were several Goth Men I met as a teen who were constantly challenged to fight. There is no other reason than proving manliness. Some of the scariest stories involve crying to gain attention. Embarrassment makes the bully leave.

Another story involves a friend walking several blocks to work. There was no one on the street; except, him and four men who followed him for several blocks. They were calling him a fag for wearing makeup and dressing like a girl. They said his life was an embarrassment. They were going to beat him up for being Goth, being different. Eventually he turned around and with a concealed knife. My friend was telling me this after questioning why Goths carry knives. I had noticed knifes in anklets, jackets or hidden in walking sticks. It makes sense, yet I still am not sure how it stops violence against Goths.

Thinking about the issue several people do not know the protocol for handling violent situations. Writing another article it contains most of the information. Though easy to avoid fights by leaving the situation, avoiding mean people and finding better friends always leaving means always retreating until there is nowhere to go.

Giving up options so someone else gets ahead is awful for a couple reasons. First you are losing means to support yourself. Secondly you are losing means to support yourself to someone who is mean and aggressive. There is also a chance they are under qualified. You would do a much better job that benefits society.

Violence should always remain defensive, yet sometimes it is difficult to prove it is defensive. Even in the larger spectrum of thoughts and ethics it is difficult to prove it was defense, especially when other people determine a way of life is in association to the destruction of humanity or they have a sense of entitlement. Value of a person is not their decision to make.

Once I was on the forums and a person asked if there was a reason to live after a friend committed suicide. I lost close friends to suicide. A few years later I got back to regular life and realized there is more reason to live in small groups of friends or family. There are few people so every person is extremely important to each other's survival.

Perhaps someone dies in an accident or unexplainable circumstance. Suicide is making a conscious choice to leave people to their own defenses. Some people call it selfish, yet there are medical issues causing duress. It is also easy to feel unimportant in comparison to the greater achievements of other people.

Fighting and abhorrent behaviors have become common in the United States. It is not just the Goths. Everyone is challenged to physically defend their right to live. It is obvious they could simply live their own life and let other people live according to their morals and ethics. Conflict arises and even if it is from within the Goth Culture, how is a person responsible for making someone think about someone who is not their significant other?

There is a point where running is a good idea. I want a better solution than short fights in allies. Knowing the law is important and using methods in "Defense Protocol," though harsh, really catches the bad guy so they are not causing trouble. It also give them time to reflect on the outcomes of actions. Reporting crime establishes civil conduct. The United States grants laws to majority rule, yet there are protections for minorities. Everyone has the legal right to speech, religion and work. A person may dress how they want and live how they want as long as it does not cause damage to someone else. A complex topic there are theories about infringements on our quality of life. Physical damage in the form bruises and broken bones clearly impedes another person's quality of life.

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