Is it ok to be afraid of physcial fights as a man? Why?

25 comments

1. You’d be dumb to not be afraid of something that could seriously hurt or kill you.

2. Afraid? Yeah, absolutely. Actively avoid? Also yes. Shit can kill you or ruin your life without a moments notice

3. One bad punch could land you in the hospital or worse. Smart to want to avoid physical confrontations unless you’ve got no other choice.

4. Always go out of your way to avoid any physical altercation. Fighting isn’t “cool” or “manly.” It’s stupid and could get you killed

5. Sure it is. I decisively won a fight with my younger brother 20 years ago and I’ve had a bad knee for 20 years because of it. Win or lose, you could end up with a permanent injury. Avoid fighting.

6. This kind of fear is something that you think about a lot as a kid, but it simply does not come up as an adult for the vast majority of us.

   Quoting the John Mulaney bit:

   > I used to sit around and think about what to do about quicksand. I never thought about how to handle real problems in adult life – I was never like, “Oh, what’s it gonna be like when relatives ask to borrow money?”

7. of course, physical fights are a fool’s activity

8. “Can a man be brave if he’s still afraid?”

   “That’s the only time a man can be brave”

9. I think anyone with half a brain will admit that they are afraid of physical fights. They are potentially life threatening, could land you in the hospital, jail, or the grave. People who say “I’m not afraid! I’ll fight anybody right now!” are the ones that usually lose and end up bloody on the floor. It is okay to be afraid of fights as a man, but you can be afraid and prepared at the same time. This may be my personal view, but I believe as a man you need to be somewhat responsible for the safety and security of your loved ones, especially those who can’t physically fend for themselves; your sister, your mom, your girlfriend, wife, child, etc. you never know when shit might hit the fan, that is why you must be prepared. I’m not saying you have to be mean mugging everyone on street to stay away from what’s yours, but you should remain aware of your surroundings, be familiar with your gut feeling of feeling unsafe and be able to remove yourself and your loved ones from the situation. If you can’t, be sure you’re ready to fight.

10. Hell yeah it’s ok to be afraid. But, if you have to, you have to.

11. Yeah. People underestimate, or simply are ignorant to, how badly they can go.

12. You shouldn’t lay in bed awake at night worrying you might get into a fight, but yes fights are scary things. All it takes is one punch to bounce a head off concrete and kill a person. I don’t want to do that to someone or have it done to me. I will walk away from anything I safely can.

13. Everyone should be afraid of physical fights. It’s a good way to die, get seriously injured, go to jail, or some combination thereof. My feeling is unless I’m suddenly getting jumped by strangers somewhere, if I’m in a physical fight, I have made some very poor decisions.

14. Absolutely! Even the men who are the most well equipped to handle physical confrontation (military vets, professional fighters, etc) will tell you that getting in a fight with someone is an absolute last resort. You have no idea what the other person is capable of and/or willing to do.

15. No one wins in a physical fight.

16. its always ok to be afraid. Fights are extremely dangerous and people die from being in them

17. Avoid physical confrontations unless you have no other choice. One bad punch could land you in the hospital or worse. Fighting isn’t “cool” or “manly”.

18. I mean, I avoid conflict as much as possible, so I’d say yes. I haven’t been in an actual fight since elementary school.

19. Of course.
    Only fight someone when you absolutely have to. And be vicious in that fight: you cannot lose.

    For the rest, avoid. Run as fast as you can from any street fight or violent situation.

20. Ever seeing those videos? I saw a guy a in fight who was kicked in the face and then he was having seizure. Not worth it.

21. What scares me is that in a moment of blind rage I could lose my freedom for a long time. You don’t have to be Mike Tyson to kill someone with a punch; you just have to catch them a particular way. It’s much better to just not go there in the first place.

22. Jocko Willink, who’s the closest human equivalent to a gorilla, says the best strategy for a fight is to run away

    You have to actually be stupid to not be afraid of fights. Too many variables, do they have a weapon? Are they liable to fly off the handle and kill you? Will they continue to hit you if you’ve been knocked unconscious? Will you hit them in such a manner that they get knocked unconscious, then fall over and split their head open on the ground?

    No one should be looking to get into a fight. Not even the most trained fighters on the planet. In fact, they’re the ones that do their best to avoid fights

23. Yes, and anyone who says otherwise has never been in a serious fight.

    One bad punch can land someone in the hospital, morgue, or prison regardless of size, strength, or “skill level.”

    Fights are never one-on-one. Even if you “win” a one-on-one fight, there is no guarantee that their friend is not going to cheap-shot you with a crowbar.

    You want to fight? Join a boxing, jujitsu, or muay thai gym or something of that nature.

24. I will give you some perspective.

    As a young man I used to like getting in fights. I was reasonable handy and generally won (I also copped a few beatings). In short, I was a dickhead.

    Now I am scared to fight. I or the other person could end up seriously injured or dead. Apart from an unavoidable need to defend myself or a loved one, you can bet your arse I won’t fight.

    Wish I had that insight earlier.

25. I’m a former martial artist who beat his instructor in a fight and the answer is….HELL YES! anyone who has any combat experience knows 1) how unpredictable combat can be and 2) you never know what the hell the other guy knows, or has on him. Dude that looks like an average Joe could be master level …tou truly can’t tell by looking, it’s best not to fight unless you have literally no other option