We are strange creatures. I was talking to a group of friends about their experience at a club last night. They got into a "semi-brawl" (whatever the hell that means). My experience with fighting has been in situations similar to this. I've been at a club/party/bar, and somebody's been drinking too much or too damn stupid to keep their mouth shut, and fists start flying (with me in the middle). So I thought it might be interesting to hear other people's experiences.
Have you ever been in a fight, and what was it over?
It may be disturbing to say, but there is a part of it that is "liberating", and makes you feel "alive". But more often than not, it has more to do with stupidity. It's also when we're the most like our Darwinian "ancestors". In a diary a little bit back, I mentioned something I heard from an interview with director David Cronenberg. He mentioned that his ideas about body & sexuality were in part based on primate behavior. He mentioned that most primates commit an act of violence or murder before they even have sex. Males wanting to be an "Alpha", defining status & position...
Two gorillas fighting over who's the alpha male of the pack & for the ability to have sex, don't have the
"excuse" of violent video games & movies like these
two idiots...
It's been my experience that most of the fights I've been witness to, happened for 2 reasons...
- Stupidity (Or Stupidity + Alcohol) - 90% of the fights I've ever seen have been because of stupid shit, or stupid shit that came from drunkeness. And you can see it before it happens too. You can walk into a party & if there's an asshole in the bunch, you know that before the night is over there's going to be a problem. Just add 3 or 4 Bud Lights or some Absolut, and that's all it will take...
- A Line Has Been Crossed... - This is when someone says or does something that can't be tolerated, and events pass a "point of no return". A joke or comment is made that rubs someone the wrong way. A guy makes a pass at the wrong guy's girl or a girl makes a pass at the wrong girl's guy, and chaos ensues...
Maybe this explains most of the wars in human history? Stupid decisions made by idiots, or people who wouldn't back down to lose face.
I also think it has to do with some people just needing to vent sometimes. I once heard a psychiatrist say that depression is Rage turned inward. Some people have problems with the other end of the spectrum. Although, I've long supspected that people who have "problems", hate themselves more than the person they're hitting.
But hey, maybe this is who we are. One of my favorite movies is Fight Club (and before anyone says it, I know the 1st rule of Fight Club is that we don't talk about Fight Club). I like it because under the surreal insanity of it, there's a lot of truth. People have seen messages in it that range from Oedipal to Homoerotic, all the way to Feminism...
...why did I think it was the best feminist statement of the 90s? Maybe because it was time to watch a man learn what women have always known: That living a life defined by home furnishings, fashion, commercialized domesticity and constant messages about how your body should look can literally drive you batty.
Maybe that explains why men go "batty" from time to time? Stop trying to turn us into metorsexuals, and we'll have world peace....
:)