My favorite news story

[LOsborne]

This is the first time I have started a thread, so be understanding.

http://www.courierpress.com/news/2009/may/04/beer-pong-argument-leads-fight-arrest/

This story appeared in my local paper over the weekend, and I am dumb-founded! A fight over beer-pong? I have participated in a few of these events, and I just don't understand. Why would the winner start a fight? And how could the loser muster the necessary coherence to identify an opponent? Finally, what has happened to our society that we know longer recognize how few things are really worth the infliction of bodily harm?

[me]

Sheesh how juvenile...

[Sandy Eggo]

This story appeared in my local paper over the weekend, and I am dumb-founded! A fight over beer-pong? I have participated in a few of these events, and I just don't understand. Why would the winner start a fight? And how could the loser muster the necessary coherence to identify an opponent? Finally, what has happened to our society that we know longer recognize how few things are really worth the infliction of bodily harm?

Would you believe I've never played beer pong? Although I think I may have played something similar. Maybe a pre-version.

Sadly it seems that there's always someone at most  parties who has to ruin everyone else's good time. Although they don't see it that way. In this guy's case, I'm sure he was extremely insulted when the game loser said "mummmphbiithrumphhh". Obviously that was directed at him, the winner, and it's a clearly jealously, loathing and hatred which would cause the loser to say something like that to him. He probably feels that all of this drama is perfectly justified based on that one statement. He's probably also dumbfounded that NO one understands why he had to defend his honor. After all, he did win.

Someone said (in jest, but it's true), "Violence is a tool of the ignorant" and unfortunately for the rest of us...alcohol exacerbates this preexisting condition.

[LOsborne]

Sandy, you probably have the scenario nailed on this fiasco. But I still can't understand why. No matter what foul thing the one kid might have said, why would anybody care what a drunken schoolboy thinks?

It seems like I see this kind of thing all the time. People demanding what they call "respect" (and what looks to me more like fear) from people who don't know them, for the most petty -- often imagined -- discourteous behavior.

I remember one of my kids coming home from kindergarten, crying because some bully had called her a name. I told her, "Why do you care what a piece of pond scum like that thinks? Wouldn't it be more disturbing if he liked you?"

This inflated sense of consequence seems to be the root of way too many neighborhood feuds and road-rage incidents. Whatever happened to "consider the source?"