Comments on: “Gunsmoke”, and some memories. https://habitablezone.com/2011/12/27/gunsmoke-and-some-memories/ Mon, 06 Apr 2026 09:05:36 -0700 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: bowser https://habitablezone.com/2011/12/27/gunsmoke-and-some-memories/#comment-10147 bowser Thu, 29 Dec 2011 08:21:51 +0000 http://habitablezone.com/?p=6273#comment-10147 That puts you in my class, or a bit better. I didn't have the killer instinct. After the first expression of outrage, or whatever, I was trying to think of a way out. Some guys had "it", and they were fearsome bastards. Had a brother-in-law like that and the one time we got into it he hit me, and I just turned around and left. We had been in his den with guns all over the place and I felt lucky to be allowed to. And the guys who said they never looked for a fight but weren't going to walk away from one either were always looking for one. A fight I wasn't in that involved kicking was on Skid Row. A friend of mine who was a Senior Parole Officer and I were killing time looking for any of his parolees who might be out where they shouldn't be. One of them was a pretty violent guy who had "strayed off the reservation" that night, and had police everywhere looking for him. It was about 12:30 AM on a Sunday morning, and we drove around a corner to see two obviously intoxicated, poorly dressed gentlemen wrestling around on the sidewalk. One of them struggled to his feet while the other fellow sort of laid there on his back, almost taking a nap. The standing guy wobbled a bit, saw his opponent just laying there and wound up with his right leg aimed at the fellow's head. The guy on the ground didn't see it coming, but raised his head to look around. The standing fellow unloaded, missed completely, lost his balance and fell, hitting the back of his head against a brick building. It was over for him. The guy on the ground put his head back down, oblivious to what he had missed, closed his eyes and seemingly went to sleep. Tom and I laughed our asses off, figured that when they woke up they would have no recollection of the problems they had had, and would be fine. That puts you in my class, or a bit better. I didn’t have the killer instinct. After the first expression of outrage, or whatever, I was trying to think of a way out.

Some guys had “it”, and they were fearsome bastards. Had a brother-in-law like that and the one time we got into it he hit me, and I just turned around and left. We had been in his den with guns all over the place and I felt lucky to be allowed to.

And the guys who said they never looked for a fight but weren’t going to walk away from one either were always looking for one.

A fight I wasn’t in that involved kicking was on Skid Row. A friend of mine who was a Senior Parole Officer and I were killing time looking for any of his parolees who might be out where they shouldn’t be. One of them was a pretty violent guy who had “strayed off the reservation” that night, and had police everywhere looking for him.

It was about 12:30 AM on a Sunday morning, and we drove around a corner to see two obviously intoxicated, poorly dressed gentlemen wrestling around on the sidewalk. One of them struggled to his feet while the other fellow sort of laid there on his back, almost taking a nap.

The standing guy wobbled a bit, saw his opponent just laying there and wound up with his right leg aimed at the fellow’s head.

The guy on the ground didn’t see it coming, but raised his head to look around. The standing fellow unloaded, missed completely, lost his balance and fell, hitting the back of his head against a brick building. It was over for him.

The guy on the ground put his head back down, oblivious to what he had missed, closed his eyes and seemingly went to sleep. Tom and I laughed our asses off, figured that when they woke up they would have no recollection of the problems they had had, and would be fine.

]]> By: FrankC https://habitablezone.com/2011/12/27/gunsmoke-and-some-memories/#comment-10145 FrankC Thu, 29 Dec 2011 01:49:29 +0000 http://habitablezone.com/?p=6273#comment-10145 I found myself in a lot of fights early in my life. In my mind I never started them but I guess I had a thin skin for any kind of disrespect and then there were the fights my buddies started and drug me in. That phase lasted from about 10-12 years between 13-25 years old before I wised up, outgrew it or whatever. From my experience close to 90% just don't fight. If they find themselves in a scrap they mainly just cover up. Of the 10% that would fight about 1% were real bad asses. I was in the 9% who were minor league bad asses. The 9% did their best not to fight each other and tried very hard to be close friends with the 1%ers. I never hurt my hands bad but I learned quick that the face is soft but the skull is hard. I have been hit in the head a couple of times with a slap jack and it hardly fazed me. I hated barroom fights because someone was always behind me trying to choke me. Most of the outside fights turned into grab ass with both parties rolling around on the ground trying to get in a lick. If you were serious about the fight a small head was the place to be. You could bounce off the wall and avoid kicking. I hated kicking. I have never seen a real fight anything like the violence on TV and in films. I don't think any human could survive it, no matter how well trained and tough they might be I found myself in a lot of fights early in my life. In my mind I never started them but I guess I had a thin skin for any kind of disrespect and then there were the fights my buddies started and drug me in.

That phase lasted from about 10-12 years between 13-25 years old before I wised up, outgrew it or whatever.

From my experience close to 90% just don’t fight. If they find themselves in a scrap they mainly just cover up.

Of the 10% that would fight about 1% were real bad asses. I was in the 9% who were minor league bad asses. The 9% did their best not to fight each other and tried very hard to be close friends with the 1%ers.

I never hurt my hands bad but I learned quick that the face is soft but the skull is hard. I have been hit in the head a couple of times with a slap jack and it hardly fazed me.

I hated barroom fights because someone was always behind me trying to choke me. Most of the outside fights turned into grab ass with both parties rolling around on the ground trying to get in a lick.

If you were serious about the fight a small head was the place to be. You could bounce off the wall and avoid kicking. I hated kicking.

I have never seen a real fight anything like the violence on TV and in films. I don’t think any human could survive it, no matter how well trained and tough they might be

]]>