"Every now and then you come across somebody you shouldn't have F***ed with

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
101

[quote=“Gary “Wombat” Robson, post:96, topic:599987”]

I am not much of a physical confrontation kinda guy. This story happened back when I was in college. Some friends and I were walking through a parking lot after a movie, and some twit threw a lit cigarette butt out of his car window, right by my feet. That bugs me, so I picked it up, tossed it in his lap, and said, “you dropped this.”

This surprised him, but he scrambled around, grabbed the cig, swore mightily at me, and threw it at me. He realized traffic was so slow that he couldn’t drive away, so he rolled up his window and locked the car doors. I crushed the cigarette out on his hood and walked away.
[/QUOTE]

He should have had you charged with assault, and possibly with damaging his property if you damaged his car. You, on the other hand, could have complained about him littering.

I’m amazed, and slightly disgusted, by the amount of “two wrongs make a right” thinking in this thread. Breaking up a fight is good. Forcing someone into poverty and homelessness because they drove into your car is very, very bad.

The quoted example here is not quite at that level, but still pretty unpleasant.

102

Did you miss the part about that drunk driver having multiple previous DUIs, the poster being an EMT who’d been at his accident scenes where people were injured, and the drunk driver trying to change jobs to avoid wage garnishment? Or do multiple-time offenders get a pass on offenses and attempts to avoid payment if it wasn’t all that bad this time and it’d just be mean?

Here’s how my fender-bender went - I wasn’t drunk driving, I had insurance, I paid my ticket for failure to heed a traffic signal (couldn’t get stopped at a fast-changing red in time, had a ~5 mph crunch that didn’t set off airbags), got sued by other driver for pain and suffering and bent fender, my insurance company provided a lawyer, and she dragged it out on her end for a few years before actually trying to take it to court, and my lawyer successfully argued failure to exercise due diligence. Dismissed. If it hadn’t been, my insurance company would have covered it (it was only $10k, and my policy has very generous coverage limits), and either dropped me or raised my rates.

This is how normal accidents work, versus alcoholics with multiple DUIs who seek to avoid paying restitution.

103

[quote=“Gary “Wombat” Robson, post:96, topic:599987”]

I am not much of a physical confrontation kinda guy. This story happened back when I was in college. Some friends and I were walking through a parking lot after a movie, and some twit threw a lit cigarette butt out of his car window, right by my feet. That bugs me, so I picked it up, tossed it in his lap, and said, “you dropped this.”

This surprised him, but he scrambled around, grabbed the cig, swore mightily at me, and threw it at me. He realized traffic was so slow that he couldn’t drive away, so he rolled up his window and locked the car doors. I crushed the cigarette out on his hood and walked away.
[/QUOTE]

A motorcyclist friend told a similar story. In California, it’s permissible for motorcycles to filter forward between cars in two adjacent lanes. This lets motorcycles move to the front at stoplights, and also lets them make progress through otherwise-stagnant traffic jams. However, it annoys car drivers from time to time, and occasionally those drivers will express their frustration/envy.

So picture a traffic jam, with my buddy on his bike slowly dog-paddling forward between cars. As he comes abreast of one fellow in a gleaming high-end BMW with a white interior, the driver jerks his car left, partially blocking my friend’s progress. My friend comes to a stop, and the guy starts yelling - and then he throws a can of soda at my friend.

Three important details:

  1. the can was unopened.
  2. the can struck him and then tumbled only as far as his lap.
  3. the irate driver had not completely blocked my friend’s escape path.

My friend reached down, picked up the can of soda, opened it, threw it back in the asshole’s car, and then continued dog-paddling forward through traffic.

104

Mine happened late 90s at the local roller rink. At the time I was 5’4" and 110 lbs tops, no figure to speak of, and had short hair. I also lived in sweatshirts and jeans so I tended to look very boyish, although the presence of purse, big dangly earrings, and white skates with purple laces might have provided a clue.

I was with my friend Amanda, a definite mother hen type.

As I was skating along minding my own business, an assortment of morons kept crowding me demanding to know if I was a boy or girl because someone, I don’t remember the name so I’ll call him Shitstain, wanted to know. My response was to coast serenely past them because when they’re screaming “Shitstain wants to know if you’re a boy or girl!!!” and you’re just skating along, you’re not the one who looks like a fucking moron.

Of course one can’t keep skating forever, so I met up with Amanda and her boyfriend in the seating area and we were debating whether to call it a night or skate a little longer yet.

Shitstain, his posse unable to obtain for him the answer to the burning question that would prevent the catastrophic death of the Universe itself, swaggered over to demand of me in person, “You boy or a girl?”

Me: (to Amanda and BF) I’m kinda tired and have to work tomorrow so…

Shitstain: YOU A BOY OR A GIRL? (as posse clusters around him, trying to look badass)

Me: …I’m ready to go.

Shitstain: Well? Aren’t you going to answer me? (getting up in my face, which wasn’t entirely successful since in my skates I was taller than he was)

Me: (to Shitstain) Nope.

Amanda: I don’t see why she should have to answer you! That’s not a very nice thing to say! I think you owe her an apology!

Shitstain: I just wanna know if that’s a boy or a girl.

Amanda: That’s none of your business! I suggest you leave us alone right now!

At that point one of the employees started over, and Shits & the gang melted back into the shadows where I sincerely hope the next morning’s dawn burned them into dust.

Inside I was scared shitless, and as much as I wish I had just kicked him in the package hard enough to shoot his nards out his nostrils, I’ll always treasure the memory of Amanda scolding that wannabe for his lack of manners :smiley:

105

I really don’t feel good about taking pleasure in the fact that someone has lost eveything and is living under a bridge. I’d rather he be punished with prison.

106

Sounds like Shitstain was a little confused about the conflicting emotions watching you skate was creating. “I’m strangely aroused by that person but don’t know whether to hit on them in case it’s a girl or beat them up to cover my emerging homoerotic tendencies if it’s a boy! What to do, what to do…”

107

Assault? Are you for real? He threw trash out of his car. I threw it back in. He could have dropped it in his ashtray and all would have been well. When he threw it at my face, I think putting it out on his hood was rather restrained.

108

Pullin didn’t force the guy into poverty and homelessness; he obtained a legal judgment against him for damages caused by his negligent behavior, and then took steps to enforce the terms of that judgment. Those terms did not include homelessness as a final outcome: a drunk driver who had his finances in order and had a sense of integrity/responsibility/remorse would have been capable of paying, and would have accepted his moral and legal responsibility to do so.

Pullin forced the drunkard to pay (financially) for the damage he did; the drunkard ended up homeless because of a series of dumb decisions on his own part.

109

Sorry, should have been more detailed. I gave him the black eye while punching him. I had a bruise above my eye, his fist landed above my eyebrow.

No clue whatsoever. Never bothered to find out. I just assumed it was drunk guys being idiots.

110

Back in college I was working as a cocktail waitress in a large bar on 6th Street in Austin, TX. Uniform was short black shorts, tuxedo shirt, bow tie and at least 3" black heels.

One very busy and crowded Friday night I had an overbearing customer who looked like he walked out of Bonfire of the Vanities. He kept grabbing my ass every time I walked by. I asked him nicely to keep his hands to himself…three times.

The fourth time, he didn’t grab. He stuck his hand under the hem of my shorts. Not cool. I told him “one more time and I’m getting security.”

The fifth time I was going by his table with a full tray over my head. As I recall, there were two frozen margaritas, a long island tea, a couple glasses of beer and a glass of red wine on that tray. When I got in front him, he grabbed my ass again.

This time, I yelped like I hadn’t expected it and “accidentally” tilted my tray backwards. He was doused, and when I turned around, he had a lime wedge perched perfectly on the top of his head.:smiley:

Then I did the “I am soooo sorry!, let me help you clean up” thing while his friends laughed their asses off.

Management paid for the asshole’s dry cleaning and took it out of my check, but it was worth it.

111

QtM that is absolutely brillant! I’m gonna use that one.

112

At a mini-golf course with my family a few years back, and there’s a couple of teenagers be loud and obnoxious and generally teenagery. Not a big deal. Until I looked over and realized that what they were laughing about was taking turns whacking at a duck with their golf clubs.

Yeah, I saw red. I charged them, collared one, and threw them out of the place. I was apparently waving my golf club like a lunatic, but I have no recollection of that.

The duck recovered fully.

113

Taking pleasure in someone falling that low is, well, low. He probably did bring it on himself, and one could certainly argue he deserved it. That doesn’t mean that glee at his fate is appropriate.

[quote=“Gary “Wombat” Robson, post:107, topic:599987”]

Assault? Are you for real? He threw trash out of his car. I threw it back in. He could have dropped it in his ashtray and all would have been well. When he threw it at my face, I think putting it out on his hood was rather restrained.
[/QUOTE]

Yes. If he had deliberately, rather than accidentally, throw the cigarette at you, he would be guilty of it. Just the same when you throw it back. As I said, two wrongs don’t make a right, and your action was significantly more wrong than his.

That’s not to say he shouldn’t have dropped it in his ashtray - of course he should.

114

I was taking some friends to the top of South Mountain for a view of the city, driving my convertible Mustang with the top down. For those who aren’t familiar with the area, South Mountain park is the largest city park in the country (possibly the world), and is considered one of the “jewels” of Phoenix. Anyway, we are winding our way to the top, when I notice a car in my rear-view mirror. The car is filled with teenagers, and as I watch, the driver reaches out the window and drops an entire bag of fast food trash onto the road. I slam on the brakes (freaking out my passengers, and raising a cloud of smoke), turn around and yell “Pick it up!” The driver looks a little stunned, but doesn’t do anything. I take off my seatbelt, turn around and stand up a little and while pointing at the bag, yell “PICK. IT. UP!” The driver gets out of the car and picks the bag up. I put my belt back on and continue to the top.
I freakin’ hate litterbugs. Especially in parks.

115

Similarly in high school I used to promote (illegal) all-ages concerts. We did one in a sketchier part of town and it was a far rougher crowd that we expected. Of course the moment I let our security guy take a smoke break a fight breaks out in front of the stage. I jump over the ticket table and run over and pull the guys apart. …turns out they were brothers… who liked to fight. I told them they needed to take it outside NOW. But they’d be welcomed back in when they were done.

116

People who throw cigarettes out of cars, whether they hit someone or not, deserve to have them tossed back in their laps. How else will they learn to not do that?

117

OK, you can be my hero too :slight_smile:

118

Ah, vigilantism. Hurrah :rolleyes: Or they could, you know, be fined for littering by the people who actually have the right to impose a punishment. That is, not you.

119

My little drunk driver story and what I did about it.

120

On a Friday night, I was woken by a loud (as in refrigerator being tipped over) fight in the apartment below me, and I was aware of the fellow there being a drunken lout, so I called the police, who arrested him after the lady of the apartment stabbed him in self-defence.

On Monday morning, I was in the holding cells (as duty counsel) below the courthouse and came upon the lout, who was ever so glad to see me, until I explained why I could not be his lawyer. Just for shits and giggles, I then popped into bail court to advise the judge as to why this fellow would not be having a lawyer that day. Things went quite nicely.