Men and Women of quiet strength.

[marvinsc]

I am a day late but having several Cousins who served during the Viet Nam conflict I am very aware of the sacrifices they made that were at the time unappreciated. Back in the early 70's a local guy returned from his tour of service, he was a quiet guy who did not talk a lot about his time in the Military. He wore a Beret everywhere so it was assumed he served in Special Forces. One night at a local Bar a local good old boy said "I like your Moma's hat". He replied"well then let's see you take it off my head". People who were present say his foot made contact with the good old boy's jaw several times before they got out the door........Thank all of you for your service.

[argonsagas]

Sounds like he might have ignored the temptation, but sought a confrontation instead.

I will offer an exchange:

My then-wife and I were I was at an above-average class restaurant with a ."quiet friend" and his wife.
We were seated with couples opposite each other.

A bottle of wine was ordered and the young woman who brought it to the table was apparently fairly new as she struggled a bit with how to do everything.

The owner of the restaurant saw this and came to the table, immediately taking the wine bottle from her hand and openly deriding her right beside us.

She was humiliated.
We were embarrassed and disgusted by the really crude manner of the owner.
While still scolding her, the owner said he would show her how to do it properly.


He unctuously spoke to us, folded back the towel from around the bottle, bent himself over and showed us the bottle label, then straightened and began to remove the cork.

Once removed from the bottle, the cork was placed on a small dish and the owner proffered it to my friend. for a scent test. My friend very quickly reached for the man's wrist and gripped it hard, holding it and the little plate locked in place in the air.
.
A brief aside: My friend had once given me a small but exquisitely sharp folding knife that resembled a stiletto. He had a duplicate of it.

I did not see him take the knife from his pocket but, suddenly, the blade was open in hand and, while still holding the owner's wrist in his left hand, my friend reached above the owner's outstretched hand with the pointed knife and deftly speared the cork from the plate. Then, almost slowly, he stretched his arm across the table and gently asked me to perform the sniff-test on the speared cork.

While this was happening the owner, with his arm immobilized in mid-air, could only stare at the empty plate in his hand and said: "Uuh! .... UuH! ... Uuh!"

My tiny part in this was to accept the offered knife and cork, sniff the cork approvingly, and then return it to him.
Once that happened, my friend withdrew the knife/cork, turned to the owner, relaxed his grip, and said "Thank you Boy. You many serve us".

It was played out as if rehearsed, with no one else saying a word or making any sound at all.

With his arm still extended, even though my friend was no longer holding it, the stunned man was barely able to keep himself steady, so he handed the bottle to the girl and almost ran away from us.

She did an excellent job in serving our dinners, .....and we left her a very good tip.


While he never achieved the fame of, say, Chuck Norris, my quiet friend was a competitor in the upper levels of international karate.

[Buffalo Bill]

[Rob S.]

And this knive-weilding friend of yours was quiet and non-confrontational?!?

When the mean owner was humiliating the new female employee, the four of you could have stood and removed your business from his establishment. (Quiet strength).

When your stiletto friend was threatening the mean owner with a weapon, the other three of you could have disassociated with him or shown 'quiet strength' in some other way. Instead, you, at least, became his accomplice.

If you were in a big city, a cop (or some other 'good guy with a gun') might have shot you both.

I'm sure you all went home and watched "Road House' in quiet reverence. Or strength. Or whatever.

[LAB3]

And this knive-weilding friend of yours was quiet and non-confrontational?!?


If you were in a big city, a cop (or some other 'good guy with a gun') might have shot you both.

There's a BIG difference in how you get treated by the police when you're the one standing the moral high ground.

Although the owner probably felt intimidated he KNEW why his behavior was being corrected. If he'd have called the police my best guess is they'd have taken both sides of the story and nothing would have come from it.

As to the reaction of any vigilante types that had witnessed it there's a good chance they'd have picked up the bill for the meal in recognition of a job well done, I know I'd have considered doing just that!

[argonsagas]

There's a BIG difference in how you get treated by the police when you're the one standing the moral high ground.

Although the owner probably felt intimidated he KNEW why his behavior was being corrected. If he'd have called the police my best guess is they'd have taken both sides of the story and nothing would have come from it.

As to the reaction of any vigilante types that had witnessed it there's a good chance they'd have picked up the bill for the meal in recognition of a job well done, I know I'd have considered doing just that!

Thank you.

The entire scene took place in less than one minute, and the knife was pocketed and gone from that point.

(pun intended)

FWIW

This occurred long ago, waaaay back in a year when everyone expected that everyone else was fairly honest, quite able to think, and also quite willing to do so........
It was not at all as might be expected today, with so many abandoning almost all thought processes and leaping into instant and regrettable reactions so that they can go directly to social media.

...

[rphillips]

"Back when everyone expected everyone else to be fairly honest, quite able to think, and willing to do so"... Thanks for the memories.

[Rob S.]

If a cop were there, and saw a man armed with a knife, arm's length from an unarmed man, and now that knife is moving toward the unarmed man? There's no talking, they shoot the man with the knife. Just last week, it happened here. And the knife wielding man (RIP) was more than 10 feet from anyone else.

The four of you might have stood to leave immediately. And said, "it's not because of her, it's because of him."

Then perhaps given her a $20 (or $50 or $100 - upper class dining, right?)

Then perhaps given her your card, and said, "call if he fires you - we'll help you get a new job. Or buy this dump."

Perhaps. But your party showed, with it's cutlery skills (get it, pun, duh?) that you belong at the Waffle House. Or the Waffen haus.

Argon, you've just been promoted. Adios.

And Len, you surprise me. (But I'll still Praise Bob! )

[LAB3]

Yep, everyone just LOVES today's victim culture, it's quickly replacing baseball as Americas favorite pastime! Well not everyone loves it I suppose, certainly not those of us who still believe in the concept of justice as opposed to what we have today.

People seem to think that those with advanced martial arts training are dangerous people, in certain situations that may be true. What most people never hear about is the sense of personal discipline and the philosophy that sets the foundation of that discipline. When a traditionally trained martial artist uses their skills It's not about being mean, it's about doing what's right.

As to my surprising you Rob, keep in mind that I'm the former head of the S.L.A.K. (SubGenius League of A$$ Kickers) Yes, sometimes getting a little rough is justifiable, especially when someone else's Slack is being infringed upon!

[bccap]

I think this is getting a little blown out of proportion..... If the manager had felt threatened he would have gone in the back and called 911 .... Obviously he didn't and felt he got caught being a dick instead ......

[Cipher]

I think this is getting a little blown out of proportion..... If the manager had felt threatened he would have gone in the back and called 911 .... Obviously he didn't and felt he got caught being a dick instead ......

How much for the little girl??

[Suzukian]

I was involved in a situation in my town, which involved me taking a man down. I was completely vindicated. The police brought me in, fingerprinted me, and said "We consider your hands lethal weapons", just so you know. I understand why they did it, and there was nothing negative written, the whole situation went with the report, but because of the way I took the man down, and the speed, and the manner I held him there (to be arrested), I suffered a consequence, though, to be honest, after 23 years in this town, I have never received a ticket while driving, or even have been pulled over when driving a little to fast. The police are very nice to me. I respect them a lot too. I saved a girl's life, and that even made the paper. Sometimes you don't want to get involved, but sometimes, you have to.

[marvinsc]

My Son was forced to take a guy down in a Bar not long after he moved to Florida in 2001 or so. The guy sustained a broken arm but my Son was with an off duty Police Officer so the event was coded self defense. I always taught my kids not to start a fight but be prepared to end one. Somewhat the point of my original post......

[Rob S.]

When a traditionally trained martial artist uses their skills It's not about being mean, it's about doing what's right.

Len, that well trained martial artist used his skills in the pursuit of justice?!?

Oh, I remember that lesson: "Pulling a weapon on an unarmed milquetoast of a man from point blank range."

I just forget which class it was taught in. Was it somewhere before 3rd degree black belt and after 2nd degree brown?

[Rob S.]

Yep, everyone just LOVES today's victim culture, it's quickly replacing baseball as Americas favorite pastime!

Len, WHO was playing the victim, pleading for sympathy? The waitress had that right, perhaps. Who else? If that story is true, Mr. Well Trained Artist was acting to impress all the people around, women AND men. And all the people who weren't around, but would hear about it the next day.

The head waiter was flustered, so I'll say it for him: "If you're so tough, what do you need that knife for?"

The MOST that situation called for was an invitation to go out back, just the two men, ALONE, and demonstrate some (kick) boxing skills. But of course, if it was just the 'artist' and the waiter, and no one was watching, what would have been the point?