Today, I was rather violently accosted by a rather intriguing gentleman

[Major Robert Dump]

Won't work. Both Hax and the guy are Arabs.

Doesn't matter. Hax has a different opinion than the coddled one. The coddled one wins by virtue of being coddled. It doesn't matter if Hax is correct

[Sarmatian]

Doesn't matter. Hax has a different opinion than the coddled one. The coddled one wins by virtue of being coddled. It doesn't matter if Hax is correct

Come on, it would complicate things beyond measure and give bureaucrats chance to earn their pay.

You're insulted because you're an Arab? But he's an Arab! Ok, wait, who insulted who for being an Arab? You're both insulted? Because you're Arabs? Well, you're half-Dutch. Does that make you less insulted or more insulted? Ok, is there an EU body I can pass this on to???

They'd end up on a loop, it would be wonderful to watch.

Ah, reminded me of a story my Slovakian friend told me about his father. When his father was younger, he'd be inclined to sing Serbian nationalistic songs when drunk. He'd sing them on the streets at night, and loud, no decency, really. A few times the police caught him cause, well, it was Yugoslavia and it was all that Brotherhood and Unity, Yugoslavian crap, and you weren't allowed to sing those songs... They'd bring him in to station, and start taking info.

What's your name?
And the cop writes it down.
Date of birth?
And the cop writes it down.
Nationality?
Slovakian
Slov...

At that point the cop throws the piece of paper in the rubbish, gets rather angry and says :Get out of here!!!

Ah, the beautiful and complicated world of ethnic relations...

[HoreTore]

So, Hax, at which point in time did you transform into an 18th century British gent, and when were you planning to tell us about this?

[Hax]

I decided I needed the prose to fit my character.

[HopAlongBunny]

Next time, just remember:

[Kadagar_AV]

The way I read it, Hax just have no clue how to deal with drunken idiots.

Drunken idiots will always exist, it's all what about how you handle them. Blame for the meal turning sour for the company at large is on Hax, who either clearly read the situation wrong, or was ill trained to deal with it.

[Hax]

So what do you propose I should have done. Evidently, seeing how you were born in glorious Sweden and get laid at least three times a day and drunk twice as many times, you're obviously more competent a person in handling these situations, oh Glory-Viking-of-Testosterone.

Oh, and it's "Hax just has​ no clue". Thank you.

[Strike For The South]

I do have a serious question.

What makes the university any different than other locations?

Does your tumblr mean you are a SJW?

[Rhyfelwyr]

I do have a serious question.

What makes the university any different than other locations?

Universities are supposed to be frequented by polite academia, not working-class ruffians.

If you offend somebody at a University, you might expect them to get upset and contact the authorities.

If you offend somebody at a pub in a rough area, you would expect a pint glass in your face.

[Hax]

What makes the university any different than other locations?

I think I explained that in the first posts. In my opinion, the central role a university plays is to be a location for debate, discussion, and research in any form. I expect people to be civil.

Does your tumblr mean you are a SJW?

I had to google that.

No, my physique is not combat-ready.

EDIT:

overly in defense of whatever the popular beliefs portray as the greater victim of discrimination

THE INTERNET IS CONFUSING

[Greyblades]

Yes it very much is.

So, Hax, at which point in time did you transform into an 18th century British gent, and when were you planning to tell us about this?

I think the question, good sir, is when the rest of you are planning to join us in this epitome of good culture? :P

[Kadagar_AV]

So what do you propose I should have done. Evidently, seeing how you were born in glorious Sweden and get laid at least three times a day and drunk twice as many times, you're obviously more competent a person in handling these situations, oh Glory-Viking-of-Testosterone.

Oh, and it's "Hax just has​ no clue". Thank you.

Well, the way I read what you wrote, here and on the blog, you do come off as trying to show off your intellectual superiority. Both in and after the situation.

And if you try to show off intellectual capability, you will eventually get smacked down by someone who doesnt quite appreciate it.

You come off as someone who is more interested in "winning" a debate, rather than listen in to your opponents ideas, or even taking your opponent in. This is a very common trait among university students with little world experience, but a lot on their reading lists.

Having spent a considerable amount of time in bars, on both sides of the counter, I can honestly say that I am rather apt at dismantling situations. Heck, I am absolutely not the biggest guy around (tall but not extremely muscular), and still even the biggest bouncer steps aside to let me do my thing.

You can get a long way with a smile, a friendly attitude, and a shitload of respect even for drunken idiots. Your problem seem to be, from what little I had read, that you were listening to what he was SAYING, not what he was MEANING.

Academical superiority only takes you so far in the real world, and sometimes academical types comes off as quite retarded when faced with real world problems, where logic doesn't necessarily dictate the terms.

The very vast majority of people picking a fight with me (has been quite some the last decade) have ended up buying me a shot, but then, I got beaten enough in high school to learn the difference between academical world and real world. I am sorry your country doesnt facilitate the same educational programs for your young and gifted

[Husar]

Well yes, that's what I meant with lack of negotiation skills.

The poor guy felt cornered and his aggression was just a cry for help because he was out of options.
You have a lot to learn Hax.

[Hax]

Well, the way I read what you wrote, here and on the blog, you do come off as trying to show off your intellectual superiority. Both in and after the situation.

And if you try to show off intellectual capability, you will eventually get smacked down by someone who doesnt quite appreciate it.

You come off as someone who is more interested in "winning" a debate, rather than listen in to your opponents ideas, or even taking your opponent in. This is a very common trait among university students with little world experience, but a lot on their reading lists.

Having spent a considerable amount of time in bars, on both sides of the counter, I can honestly say that I am rather apt at dismantling situations. Heck, I am absolutely not the biggest guy around (tall but not extremely muscular), and still even the biggest bouncer steps aside to let me do my thing.

You can get a long way with a smile, a friendly attitude, and a shitload of respect even for drunken idiots. Your problem seem to be, from what little I had read, that you were listening to what he was SAYING, not what he was MEANING.

Academical superiority only takes you so far in the real world, and sometimes academical types comes off as quite retarded when faced with real world problems, where logic doesn't necessarily dictate the terms.

The very vast majority of people picking a fight with me (has been quite some the last decade) have ended up buying me a shot, but then, I got beaten enough in high school to learn the difference between academical world and real world. I am sorry your country doesnt facilitate the same educational programs for your young and gifted

Okay.

[Hax]

Allow me to clarify: how I talk on the internet is not how I talk in daily life. I used this particular style of writing to elicit a humorous response in my readers. That's it. No motives of "superior intellect" or whatsoever: yes, there are people I dislike and I think myself better than them, but allow me to be very clear: I never do this with people I don't know.

Apart from that, I don't think it's fully justified to think of the academic environment as some sort of "ivory tower". While it might have been true in some cases, it generally doesn't work like that anymore, certainly not in the Netherlands, where students are generally housed within the cities rather than on campus. I personally pride myself on the fact that I know (and get along with) people from many different social and economical backgrounds.

To illustrate this with an example: about a year ago I was riding the train while reading an excerpt in Arabic, which came to the attention of three thuggish-looking Moroccans of about my age (golden teeth, baseball caps, the whole shabang). I spent the entire trip talking with them in an amicable tone about very different subjects, during which I tried to convince them (in vain, I might add) of the fact that Jews generally don't want to eat babies and control the world. They disagreed with me, I disagreed with them, but we parted on friendly terms and I felt that I might have done something that would enable to think more compassionately about their fellow monotheists. Or not, I don't really care. Either way, I think this demonstrates that I am fully capable of handling people with whom I would generally not start a conversation or keep as friends.

[Kadagar_AV]

Allow me to clarify: how I talk on the internet is not how I talk in daily life. I used this particular style of writing to elicit a humorous response in my readers. That's it. No motives of "superior intellect" or whatsoever: yes, there are people I dislike and I think myself better than them, but allow me to be very clear: I never do this with people I don't know.

Apart from that, I don't think it's fully justified to think of the academic environment as some sort of "ivory tower". While it might have been true in some cases, it generally doesn't work like that anymore, certainly not in the Netherlands, where students are generally housed within the cities rather than on campus. I personally pride myself on the fact that I know (and get along with) people from many different social and economical backgrounds.

To illustrate this with an example: about a year ago I was riding the train while reading an excerpt in Arabic, which came to the attention of three thuggish-looking Moroccans of about my age (golden teeth, baseball caps, the whole shabang). I spent the entire trip talking with them in an amicable tone about very different subjects, during which I tried to convince them (in vain, I might add) of the fact that Jews generally don't want to eat babies and control the world. They disagreed with me, I disagreed with them, but we parted on friendly terms and I felt that I might have done something that would enable to think more compassionately about their fellow monotheists. Or not, I don't really care. Either way, I think this demonstrates that I am fully capable of handling people with whom I would generally not start a conversation or keep as friends.

No.

That demonstrates that you handled one situation right. Maybe not "right", but at least neutrally. Who knows, someone else might have got to know the conductor on the train, and would have brought the guys and their weed to the staff lounge?

It also shows that you were thinking of it as a "situation".

What I am saying, is that you acted wrong.

Do NOT read that as you were BEING in the wrong, you were not, objectively.

However, subjectively from my perspective, and probably/possibly the perspective of your dinner friends, you could have dismantled the situation and done a WAY better job.

There are several ways of being in the right.

A hooligan with blood all over his face, having defended his winning team against some other stupid supporters claims, is in the right.

A university guy, totally dismantling his so/so gifted opponents claims while trying to be grandiose about it, is in the right.

But would you honestly want to be around them?

Then on the other hand, this guy who knows he is right... But know people well enough to back, back, back and back until he can see that their original (often primal) motive is gone... And then push, push, push, and push his agenda while they are on friendly terms.... And walks away having had a nice evening, AS WELL AS having changed someones mind...

Guess who the ladies would like a second date with?

For being so smart, you can be quite stupid at times.

[Hax]

Yes, it's all about sex!

Seriously though, I don't believe that there was really a wrong or a right way out of this situation in particular. It could've ended much, much worse.

[Kadagar_AV]

Yes, it's all about sex!

Seriously though, I don't believe that there was really a wrong or a right way out of this situation in particular. It could've ended much, much worse.

It's not all about sex. But a LOT about sex.

Then, of course, my understanding of your meaning of "sex" is rather as "male characteristics in a mix-gender environment".

And as to male characteristics in a mix-gender environment, you simply have a lot to learn before I, as a friend, would stop checking twice to make sure you weren't doing something stupid.

[Strike For The South]

People who think its only about sex are a god send to people who know its only about power

Sex is easy to get, one only needs to look at Kadagar

[Kadagar_AV]

People who think its only about sex are a god send to people who know its only about power

Sex is easy to get, one only needs to look at Kadagar

So what of the people without sex or power?

And as a side note: If a chubby Lewinsky is what power gets you... *golfclap*

[Strike For The South]

So what of the people without sex or power?

And as a side note: If a chubby Lewinsky is what power gets you... *golfclap*

I just tried to tell you it was all about power. All of it. People tend not to act alturistically

[Kadagar_AV]

I just tried to tell you it was all about power. All of it. People tend not to act alturistically

Hax posted about a problem he had. As a fellow Orgah I tried to enhance him by widening his scope of possibilities. I agree with what you say strike, but I get this feeling you are more out to argue me, than you are to help him. Tsk tsk tsk....

[Hax]

You're right in that I was the one to ask for advice, and you gave it to me (baby, uhuh, uhuh). So, honestly: thank you for that.

In all honesty, I do think I can be more patient with people with whom I vehemently disagree, as I don't really try to hide my contempt towards those people.

EDIT: That being said, I prefer not to live in an environment wherein every action is perceived and interpreted as being part of a larger sexual playground. I don't think it really works that way.

[Kadagar_AV]

You're right in that I was the one to ask for advice, and you gave it to me (baby, uhuh, uhuh). So, honestly: thank you for that.

In all honesty, I do think I can be more patient with people with whom I vehemently disagree, as I don't really try to hide my contempt towards those people.

EDIT: That being said, I prefer not to live in an environment wherein every action is perceived and interpreted as being part of a larger sexual playground. I don't think it really works that way.

Uh... I wasn't the one bringing this to sex (and neither were you).

With that said, I do bow to the fact that sex is an underlying background to the whole scenario. However, this question in specific can be dealt with without going to those muddy waters.

As to your bolded part.... Mate, you need to get over yourself. If uneducated people is a source of contempt for you, you have read the world wrong. It's not like HE is the stupid ***** running the world bank.

However, remember that YOU talk with him in the same language of the people who run the world bank.

Remember the story of people sitting on high horses?

Don't get me wrong mate, I have most often liked and agreed with your perspective on things. But in this case you are just wrong. Not because the other guy was RIGHT, but because you should have dealt with him in a way better way.

YES he was an idiot.
YES you handled the idiot in an idiotic way.

Summa summarum: Two idiots bickering, I wouldn't have wanted to be in their company (eithers).

[classical_hero]

I think I explained that in the first posts. In my opinion, the central role a university plays is to be a location for debate, discussion, and research in any form. I expect people to be civil.

You are quite delusional if you really think that.

[Sarmatian]

“If you want to get laid, go to college. If you want an education, go to the library.”

― Frank Zappa

[Furunculus]

Sounds to me like you won.

agreed, just a shame it needed winning at all.

[Moros]

As someone who spend his last years in too many bars (both working and drinking) and discotheques (the latter almost exclusively working though as that isn't really my kind of thing), all usually completely filled by students some even run by students (such as me) I actually have to agree somewhat with Kadagar.

When facing drunk, aggressive/heated people or just thugs, you have to swallow any pride/opinion you have, smile be friendly and all. I've been threatened with broken beer bottles and while colleagues wanted to call the cops, I asked them to get me and 'my friend' a beer instead. He bought me one back. All they want is some respect, when they get that they are okay. Their pride is no longer damaged and they don't need to do stupid stuff to restore. They couldn't ask for a better way out.

That's what being the better man really is. Getting the trouble making guy out of trouble with his pride and honour intact. There's always a way for that.

[Jolt]

So what do you propose I should have done. Evidently, seeing how you were born in glorious Sweden and get laid at least three times a day and drunk twice as many times, you're obviously more competent a person in handling these situations, oh Glory-Viking-of-Testosterone.

Oh, and it's "Hax just has​ no clue". Thank you.

You addressed it exactly as any discussion needs to be addressed.

Were I you, I clearly would have had a much more hostile language very quickly. He feels insulted? Then he can disappear in a puff of smoke. He needs to leave anyway? All the better. Seriously, don't let anyone grab you by the throat without a physical reply. As soon as he would grab you by the throat, you had several witnesses that he severely physically accosted you and you took the action in self-defence.

[Andres]

I'm with Moros and Kadagar on this one.

During my time at Uni, I was more awake at night than I was during the day and the few of these occasions I encountered, always got defused by somebody saying somthing extremely funny and somebody else buying a few beers.

If you ever encounter such a situation again, keep in mind that staying calm, being funny and beer solve absolutely
everything.

And if they don't, then you are dealing with a teetotaler who has no sense of humour. The best thing you can do when you meet such a person is running. Fast. To avoid catching whatever disease he has.