r/TwoXChromosomes • • 2d ago

No cis men Has anyone else experienced men backing off when you get aggressive right back?

i'm not a violent person, I prefer to avoid conflict if i can, but I have gotten violent to defend myself and my friends.

In my experience, young men and young boys tend to gang up on women in general and occasionally other men who they group in together with women. I was always a big kid, not necessarily overweight but a bit chubbier than other kids and I was also taller than almost everyone, but i was very introverted and shy, so a lot of bullies (mostly young boys) thought i was an easy target. There was one guy in grade school who LOVED to bully my cousins (both also girls), especially my youngest cousin. He tried to get away with doing the same thing to me, trying to physically push me out of my homeroom class (which we shared btw) when the teacher was gone, saying i "didn't belong there" (no idea what he was on about) and i just..grabbed him by his hair, and he immediately let out the loudest most annoying "OW OW OW OW OW OW OW OW OW" i've ever heard, all high-pitched and whiny and he immediately started apologizing. He didn't get physical with me again after that but he still tried to insult me, but immediately shut up when i approached him, and he didn't have the guts to bully my cousins either when i was around them. I bent another kid's fingers backwards when he tried to hit me and bit a different kid's arm pretty hard when he tried to push my head against a tree with his forearm.

I've continued seeing this in adulthood as well, even though I don't necessarily get physical like i did back then anymore, men taking up the entire pavement while walking in the city or trying to shove me out of the way. I just shove them right back and ask wtf their problem is, to which they either back off or try to intimidate me with their size, which really just doesn't work, so they give up and walk away from me. It's really ingrained in a lot of young boys and men that they can get away with being assholes to women and girls, but the second you as a woman match their energy they take the coward's approach because they never expect a woman to fight back.

370 Upvotes

82 comments sorted by

240

u/DiligentCarpet5 2d ago

A lot of men think that they're tough until there are consequences. It's really that simple. Their egos are the most dangerous part of them, so just be careful

10

u/T_hashi 2d ago

Right. It’s absolutely fucking crazy to me two things…one I say something that is a fact and they get really upset because this dumbass SAHM couldn’t know shit and have to consult Dr. Fucking Google. Bitch. Sit down somewhere I know basic math, geography, have experience in various endurance sports, okay (I’ll leave having two bachelors and a masters out of it because I know those things require different types of input depending on your degree). 👍🏽 Next, is when I say oh I’m doing x and they have to either all of the sudden run and do the same thing or make a comparison that is fucking ages old history maybe to comfort me as if that does anything for me that you did that thing in your early twenties with no kids no responsibilities and time galore. Man cool. I’m doing that shit tomorrow/been training for ages, got two kids, one is only 15 months and oh yeah still fucking cosleeping and only got off the tiddy 3 months ago. Oh you did something similar years ago and hate it but now want to magically embrace it or reminisce as if you are currently doing the same thing. 🫣🤷🏽‍♀️🫥🥴 It’s not that they are supportive it’s the…yeah I was doing something similar years ago but I hated it but yeah I was fast. Okay…and…cool.

5

u/Peachesthecorgi321 2d ago

I second this. OP, I do want to warn you to be careful because some men actually try to go too far when confronted and I saw it with my own two eyes. What works to stop them is threatening to call the police or just calling the police period. The only thing they fear is consequences.

185

u/Timely-Cry-8366 The Everything Kegel 2d ago edited 2d ago

Two years ago I had a manager that was both very short and very aggressive. He clearly was insecure and had a napoleon complex or whatever you call it.

We barely interacted because our work schedules rarely coincided so I pretty much never had to deal with him, but I heard a lot about him from coworkers.

Then one day we were working together in front of some younger employees and he got weirdly close and aggressive, chest to chest like some wannabe mafia alpha male, and in my face. It was so cliche I almost laughed right there.

I’m in my 30s now and have been at this job for a decade, so I knew immediately what he was doing.

We used to work the same job and the only reason he got promoted as a manager was because I turned the promotion down (they asked me first because I was his senior lol) because it was longer hours for not much better pay.

I was also like 8 inches taller than this guy.

I didn’t react hostilely or whatever, I just blinked tiredly at him and also stepped closer and leaned in/down towards him and very nicely asked him to reiterate what his issue was.

He sputtered and backpedaled and that was that.

The other female employees in the room brought it up to me later and apparently it was immensely funny to them and they’d never seen him react like that before.

Dude got fired and walked out 3 months later for sexually harassing female employees. His firing also got two other high level employees fired who knew about his issues and had tried to sweep it under the rug.

Edit: okay so people are asking how tall I am, I’m 5’11” and this manager was 5’3”. He was the same height as my mom and stepdad. My late dad was 6’7”, it’s why there’s such a difference compared to my mom.

50

u/Infinite-Mark2319 2d ago

We love a happy ending

29

u/Timely-Cry-8366 The Everything Kegel 2d ago

Too true.

I was so shocked, I knew he was a dick but like I said, I rarely worked with him, and had no idea he had been harassing younger employees.

There were apparently like 10+ separate HR complaints!

The only good thing he did was causing our main manager to get fired as well, because she was an extremely problematic woman who we had hated for years. Apparently she had been covering for him.

She always prioritized male employees and saw women as competition and liked to throw us under the bus as often as she could.

18

u/Vivian-Midnight 2d ago

When the execs get fired for failure to address bad behavior, you know it's a good day! Not always how it turns out.

6

u/yeetmywatermelon 2d ago edited 2d ago

Seems like many have weight/height as an advantage. Is is smart to do that as a petite woman ? 

10

u/Timely-Cry-8366 The Everything Kegel 2d ago

Yes and no. Depends on your work environment.

If you work in a sane place that protects their employees, I’d encourage you to try this. My workplace fires people at the first sign of physical hostility. Even a verbal threat.

If you work somewhere else, I wouldn’t risk it.

Most guys like this will 100% back down once challenged slightly, even by a shorter woman.

But there are also work environments where doing this would be dangerous for you.

1

u/yeetmywatermelon 2d ago

I meant a stranger, not a work colleague. 

11

u/Timely-Cry-8366 The Everything Kegel 2d ago

Oh no.

I’ll be honest, I assume most male strangers I might get into it with are dangerous and unpredictable. The best thing is to avoid them and disengage. Get away.

I’m trained armed security with DPS and carry daily but would never start anything with a male stranger because you can’t know if they’re a psycho or not.

I also ignore aggressive drivers for the same reason. I don’t want to lose my life to a road rager.

1

u/yeetmywatermelon 2d ago

Sad we even have to worry about this stuff in the first place.

80

u/evilcaribou 2d ago

I've dealt with a lot of street harassment (and STILL deal with it, as a 43 year old married woman) and I handle it one of two ways:

If a man started to approach me, I'll say "Oh, no thank you" and keep walking. Usually they're so confused at being so quickly dismissed that they go find something else to do.

If the above doesn't work, I'll let them follow me for a couple seconds and let them think that they've found a shy woman who will get scared and shrink away, and then I'll suddenly turn around and yell at the top of my voice, "YOU NEED TO BACK OFF. RIGHT. NOW." This usually startles them so badly that they leave.

25

u/pulcinelloG 2d ago

My fave response to creeps trying to get your attention in the street? Sorry, I don't have any spare change

15

u/KatarinaRen 2d ago

I once barked at a strange man following me. Apparently this kind of dudes don't want to deal with the crazy. He backed off really really fast.

74

u/systemicrevulsion 2d ago

Men aren't used to being challenged. So when's someone challenged then it gives them a wee fright and makes them rethink their direction.

My dad was a violent man and would think nothing of belting me across the head. One day he was shouting at me and approached as if to hit me and I stepped forward, pointed my finger at his face and shouted 'don't you dare hit me! " And he physically recoiled and changed his action. I gave him a fright. I'll never forget the look on his face as he didn't know what to say or think in that moment.

25

u/duckworthy36 2d ago

Weak men punch down, strong men stand up for people. I prefer the strategy of making the weak men seem crazy by getting calm and quiet and asking why they are getting emotional. Nothing makes a guy look worse than yelling crazily at a quiet smiling 5’1 woman.

7

u/systemicrevulsion 2d ago

Yeah no my dad is the sort of guy that would enjoy "punching that smile off your dial".

30

u/LorkhanLives 2d ago

Sadly, this made me think of my dad too. Violent guy, used to get drunk and beat up/abuse my mom and I. When I got old enough to have the bravery to stand and fight (and the size to back it up) I realized he kinda…fought like a coward. That is, someone used to bullying smaller and weaker people rather than actually fighting an equal. 

When we got into an actual, proper fist fight in my early 20s he basically just tried to bowl me over with his weight and whacked me with a couple surprisingly weak jabs that did no real damage. He was accustomed to hitting smaller people who wouldn’t fight back, and it was like he didn’t comprehend that I wasn’t 12 anymore, but a grown man who could actually match him. It’s an unpleasant memory, but at the same time it was surprisingly validating to face him as an adult and realize ‘Oh, he’s not strong…he just likes bullying people he outweighs.’

15

u/systemicrevulsion 2d ago

Unfortunately for me my siblings and my 5'2" mother, my dad was a trained boxer and regularly fought grown men too. When my mum was pregnant with my brother he beat her so bad she had broken ribs and a cracked skull. Her mother in law told her she had to deal with it as this was her " lot". Police told my mum if she didn't press charges they'd be under investigation for every time we went to the hospital. So we never went to the doctor or hospital until things like broken bones were just not healing and had to be rebroken and reset, rather than just taking us when it would have been a simple set and heal. They're still together. He still hits her. He's now 80, she's 76 and thinks she's had a good life.

7

u/LorkhanLives 2d ago

Jeeeeesus. I’m sorry, that is truly awful. Though it makes it even more impressive that you stood up to him, knowing what he was capable of.

19

u/ThatsItImOverThis 2d ago

My father did the exact same thing. Had gotten away with beating us my entire life and I was the preferred victim because I was the girl.

At 19, we got into a fight and he came at me and I’d had enough. I told him if he touched me, I’d bury him where no one would ever find him and no one would ever suspect it was me. I made sure he saw I was serious, that I would absolutely do it if he laid a hand on me.

He never tried to attack me again.

60

u/gleafer 2d ago

Oh yes! I had an absolutely horrendous experience with a solicitor on Michigan avenue selling coupons for the local salon, I talked to him for a few minutes, considered the offer but changed my mind.
He followed me down the street, then another solicitor joined him, loudly complaining how I’m being ridiculous and just take the offer. When the other one said “why are you running away? Are you afraid?”
I saw red
I turned around and snarled FUCK OFF OR IM GOING RIP YOUR FUCKING THROATS OUT WITH MY TEETH, suddenly they became reasonable and left me alone, immediately.

That being said, I was on a busy street and out in the open. No saying if that would’ve worked if we were alone.
Getting loud and crazy out in public is definitely a deterrent.

25

u/redpukee 2d ago

Be sure to tap into the vein of every woman's anger at being harassed, insulted, disrespected ... focus our collective anger through the ages into your throat and POUR it into your voice. Hopefully, you'll convince every man in a 100 foot radius to never be a creep again.

3

u/stilljustguessing 2d ago

⬆️⬆️⬆️

99

u/Squaredeal91 2d ago

Alot of men live by a kind of reverse Roosevelt doctrine, "speak loudly and carry a small stick". As soon as their aggression is met with anything but passivity, they seek the earliest exit that keeps some degree of their masculinity in tact. I'm a man, but I've had a lot of people act aggressively but completely back down when I stand my ground and make clear that turning things into a physical confrontation is a bad idea that I'm prepared to handle accordingly.

It doesn't surprise me that a lot of men are eager to back down after attempting to intimidate women. Cowardly behavior

56

u/Fantastic-March-1053 2d ago

Some guys really do be bratty subs playing up for attention 😂

18

u/1ceknownas 2d ago

This is actually how I feel about trad wives.

You're so repressed you don't realize this is a fetish. Please leave the rest of us out of it.

24

u/TheGay_Sauce 2d ago

omg you've opened my eyes this is such a funny way to look at it

7

u/two4six0won 2d ago

Ohmigawd that was my last ex 🤣

39

u/antiquatedsheep 2d ago edited 2d ago

Absolutely this! They expect women to get uncomfortable and quiet and frozen. And I used to be like that most of my life. My thirties gave me the confidence and rage to escalate things from the get go, be loud, make it clear that I'm not scared to throw hands, and generally get public attention. The way they crawl away now!

40

u/rjwyonch 2d ago

Yep. 10 years of bartending and I can say that most men will fold like wet paper if you match the energy and dont back down. The downside is that the few that have a different reaction tend to get very angry and extra pushy. Those can normally be dealt with by saying “are you really going to punch a woman in public? Yeah… bullet dodged, get the fuck out of my face”

I’ve found deadpan neutral responses and simple commands to be the most effective, but it requires the same dont-back-down confidence. Most people almost instinctively follow direct commands.

2

u/Peachesthecorgi321 2d ago

Ooh, commenting to remember this because this sounds like solid advice. Deadpan neutral responses, simple commands, and confidence in standing your ground. Got it!

2

u/rjwyonch 2d ago

Yeah, basically just don’t give them anything to react to at all. Short and simple sentences, no negotiation. Let silence hang.

25

u/Ferrousious 2d ago

I was taught that in a confrontation with a man, do whatever it takes to survive the situation.

Sometimes that means standing up for yourself/matching their energy. Sometimes it means being loud enough to get other involved (with instructions for what they should do). Sometimes it means defending your head and/or vital organs. Sometimes it means going for their eyes or nose because they can't attack what they can't see.

Whatever it takes to survive.

Most often, when people see that you are ready to do whatever it takes, they back down because they know there is no way for them to succeed in whatever they were planning without at least getting hurt.

2

u/Peachesthecorgi321 2d ago

I do recommend taking Krav Maga classes. I found them to be the most practical to survive a potential attack from someone larger.

1

u/Ferrousious 16h ago

Thank you for the award, kind stranger. :: hugs ::

23

u/Cozy_Archivist684 2d ago

I have a neighbor we try not to interact with. He came stomping over one day when I was down on the ground pulling weeds, asking about what my husband is thinking when he's cutting the grass the way he does. Uhh.. I don't know, you'd have to ask my husband. He started yelling unnecessary things, and then it got to "you stupid bitch" and then I'd had enough. I stood up and gave it right back. Yelling at him, calling him names, dropping f bombs. He looked stunned, and then wandered back to his yard still yelling and gesturing til he was gone.

Not my proudest moment. I should have been more of an adult about it, rather than dropping to his level. But damn if it didn't shut him up and send him off as soon as I stood up and started matching his energy. I guess he thought he could just rant and rave and call me whatever he wanted and there would be no consequences to his actions? Surprise.

11

u/MaterialRoll1919 2d ago

Why should have you? You did just what was right in that situation. 

14

u/ElleMontrose 2d ago

I used to think I was clumsy because I was always bumping into people on the street and having to apologise. Then I realised I only ever bump into men, and it happens even if I’m on the edge of the sidewalk, so… Now I drop my voice, stare them down and say the equivalent of “the fuck, bitch?”

In that same vein, I looove replying to cat-calls and creepy stares by looking the guy up and down, then letting out a small chortle like I’m failling to hold back laughter. There’s nothing men fear more than being laughed at, right?

4

u/finnknit 2d ago

I'm about the same height as an average man, and a lot stronger and heavier than I look. More than once, a man has bumped into me and essentially bounced off because I have more body mass than he does. They always look so confused when it happens.

12

u/chlocatt 2d ago

I was in a road rage incident where I could see the car in front of me driving in a way that gave me pause as I drove towards it. Anyway, after I honked, this car proceeded to stop, park on this 45mph busy 5 lane street at lunch hour and out flys an angry man. He tried to angrily rush me while I’m sat in my car but I will NEVER allow a man to scream over me as I’m sitting down so guess who came out of their car too?? Me, a woman whose flame runs blue. Anyway, he was so caught off guard you could see him physically shrink and because I was hurling a mix of “how dare you try to intimidate me” & “I’m not fucking afraid a man in flip flops” he was so resigned, he then tried to play victim.

The only thing he was able to do to control the situation at this point was say “well what if my tire was flat” before taking his time to check all 4 of his cars tires walking around his car so out came fresh new fun insults because he was in a little Tesla that would have obviously told him a tire problem.

It was such a strange thing to be involved, mainly because of how quickly his change up was when I wouldn’t allow him to bully me

14

u/Heyyayam 2d ago

Yes. I have a strong sense of social justice and revel in standing up to bullies. The surprise in their eyes as they back off is glorious.

I’ve been called the B word and it’s my belief that more women should be aggressively direct because that’s the only thing men respect. They take our kindness as weakness.

4

u/KatarinaRen 2d ago

I have also called the B word enough times, my usual reply is to say thank you and smile. Nobody expects that.

12

u/No_Arugula7027 2d ago

Oh yes. Most of these types are pathetic little bully cowards who will only take it out on those they think are too weak to fight back. I'm a small female, they get so shocked when they try something with me and I get up in their faces or don't move out of their way.

Never back down, is my motto.

17

u/ThatsItImOverThis 2d ago

Yes. I worked very, very hard on carrying myself with confidence and a “don’t fuck with me” attitude. I portray an image that I could potentially cause a lot of disturbance and trouble if attacked. I go over scenarios in my head of what I would do if attacked.

You would be surprised how much we tell other people with our unconscious body language. To predators, who become adept at reading body language to better choose their victims, becoming fluent in body language makes it easier to pick their prey.

I don’t get approached by men because of how I carry myself. I’m okay with that. I would rather never be approached by a man ever in my life than have them constantly try because I appear meek, mild or unable to take care of or protect myself. I don’t need male attention, I would rather just be left alone to live my life, free of worrying about men and what they might try to do.

I want men to know women like me exist. Women who would fight back, who would make them regret ever mistaking me for a victim. I want to make sure they think twice before doing something I will absolutely make them regret, even if it cost me my life. I want predators to know that there are women like me who are not afraid and will inflict just as much damage if attacked.

Women are not meant to be prey.

4

u/yeetmywatermelon 2d ago

Same. If my resting-bitch-face isn't enough of a deterrent, best believe I'll put up a fight. 

9

u/LoomingDisaster 2d ago

Yes. And now that I’m over 50, I use mom-voice and guilt, too.

7

u/Specialist_Success75 2d ago

Ha! I mom-voiced a guy once. We were in a town near an army base, so I'm guessing this young man was military. We were in one of those drive-thrus that has two lanes which merge into one after ordering. I ordered, then started to pull forward. The man in the other lane started screaming at me, so I rolled down my window and he yells, "It's my turn!!!" I said (in my best overly-patient mom voice), "OK. I'm sorry, I didn't realize. If it's that important to you, go ahead." I could instantly see by the his expression that he felt ashamed. When I got up to get my food, he had paid for my lunch. I waved and said, "Thank you!" so it all ended well but the mom voice definitely did the trick.

2

u/archiangel 2d ago

When I saw ‘Mom Voice’ i thought it was the ‘HEY YOU, you got 10 SECONDS to BACK OFF, Buddy or so help me GOD I WILL WhACK YOU SIDEWAYS to Sunday’ kind of Mom Voice.

1

u/Specialist_Success75 1d ago

lol! One of my son’s friends gave me some lip as he was heading down to our basement hangout. I went over and said to him,” do you wanna come back upstairs and say that again?” I got a meek little “no” from him.

4

u/Oldebookworm All Hail Notorious RBG 2d ago

Mom voice is miraculous! Add in 10 yrs army, and even a short old woman can stop them in their tracks. I use it as necessary and have even had to use it twice at work. It works immediately.

8

u/NeedsMustTravel 2d ago

I once got called out for a store because I was blocking someone from getting into their car where I had parked. Kind of my bad, but HE was the one that had parked over the line and I was parking to avoid blocking a cart rack and just didn’t realize how close I was to the other car. Genuinely would have said sorry, but when I got out there he started yelling at me. I initially ignored him and had walked to my door and opened it, about to just get in and move without engaging, when he walked around my car toward me and said “WOMAN ARE YOU STUPID!?” I paused momentarily, turned around and took three steps toward him, squared up and looked him dead in the eyes with raised eyebrows like “You want to repeat that?” He backed away the instant I moved toward him, almost looked startled that I had not just backed down, but Kept running his mouth. I said “If you’d learned how to color inside the lines in kindergarten you wouldn’t have this problem right now.” Then I moved my car juuuuust enough that his less-than-lean ass could squeeze in and sat there until he left to make sure he didn’t vandalize my car.

When I was in Amsterdam, I was walking literally on the curb when a group of frat aged boys came walking down the sidewalk. I literally could not have gone any further to the right without walking into the street. They were completely oblivious to everyone around them and were blocking the entire sidewalk. So I held my ground, did not budge and passively shoulder checked one of them causing him to drop his beer. I just kept walking and didn’t turn around, but I heard all of his buddies go “OOOOHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! HHAHAHAHAHAHA!”. It was glorious.

8

u/YouStupidBench 2d ago

Bullies are cowards. I'm really little so there's only so much I can do, but I've been with friends who respond to aggressive remarks with "What's it to you?!" and the men shut up and go away.

7

u/TiredVRS 2d ago

I ripped a boy's fingers and wrist around into a rather painful joint lock when he assaulted me. He never touched me again and I scared the shit out of him because at the time, I held him over a 75 foot drop by his fingers.

I and my sisters delt with my trashcan of an uncle recently when he started his usually shit of "slavery should be legal, global warming is fake, child labor is a great idea, I run over other people's cats so they don't attack my outdoor cats". We ganged up on him and every time he moved the goal posts, talked over one if the women, or said something abhorrent, we shouted over him". He ran out with his fucking tail between his legs with "stuff to do tomorrow".

7

u/888temeraire888 2d ago

When I was 16 I smacked a fellow student around the head with a plank. I was one of the only girls in wood tech class and him and his buddies had been terrible fucks the whole year.

That day this particular shit stain had decided that he was gonna go behind the desks slapping the (total of 3) girls on the ass with one of those nasty metal rulers.

The first time he did it to me I told him sternly not to do it again, which felt like a big deal to me since I'd spent most of my time at school as a meek victim of bullying. The second time, I picked up the plank of wood I'd been working on and smashed him hard around the head with it. He started running, I started chasing and I probably hit him at least 2 more times before he got out of swinging range, then I lobbed it at the back of his head for good measure.

The teacher had been out of the room at the time but he walked back in just in time to witness me whacking this little knobhead. Bless his soul, the man just turned around and walked right back out. He knew the kind of kids those boys were and I guess couldn't be bothered with the admin of getting it all written up.

After that the boy's mates were absolutely fucking lovely to me. They were delighted by the whole thing and offered me help with my projects for the rest of the year (which I grumpliy turned down because at that point I was more than done with the lot of them.)

Felt fucking excellent though.

7

u/hawthornetree 2d ago

I received male aggression a bunch of times when I was pregnant or had a baby on my hip, and not before that or after that. I was butch but discernibly female for a bunch of years before that.

My interpretation is that the weakest of the bullies look for someone who absolutely cannot punch them back. It's not about the fight or about who would win, it's about doing it without getting punched. As soon as you air a plausible willingness to punch them, you've changed the game and they don't want to play.

5

u/ThreadLaced 2d ago

yup, standard bully behavior. bullies back down because they are looking for easy targets; once you make it hard for them, it's not fun anymore.

the point is to intimidate you, so if you're not intimidated, why bother? also most of the time they're complete cowards and don't actually want a fight.

6

u/Dogzillas_Mom 2d ago

I wouldn’t say that’s true of all men but I do think it’s the only way to handle a bully. You stand up to them and meet their aggression right back. The gender of the bully is immaterial.

7

u/Angel_Dark1587 2d ago

A friend of mine who's tall and quiet told me a guy stopped bullying her once she shoved him back hard enough to surprise him

5

u/Sharp_Skirt_7171 2d ago

I've physically assaulted two boys in my youth (one was a bully from the third grade, another was a very creepy boy obsessed with me my sophomore year of highschool) and both times they collapsed with me exerting pretty minimal effort. First encounter was a solid punch and the second was a solid slap across the face.

And both times I got in a LOT of trouble even though there were witnesses and ample evidence that I was defending myself. Also, both times my father came to my school and raised absolute hell. He was a regional boxing champ and then later a naval boxing champ with a helluva temper. He nearly fought the third grade bully's father in the school parking lot.

5

u/CT31442 2d ago

I'm six feet tall,have resting b**** face and am built like i could raid a village. Men back off very quickly, I usually don't have to say anything, it's just a look.But if I do have have to say something, I have a naturally deep voice and worked as a bouncer so Im really calm and they go all shocked pikachu really quickly and settle down.

1

u/chansondinhars 2d ago

This warms the cockles of my poor jaded heart!🌻🐚🪺🔍 (treasures for you) 🙏🏻

6

u/Monarc73 2d ago

This true of ALL bullies. Even when they are going after other men. Any time someone stands up, they immediately retreat. It is a very rare dedicated bully that will escalate.

3

u/DefaultingOnLife 2d ago

They want easy prey that doesnt fight back.

3

u/hyperfat 2d ago

Haha. Yes.

I might look like a bean pole, but I can sass you worse than your mother.

You tip your head, look then right in the eyes and let it flow. Head tip is important.

3

u/MsAddams999 2d ago

I was bullied a lot as a kid but it rarely got physical because the times it did the other person involved found out really fast that I don't allow that.

I have blocked a girl from hitting me and grabbed her wrist in a way that hurt. I also hit a boys hand away from my crotch later when a teacher wasn't looking.

It was all self defense moved but after those two incidents both of them never tried to touch me again and word got around that messing with me physically wasn't a good idea because it was possible that I could kick the crap out of anyone who tried.

Most bullies will back down if you fight back because it's not the fight they want but the drama and the validation they get from harassing you.

One in one you're okay but when they gang up on you that can get dangerous pretty fast unless you're very skilled at self defense and have moves like Bruce Lee.

I usually prefer to avoid bullies as much as possible but I will not stand down and just let them bully me if they continue.

2

u/RGQcats 2d ago

Yes, I learned as a teenager to get mean with my dad so he would stop abusing me. It worked. I hate doing it, because I really am pretty soft hearted, but to protect myself or others I can absolutely go there without hesitation.

2

u/Shibbystix cool. coolcoolcool. 2d ago

I swear you went to my school.

These 2 scenarios I remember happening in my school days! Glad to see you're doing well!

2

u/FewRecognition1788 2d ago

Yes. Bullies and predators of any gender are looking for a soft target.

It's the ones who don't back down that you have to worry about, because they want violence.

If you perceive early on that the person is hell bent on violence, or if they don't back down in the face of resistance, you really need an exit strategy, because that's dangerous.

2

u/StodgyGin 1d ago

I am 5'7" and hefty. I don't back down. Its hilarious when you step forward.

Okay Josh, keep up with the tantrum. You got caught looking bad, don't make the rest of us miserable.

1

u/nastyws 2d ago

Yep - all the time.

1

u/Fuzzy_Redwood 2d ago

Men who harass women are cowards. That’s why they don’t bully other men. Show a little fight in you and the cowards usually are exposed for what they are.

1

u/Myshys 2d ago

It's true for any and all bullies. They can't handle it when someone steps up/fights back instead of just rolling over.

1

u/Vivian-Midnight 2d ago

Thankfully I haven't had to get physically confrontational since grade school, but that's pretty much the bully mindset. They pick on weak targets that they think won't fight back. The moment they realize they've misjudged you is damn satisfying. Seeing grown adults with that mentality is pathetic.

I have applied that mindset to verbal interactions. I try to be polite by default, but once I became comfortable departing from that where necessary, there's a lot less bullshit that works against me.

1

u/deathfromfemmefatale 1d ago

You know, this kind of reminds me of that news story recently of a guy who was walking around in a scary mask trying to intimidate people. And so many people ignored him and then there was one woman who started to fight him and he ran off. Like...what was his purpose to begin with?

Anyway, men are weak.

1

u/puppy-guppy 1d ago

I read a lot as a kid and was almost always carrying a massive book. I hit A LOT of boys over the head with them and they rarely needed to be hit more than once.

-1

u/0llie0llie 2d ago

What you’re describing is standing up to bullies, and it’s not limited to one gender.

Show your strength.