The low life losers are out tonight

drkman

King without a crown wrote: Someone throwing a punch at someone is certainly Violent, the fact that they missed, or didnt try to hit him, doesn't lessen the act. If I fire a shot at someone and miss, it's still a violent act regardless of the intention. Being intimidated by a group of Jewish kids might be intimidating, but I'd imagine their behavior didn't include throwing punches and chasing nice couples home.

I still stand by my contention that it was an act of intimidation. The original poster also stated that it was intimidation. An act of violence and an act of intimidation are not the same. Also, they did not chase the couple home, they were walking behind them and the couple ran home because the poster did not want a confrontation. There is no way to know if there was going to be a confrontation and there is no way to know if the kids were walking home themselves. Sometimes a line is crossed where intimidation turns into violence but that was not the case here, no physical violence occured. Someone firing a gun and missing is totally different then someone punching at the air. Carrying a gun is an illegal act in itself where someone can be arrested and spend time in jail, and someone shooting a gun puts innocent bystanders in the line of fire. As far as the Jewish kids are concerned, or should I describe them better by stating Jewish young men, their behavior did not include throwing a punch but for me their behavior was more repulsive due to their incendiary remarks for my benefit. Anyway, we have different opinions on the subject and I can't say which is right or wrong but I respect your opinion as I hope you will respect mine.

drkman

Whatchuwant wrote: Drkman- FYI- "irregardless" is not a word. Your arguments will carry greater weight if you don't speak/write like George Bush.

"Irregardless" is a word. It may not be gramatically correct as "regardless" is the more accepted terminology, but it has been around since approximately 1912 and it is used primarily in speech. Also, I believe my meaning was clear in the way that the word was used.

From Miriam Webster Online Dictionary: Irregardless originated in dialectal American speech in the early 20th century. Its fairly widespread use in speech called it to the attention of usage commentators as early as 1927. The most frequently repeated remark about it is that “there is no such word.” There is such a word, however. It is still used primarily in speech, although it can be found from time to time in edited prose. Its reputation has not risen over the years, and it is still a long way from general acceptance. Use regardless instead.

And as this is a public forum, I would think that all manners of writing, as long as they are respectful and can be understood, carry the same weight. As far as the "George Bush" comment, well.............I cannot even comment on that as my thoughts at this moment are not positive.

jeffrey

(just as humorous aside here, no harm or foul intended)

Ah yes, irregardless.

Without lack of regard.

I love this word.

They wrote it into the Sopranos for Paulie Walnuts to say all the time.

By the way, regarding the Bush aspects of this, I have no doubt that "strategery" will be similarly adopted into the canons of accepted, but still unorthodox, language as a means to describe just what must go on in that man's head.

That and Colbert's deliberate (and brilliant) perennial giggler, "truthiness."

And I say this without lack of regard for whatever anyone else might feel on the subject.



***edited to add lame joke

alafairnadia

maybe we should just play scrabble with muggers?

drkman

jeffrey wrote: (just as humorous aside here, no harm or foul intended)

Ah yes, irregardless.

Without lack of regard.

I love this word.

They wrote it into the Sopranos for Paulie Walnuts to say all the time.

By the way, regarding the Bush aspects of this, I have no doubt that "strategery" will be similarly adopted into the canons of accepted, but still unorthodox, language as a means to describe just what must go on in that man's head.

That and Colbert's deliberate (and brilliant) perennial giggler, "truthiness."

And I say this without lack of regard for whatever anyone else might feel on the subject.



***edited to add lame joke

Cool.

jeffrey

alafairnadia wrote: maybe we should just play scrabble with muggers?

Remember to walk carefully, keep your iPod or phone hidden, always be aware of things going on around behind you, stick to a well-lit and populated path, and by all means...be on the lookout for the bulge of a triple-word-point approaching in a would-be accoster's jacket.

alafairnadia

jeffrey wrote: [quote=alafairnadia]maybe we should just play scrabble with muggers?

Remember to walk carefully, keep your iPod or phone hidden, always be aware of things going on around behind you, stick to a well-lit and populated path, and by all means...be on the lookout for the bulge of a triple-word-point approaching in a would-be accoster's jacket.

xi is totally a word! I win, you lose! ha ha! wait. you still want my wallet?? fuck!

whatchuwant

drkman wrote: [quote=Whatchuwant]Drkman- FYI- "irregardless" is not a word. Your arguments will carry greater weight if you don't speak/write like George Bush.

"It may not be gramatically correct as "regardless" is the more accepted terminology Its reputation has not risen over the years, and it is still a long way from general acceptance. Use regardless instead.



Ok- we can all make up words, and they might mean something to some, but as MIRRIAM (not Miriam)-Webster states at the end of the history lesson, "Use REGARDLESS instead."

"People have been saying it since 1912..." well that says to me that this stupid word has been around for almost 100 years! When a word such as irregardless's popularity increases it is increasing ignorance. I believe that the reason its been around since 1912 and not been more accepted is because it's wrong.

Have you ever heard that radio commercial that touts a program for increasing your vocabulary? The best line is the first, "People judge you by the way you speak."

queencallipygos

Whatchuwant wrote: Ok- we can all make up words, and they might mean something to some, but as MIRRIAM (not Miriam)-Webster states at the end of the history lesson, "Use REGARDLESS instead."

....um....

Actually, you haven't spelled it correctly either. It's "MERRIAM-Webster."

...Sorry. As you were.

drkman

Whatchuwant wrote: [quote=drkman][quote=Whatchuwant]Drkman- FYI- "irregardless" is not a word. Your arguments will carry greater weight if you don't speak/write like George Bush.

"It may not be gramatically correct as "regardless" is the more accepted terminology Its reputation has not risen over the years, and it is still a long way from general acceptance. Use regardless instead.



Ok- we can all make up words, and they might mean something to some, but as MIRRIAM (not Miriam)-Webster states at the end of the history lesson, "Use REGARDLESS instead."

"People have been saying it since 1912..." well that says to me that this stupid word has been around for almost 100 years! When a word such as irregardless's popularity increases it is increasing ignorance. I believe that the reason its been around since 1912 and not been more accepted is because it's wrong.

Have you ever heard that radio commercial that touts a program for increasing your vocabulary? The best line is the first, "People judge you by the way you speak."

I will not go back and forth with you on this because it serves no purpose. Since you have not heard me speak but just read random thoughts on a message board, you cannot judge me at all. I am not going to sit here and feel like I am in some kind of cyper space english class, and every i must be dotted and every t must be crossed so that I can get an A from the teacher. As far as I am concerned, you are judged by the way that you treat other people, "irregardless" of whether you see them in person or are corresponding with them in another manner. As my posts have been respectful, and I have just been stating my opinion on this forum, I would think that the majority of the people reading the post understand what I am talking about. And I would think that they do this without having to dissect the posts and cut me down because the way that I write is not up to their particular standards. Since you want to nit pick and are basically calling me ignorant, we will have no further discussion, as that is not the reason that I post on this board or any other board.

whatchuwant

drkman wrote: [quote=Whatchuwant][quote=drkman][quote=Whatchuwant]Drkman- FYI- "irregardless" is not a word. Your arguments will carry greater weight if you don't speak/write like George Bush.

"It may not be gramatically correct as "regardless" is the more accepted terminology Its reputation has not risen over the years, and it is still a long way from general acceptance. Use regardless instead.



Ok- we can all make up words, and they might mean something to some, but as MIRRIAM (not Miriam)-Webster states at the end of the history lesson, "Use REGARDLESS instead."

"People have been saying it since 1912..." well that says to me that this stupid word has been around for almost 100 years! When a word such as irregardless's popularity increases it is increasing ignorance. I believe that the reason its been around since 1912 and not been more accepted is because it's wrong.

Have you ever heard that radio commercial that touts a program for increasing your vocabulary? The best line is the first, "People judge you by the way you speak."

I will not go back and forth with you on this because it serves no purpose. Since you have not heard me speak but just read random thoughts on a message board, you cannot judge me at all. I am not going to sit here and feel like I am in some kind of cyper space english class, and every i must be dotted and every t must be crossed so that I can get an A from the teacher. As far as I am concerned, you are judged by the way that you treat other people, "irregardless" of whether you see them in person or are corresponding with them in another manner. As my posts have been respectful, and I have just been stating my opinion on this forum, I would think that the majority of the people reading the post understand what I am talking about. And I would think that they do this without having to dissect the posts and cut me down because the way that I write is not up to their particular standards. Since you want to nit pick and are basically calling me ignorant, we will have no further discussion, as that is not the reason that I post on this board or any other board.

First, I'd like to apologize for upsetting you. I realize you are in the middle of defending yourself on the original issue posted, and I was not trying to cut you down on purpose. As an educator, improper words drive me batty.

That said, I never called you ignorant, so please don't accuse me of something I did not do. I just think that when you're making an argument in defense of something that you REALLY believe in, you should dot your I's and cross your T's.
Also, please don't assume that just because your on cyBer space people are not judging you by taking grammar into consideration when you are putting your "random thoughts" on some message board. Since we don't know how you treat people in person, your words are all we have to go on. Right or wrong, people make judgments.

king without a crown

"Also, please don't assume that just because your on cyBer space people are not judging you by taking grammar into consideration when you are putting your "random thoughts" on some message board."

I found a TYPO!

matt foley

Also, please don't assume that just because your [sic] on cyBer space people are not judging you by taking grammar into consideration when you are putting your "random thoughts" on some message board.

That's not just a typo.... it's a grammatical error. :shock:

karl the druid

before this topic devolves into a spelling bee, i will best try to fulfil both requests.

caseopele wrote: Where be this diagram? I demand a repost!

King without a crown wrote: A sense of humor is wonderful, but maybe every so often you can contribute something other then a comedic response.

a message board is not the best forum for an in-depth discussion of complicated issues. in many ways it might harm positive efforts by creating an atmosphere of unresolved grievance.



the diagram above illustrates that communal harmony needs maintenance. but that balance is easily disturbed in a climate of change. older residents (the cat) may feel threatened by changes to the local economic ecology, while new residents (the plant) might be seen as the cause, and visa versa. it's much easier to identify people or a person as the problem rather than to explore something less tangible, such as an economic recession and its impact on a neighborhood. random violent acts and creating a border bewteen "us and them" are an ugly syptom of problem much greater.

but one can easily spot the syptom not the malady. that is human nature. yet we are all here, new and old residents of prospect heights, crown heights, park slope, black, white, brown, druid, orc, ranger, living as neighbors. by human nature we all ask the simpler question "what's wrong with them?" in observation, the problems that have always been under the surface have recently become more exemplified by these random acts of violence. in many ways we are all the symtom to be read like stats on a medical chart...

this is taking way too long to write and it's so the boring

brookfetish

Back to the original topic, and some of the responses to it:

I realize no actual "violence" happened, and that, yes, it was an act of intimidation. I noted that in the original post. However, it was highly likely that the intimidation was going to turn into violence. I'd like to think that the reason it didn't was because my wife and I were alert.

The three kids/guys were getting closer to us, and we were approaching a block where I knew we'd probably be the only pedestrians. So, after turning the corner, which temporarily put us out of their sight, we made the decision to put more distance between us and them so that we could get home without incident (that's why we ran).

On these forums, this type of post always generates "damned if you do/damned if you don't" responses. There was criticism for reacting to a "non-violent" situation. Yet, if we had decided NOT to act, and we WERE harmed/robbed/etc., we would have been criticized for not being alert and/or not expecting something like that to happen.

(edited for clarity)

alafairnadia

@BF, I totally agree. you did the right thing. hats off, etc.

drkman

BrookFetish, I am glad also that nothing harmful happened to you and your wife. And for what it is worth, I do believe that you did the right thing because there was no way of knowing how the situation was going to turn out, and the non confrontational approach was the best approach to take. Thanks for your post as it spreads more light on the situation.

raw

BrookFetish wrote: Back to the original topic, and some of the responses to it:

I realize no actual "violence" happened, and that, yes, it was an act of intimidation. I noted that in the original post. However, it was highly likely that the intimidation was going to turn into violence. I'd like to think that the reason it didn't was because my wife and I were alert.

The three kids/guys were getting closer to us, and we were approaching a block where I knew we'd probably be the only pedestrians. So, after turning the corner, which temporarily put us out of their sight, we made the decision to put more distance between us so that we could get home without incident (that's why we ran).

On these forums, this type of post always ends generates "damned if you do/damned if you don't" responses. There was criticism for reacting to a "non-violent" situation. Yet, if we had decided NOT to act, and we WERE harmed/robbed/etc., we would have been criticized for not being alert and/or not expecting something like that to happen.

(edited for clarity)

You did the right thing.

And ladies, any man walking less than 10 feet away from you on a lonely street is reason enough to break into a run. If there's space, there's no reason for anyone to be on your heels. Any lost person needing directions can shout, "hey, what way do I go to blah blah street" without having to get in your face.

whatchuwant

King without a crown wrote: "Also, please don't assume that just because your on cyBer space people are not judging you by taking grammar into consideration when you are putting your "random thoughts" on some message board."

I found a TYPO!

Ha! Ya got me! That's awesome. Well, I never said one has to be perfect but at least try, right?

dee snutz

Wink! Those who can't do... teach!

caseopele

Karl, it's like you can see inside my house! I swear that's exactly what one of the kittens did to my last surviving plant.

BrookFetish, I'm glad you and your wife weren't hurt. You were very smart to get away from them the way you did.

alafairnadia

BF, you and your wife obviously did the right thing. the first rule you learn in any self-defense class is that you should always be aiming for the chance to escape. getting out and ensuring your safety is the number one goal in any violent or potentially violent situation. so, hat's off to you and your wife!

lincolnannex

Even though i am an educator, I felt obliged to carry on the saying ....
Those who can't teach, teach gym.

underhill_mt

BrookFetish wrote: [quote=Underhill_MT]Fiance was out walking the dog with a friend of ours and a group of 4-5 teenagers threw a bag of trash across the street at them while shouting things like, "We ain't afraid of your dog." Didn't make much sense since fiance & friend hadn't even noticed the kids until they started acting like assholes. That was about a month ago.

Last night we were in the car on Park at the corner of Underhill at the light (by the "new" bodega). A group of 4-5 teenagers crossed the street on a red light super slow in order to make the cars coming at them (who had the green) stop. They walked super slow to make the car wait and stared at the driver the whole time. Intimidation was def the goal.

At what time did these incidents occur?

Wow, I'm woefully late to respond... and I almost missed out on all the gripping socioeconomic discussion that followed. *gag*

To answer your question, BF, the traffic incident happened around 10PM as did the trash throwing. Apparently 10PM is the favored hour of assholishness on Underhill.

Don't know what's going on tonight, but the cops have been driving up and down the street (Underhill) off and on for the past few hours slowly with the spotlights out. They're looking for something, but so far they've only been able to illuminate my living room to unnatural levels.

cool the kid

U guys only see the bad. I love this place and all the friends I've made here

mr. met

U guys only see the bad. I love this place and all the friends I've made here

me too. ive had no serious problems. this board sure made me nervous when i first moved here, though.

underhill_mt

Cool The Kid wrote: U guys only see the bad. I love this place and all the friends I've made here

I think it's all the good I see that makes me give a damn about what happens here. If I thought it was all bad I'd just move. I do consider this my neighborhood, our neighborhood, and I love it.

filmlover44

Also, please don't assume that just because your on cyBer space people are not judging you by taking grammar into consideration when you are putting your "random thoughts" on some message board. Since we don't know how you treat people in person, your words are all we have to go on. Right or wrong, people make judgments.

You taught me something new! When picking on the spelling and grammar of other people, be sure to check your own spelling and grammar....when you make a mistake, people will make more judgments about you than they will about the person that you criticized. :roll:

whatchuwant

filmlover44 wrote:

Also, please don't assume that just because your on cyBer space people are not judging you by taking grammar into consideration when you are putting your "random thoughts" on some message board. Since we don't know how you treat people in person, your words are all we have to go on. Right or wrong, people make judgments.

You taught me something new! When picking on the spelling and grammar of other people, be sure to check your own spelling and grammar....when you make a mistake, people will make more judgments about you than they will about the person that you criticized. :roll:

At least I knew that going into this. Not afraid of you and I really don't care what anyone thinks of me. Ahhh- the power of age and experience!

Have a lovely day!

filmlover44

Not afraid of you !

Um...ok...and I was doing my very best scary monster face. Darn.