Is it common for people to view getting in a fight as a hobby?

Posted by Difficult_Bad1064@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 36 comments

When I was in my teens in the 90s, I was twice attacked when out walking on Fri/Sat evenings by groups of other teenagers. Both times it seemed that they did it just for the fun of it. I even bumped into a few of one of the group a few weeks later and they tried to make out that it was all a laugh and wanted to shake hands.

During this same time I also witnessed it happen three other times and also two relatives lost a tooth each in unprovoked attacks.

Years later in about 2015 I went for drinks for a work do and ended up with a load of the younger crowd (under 25) in a pub. I was shocked that two of the men were openly talking about how they wanted to get into a fight. Then they wandered off, presumably to do just that, and I left.

Having had over half my life to reflect on why I was so unnecessarily assaulted, I came to the conclusion that the people doing it had suffered their own trauma growing up.

So, how common is this? As a now older person I don't see it happening but there's obvious reasons for that.

If it's still common then how can it be stopped? Things for teens to do?

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Sandy_Bananas@reddit

99ish, I used to go to a small town night club. It attracted local farmers and people from the navy. It was not uncommon for people to bring gum shields with them for the post kick-out brawl.

ceehred@reddit

Wow, that's second-level shit. Though I do remember rolling out of city-centre clubs on a weekend to see the big police vans ready and waiting to scoop-up the perps from the inevitable kick-offs that would soon follow.

In quite a nice little town in rural Devon. they’d all congratulate near a kebab van in the town square. It was invariably carnage.

Weird shit goes down in small towns. Last year we had one (big) lad get thrown through a shop front window and nearly died due to blood loss. Six months later another lad got battered with an hammer. Not sure if he made a recovery.

I moved from London at 16, I remember asking a local “what you do for fun round here?”

He goes “get pissed and fight”.

I tend not to stay out late these days.

nick_gadget@reddit

I don’t know if it was seen as a hobby, but in the late 90s/noughties there were groups of lads who’d see it as a good end to a night - just behind getting off with a girl? . The nights definitely went: pints and cigarettes in a pub, maybe a few quid in the fruitie, off to the next pub and repeat, possibly some darts/pool too. Move to a bar (some as a pub but with ear-rattling four on the floor house music), maybe have the occasional alt drink - vodka/JD/ Bacardi - and put up with being called gay for 20 minutes. Continue smoking more, and getting more casual with what your cig is burning (remember this is inside a PACKED pub). Everyone stinks of smoke already, so it’s just a question of who’s getting burned.

Spicy_Wimp@reddit

I am female and was like this in my early 20s. I was just a stupid violent cunt and I am so sorry to those I hurt

behold-my-titties@reddit

Bartender for 10 years in a small village in Yorkshire. Yes, I get it all the time. It's usually the grown up kids of regulars that think they've got clout. I love seeing it happen, we can all see it coming. Honestly it's annoying, of course anyone in the pub could take care of em but that would spoil the night, so I either do a little dance to make em fuck off or me auntie Laura comes in and fucks em off.

Honestly after this much bar work I can tell straight away. The amount of times we've left somewhere cos I've got the kids and someone's rubbing me wrong way is stupid.

Travellers get a bad reputation imo, on my experience 90% fine, don't treat em like twats and stand your ground, they're mostly alright.

Derbadian@reddit

I think you are either from a proper rough area or you just hang around with complete cunts. Never happened to me, never seen anyone wanting / willing to get into a fight.

Don’t get me wrong. I’ve seen fights happen but never randomly and usually because someone was being a genuine prick.

SelfSufficientHub@reddit

I train BJJ like 10 hours a week so it is my hobby lol

Never been in a fight outside the gym or competition in my life though and I’m 47

Cole-Palmer-phd@reddit

I train BJJ

The question was about fighting not rolling around on the floor

YchYFi@reddit

Yes look up Football Hooligans.

Welcome to Wrexham did an episode on them. Life on Mars also did an episode on them in the 70s.

Football Hooligans just go to games to fight people.

Hooliganism today is nothing like it was in the 70s. At least in this country. Others, like Italy still have it bad

Difficult_Bad1064@reddit (OP)

Hooligans mostly fight each other though right? They don't pick random people out of the street.

No they do sometimes pick random fans. They focused on a guy who did that at a train station on Welcome to Wrexham.

I don't think I want to watch that.

broadarrow39@reddit

Many years ago I was sat outside in a bar in the west end in San Antonio, Ibiza. Two guys and a girl were sat out the front with a cup of ice randomly throwing it at passers by. It was only matter of time before a guy turned and spat at them and an almighty fight erupted, chairs, bottles etc flying. Both the guys from the bar were punched and beaten black and blue.

After things calmed down the girl went to the bar and came back with a big cup of ice, presumably to try and stem the swelling on their faces, nope, they just started throwing it at passers by.

Neat-Suspect-6666@reddit

Who the fuck goes to Ibiza to sit on the terrace of a bar in the West End to throw ice at people.

I have worked 3 summer seasons in Ibiza, and spent about a full year of nights out in the West End lol, and throwing ice at people was the last thing on my mind.

Snoo93102@reddit

These types never fight people capable of fighting back. If thats your thing. Go to a boxing gym. With like minds.

Ricky_Martins_Vagina@reddit

We had a Young Offenders Institute near us and would regularly go and antagonise them and get into fights with them just for shits & giggles, when we were dumb teenagers.

Doing it as adults is something entirely different - going on a night out or whatever with the intention of having a fight as some point. These are the kind of wankers who declare themselves as the hardest guy on their street / in their local / etc but would likely get knocked the fuck clean out in any kind of organised fight like a proper boxing match.

beernon@reddit

Coke is very popular in the UK

DameKumquat@reddit

In the 90s it was very normal for groups being kicked out of pubs to get into fights. If you wanted to start one, "oi, what are you looking at?" usually sufficed.

Ditto after school, though rarer and not taking up the whole high street.

Then they removed lead from petrol and stopped serving underage teens.

PracticeNo8733@reddit

I came to the conclusion that the people doing it had suffered their own trauma growing up.

Or they're just cunts.

GrabbedByTheGhost@reddit

Came here today the same thing - odd conclusion to arrive at!!

SituationMundane5452@reddit

There no cure for being a cunt

FairZucchini7814@reddit

Ser Bronn of the Blackwater 🫡

PeroniNinja84@reddit

The word “cunt” isn’t enough for people like that.

iffyClyro@reddit

I boxed when I was younger(pretty mediocre, was never destined for greater things) but I did enjoy sparring and fighting in that environment.

However I absolutely hate fighting on the street or whatever and would always talk situations down when I was younger.

I joined the police and to a certain extent violence is kind of part and parcel of it.

You certainly become comfortable with the threat of violence after a while and when shit hits the fan it can be a bit of an adrenaline rush but I still absolutely hate it. If someone hurts me there’s the potential for my career to be over, if I hurt someone else there’s the potential for my career to be over.

Not sure if that really answers the question.

Certainly some people see getting into a punch up as a bit of sport.

loud946@reddit

My brothers friend used to do this with some other odd mates. Never known anyone else that did it, it all seems to be for bragging and egos.

GordonLivingstone@reddit

Depends very much on the people.

Some men, especially young men (and rarely women), have little impulse control, can only react to feelings of anger with violence - and have been brought up in societies or circles where you are assumed to prove your masculinity by inflicting or bravely experiencing violence.

Being seen to be able to inflict violence without worrying about the consequences may get you "respect" in the circles within which you move - and make other hard men back off from attacking you.

Punishment and shaming for such behaviour from an early age may well be the way to keep such things under control.

If it is clear that attacking other people is disapproved of by everyone who matters to you and that you are going to suffer negative consequences if you proceed - then hopefully you will decide to behave otherwise. Rewarding decent behaviour should happen in parallel.

(Not that different from dog training!)

Look at duelling between men to resolve insults. Very common in previous centuries but now unacceptable in normal society - even if forms if it may still exist in places like prisons.

Tricepesaurus@reddit

I think fighting is immature personally and anyone that likes to do it for the shits and giggles needs to grow up or be locked away.

OhNoDobe@reddit

I've had friends say it's happened to them but I mainly just get people offering me out for fights or the odd sly punch.

If you're blatantly middle/upper class (accent) I reckon you probably attract some jealousy. Not saying that's what you are but even a well built friend, who was blatantly middle class, got jumped with his mates. Whilst I never had a problem even walking around by myself.

Still meet a few idiots who clearly feel the need to act the bigguns but normally can just say no mate and it's left there.

Stand your ground for the most part as most guys are just trying to find an easy victim.

sleepyprojectionist@reddit

Courtesy of Viz.

gaqo777@reddit

Humans are working on several levels at once. But humans are still animals and can be studied as such.

When groups of young men are out I think some of their tribal instincts kick in + drink + testosterone.

Tribal instincts to prove themselves against other groups of men. Plus they get buzzed on the adrenaline and excitment of povoking and fighting and actively encourage each other.

Of course on a normal day like you say they are working on the rational level and are friendly.

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