# Fist Fights are Good For Society **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 15, 2010, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fist-fights-are-good-for-society/539568 "2010-05-15T19:33:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 12
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2010, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fist-fights-are-good-for-society/539568/221 "2010-05-24T22:07:08Z")
> [@](#): > > Closest is about 15 years ago I had a neighbor down the street that would scream obscenities at people on the sidewalk, but she was a senile old lady who looked to be about 90. Punching her wouldn’t have solved anything. Especially if she kicked your ass. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2010, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fist-fights-are-good-for-society/539568/222 "2010-05-25T00:13:16Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Where do you live that there are no rules? Where did I say that? I said no one follows them; not that they don’t exist. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2010, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fist-fights-are-good-for-society/539568/223 "2010-05-25T02:05:05Z")
> [@spark240](#): > > Do you have a counter-theory then? Or do you disagree with the premise that our society has become generally less civil? This. Those who believe that society is “less civil” now than some halcyon time in the past are looking at things with a skewed sense of proportion. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2010, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fist-fights-are-good-for-society/539568/224 "2010-05-25T02:35:23Z")
> [@kopek](#): > > Where did I say that? I said no one follows them; not that they don’t exist. What’s the difference between a rule that no one follows and a rule that doesn’t exist? ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2010, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fist-fights-are-good-for-society/539568/225 "2010-05-25T02:56:02Z")
> [@Lemur866](#): > > What’s the difference between a rule that no one follows and a rule that doesn’t exist? I’ve asked that same question regarding speed limits; other than “there’s a difference” I’ve never been given a really good answer. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2010, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fist-fights-are-good-for-society/539568/226 "2010-05-25T05:59:02Z")
> [@](#): > > Where did I say that? I said no one follows them; not that they don’t exist. Well then, where do you live that nobody follows the rules? ---
**Author:** ![Trepa\_Mayfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/edb3f5/32.png) [@Trepa\_Mayfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trepa_Mayfield)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2010, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fist-fights-are-good-for-society/539568/227 "2010-05-25T06:55:35Z")
> [@kopek](#): > > I’ve asked that same question regarding speed limits; other than “there’s a difference” I’ve never been given a really good answer. There’s always some guy who follows all the rules just because they’re rules. That’s the difference. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2010, 9:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fist-fights-are-good-for-society/539568/228 "2010-05-25T09:09:36Z")
> [@Lemur866](#): > > What’s the difference between a rule that no one follows and a rule that doesn’t exist? A rule that no-one follows can still be enforced if the authorities feel like it/someone wants a bribe/the powers that be decide to “Get tough on [Whatever]”/You get the idea. A rule that doesn’t exist can’t be enforced because it doesn’t exist in the first place. For example: You might work somewhere that has a written and well-posted rule saying employees may not visit or use internet discussion forums during working hours, upon pain of getting fired. Said rule is widely ignored and almost everybody does, in fact, visit and use internet discussion forums during work time. However, one day, the bean counters in corporate HQ decide to reduce headcount because widget sales are down 217%. So, after taking all the voluntary redundancies/retirements out of the way, they still need to get more people. Only this time, there’s no more money to pay severance money, so they need to fire people. Thus, they go through the internet records, find all the people who visited internet discussion forums at work, and fire them. The rule has always been there, it’s just never been enforced- but now it is. In example two, you’re working for a company that _doesn’t_ have rules against personal internet use at work. Therefore, there’s nothing they can do about people visiting internet discussion boards at work (provided your actual job tasks are done), and thus they can’t fire people for doing it- because the rule against doing so doesn’t exist. That’s the difference between a rule that’s not enforced and one that doesn’t exist. ---
**Author:** ![DiggitCamara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df788c/32.png) [@DiggitCamara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiggitCamara)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2010, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fist-fights-are-good-for-society/539568/229 "2010-05-26T16:33:04Z")
> [@acsenray](#): > > This. Those who believe that society is “less civil” now than some halcyon time in the past are looking at things with a skewed sense of proportion. [Nor are they the first ones to fall for that trap.](http://quotationsbook.com/quote/44998/) > [@Socrates](#): > > The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise. Children are now tyrants, not the servants of their households. They no longer rise when elders enter the room. They contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up dainties at the table, cross their legs, and tyrannize their teachers. ---
**Author:** ![DiggitCamara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df788c/32.png) [@DiggitCamara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiggitCamara)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2010, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fist-fights-are-good-for-society/539568/230 "2010-05-26T16:37:49Z")
> [@kopek](#): > > (snip) > > Again, we’re different now. No one follows any rules, written or unwritten. But carnage was not, and need not be, the result of every physical altercation. > > (snip) Problem solved, then: if “No one follows any rules”, you can choose to fist-fight anyone you want to. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fist-fights-are-good-for-society/539568.md?page=11)