By Anna Meany–
I recently spent an entire night questioning the motives of a few young Louisville men – after witnessing an almost-fight, I can’t believe they have the pride to show their faces in daylight. After embarrassingly failing to break up the argument, I realized it could never be settled by me (a woman). It was a petty argument, too. To be quite honest, there’s no way it could have been worth fighting for – and it’s part of a fairly common problem among college men: the supposedly natural urge to fight other males. I’m no scientist, but it seems like some guys are just itching to brawl after a few drinks – and sometimes, after no drinks at all. What can we even do about this?
The issue is clearly not entirely alcohol-related. Plenty of younger guys are caught fighting after school, but – to sound like a parent right now – to whom can we attribute this violence?
There’s the never-ending claim that video-game violence is corrupting our children. And movies like Fight Club aren’t as glamorous in real life as they seem on-screen (but I’m not trying to blame good cinematography for the issue at hand). But the ever-so-popular ‘boys will be boys’ motherly saying has actual truth to it –biology can totally be blamed for causing these guys to play defense for no clear reason at all. It’s not possible for us to completely avoid our natural tendencies; these are to defend and focus on survival. Although I’m not sure the guys I saw arguing weren’t concerned about their survival, it’s true that both sides felt threatened. In a way, we’re warped versions of domesticated animals that can’t hide our wild sides. As previously stated, I have no degree allowing me to make any assertions or claims about men having a physical and mental need to protect, defend, or mark their territories (in more ways than one).
They looked so dumb running around our apartment complex, and looking back, I just laugh.
There’s absolutely nothing less attractive than two guys fighting for the sake of their own pride (when a guy defends a woman – that’s hot). And when alcohol is involved, guys just end up looking like drunk jerks.
On a much more serious note, girls can feel really threatened and unsafe when guys are fighting near them (speaking from experience, fellas). Surprisingly, surrounded by buff guys isn’t always as comforting as it sounds – especially when alcohol is involved. If we’re sticking to biology as the reason some guys get so violent, there’s another huge factor to consider: evolution and society have made females out to be weaker and violence against women isn’t a new problem.
I’m not even sure how to combat this problem – and if it even is one. Regardless of biology, starting drunken fights is idiotic.
Boys, don’t let that macho-man mentality get the best of you.
What other testosterone-fueled nightmare moments should the savvy avoid? From freshman year throwdowns to senior blowout bashes, here’s a list of Bro No’s:
1)Respect the personal boundaries of the ladies, fellas. Give three feet of personal space to the ladies around you to avoid appearing predatory. Hugs may be fine for those you’re familiar with, but every woman knows a cheap grope when she feels it. Don’t be the guy that turns the party into a sausage factory, give the ladies a comfortable amount of physical space to avoid driving them away.
2) So you think that downing a pint of Jagermeister faster than your frat brother is going to prove your prowess? Think again. The fastest path from impressive to repellant is through the bottom of a bottle.
3) Losing your cool with the staff at an establishment is never a good look. When raging in a restaurant, keep in mind that the folks whom you’re obnoxiously yelling at from across the bar are the ones that have to clean up that sticky pile of Red Bull and vodka that you’re leaving on the floor. A class act never gives flack to the staff.
