Fight or Flight?

Yesterday I ran into a friend,whom I have not seen in awhile, at work. He was really happy to see me and we caught up with each other for a few minutes. One of my coworkers came up to me and told me that there was a truck waiting to be unloaded. I told him that Ill be there in a couple minutes and he left. My friend asked “What was all that about?”

I asked him what was he talking about. He told me that my body language was very defensive. That my body was squared up to my coworkers,my eyes starred at him,hardly blinking and my hands tensed up. He could tell that I was about ready to fight him. I told him that I just didnt like working here. However,This got me thinking;Does everybody else size people up?

Do we do it to only people we dont like or even people that we like but think that in the back of our minds what we can do if it got to “that point”? And people that we dont even know or just met? Is it only guys that do this;where we are always calculating how to fight and win against other dudes?

I do it all the time in grocery stores when people stop their carts in front of me.

Its called be a young buck.

No worries token when you get older you do this less and less.

Sometimes when walking down the street, at the grocery store et cetera random people puff up their chests, develop imaginary lats, wander a little close as if pissing on my “territory” or are otherwise reluctant to duck aside politely (making me twist like a fucking contortionist unless I just feel a little bushy tailed and bump them)occassionally they even scowl.

It’s weird. Don’t be one of those pussies.

I size up people and situations all the time but its mostly old habits that I learned at different schools I went to when I was in the military. I just do it without event thinking now. Most people would think I was some paranoid freak if they knew what I was thinking/planning lol

[quote]gregron wrote:
I size up people and situations all the time but its mostly old habits that I learned at different schools I went to when I was in the military. I just do it without event thinking now. Most people would think I was some paranoid freak if they knew what I was thinking/planning lol
[/quote]

That’s pretty normal. Your line of work invades your mind in the hours not spent working.

[quote]gregron wrote:
I size up people and situations all the time but its mostly old habits that I learned at different schools I went to when I was in the military. I just do it without event thinking now. Most people would think I was some paranoid freak if they knew what I was thinking/planning lol
[/quote]
That’s funny. I have a buddy who was a sniper with the marines and is like that. I’m pretty sure he knows what props in a room he would use as weapons and against whom, has like five escape routes mapped out in his head for every situation and would probably default to radio speak over his cell phone if some one popped a bag in the room. Maybe not so funny.

[quote]Derek542 wrote:
Its called be a young buck.

No worries token when you get older you do this less and less.[/quote]

I agree this is most likely due to you being a young and arrogant.

As you age you will also grow out of that phase.

[quote]xxrob5xx wrote:

[quote]Derek542 wrote:
Its called be a young buck.

No worries token when you get older you do this less and less.[/quote]

I agree this is most likely due to you being a young and arrogant.

As you age you will also grow out of that phase.[/quote]

To clarify I did mean showing that you are ready. When you get older you get more subtle, you dont get all swole up like a Rooster when other Roosters are around.

I still size people up and go through the mental aspect of it.

[quote]Derek542 wrote:

[quote]xxrob5xx wrote:

[quote]Derek542 wrote:
Its called be a young buck.

No worries token when you get older you do this less and less.[/quote]

I agree this is most likely due to you being a young and arrogant.

As you age you will also grow out of that phase.[/quote]

To clarify I did mean showing that you are ready. When you get older you get more subtle, you dont get all swole up like a Rooster when other Roosters are around.

I still size people up and go through the mental aspect of it. [/quote]

Exactly. In every social situation outside my own home, I’m always alert and aware of my surroundings. I size up everyone, yet do not show a thing on the outside.

Second nature.

[quote]Iron Dwarf wrote:

[quote]Derek542 wrote:

[quote]xxrob5xx wrote:

[quote]Derek542 wrote:
Its called be a young buck.

No worries token when you get older you do this less and less.[/quote]

I agree this is most likely due to you being a young and arrogant.

As you age you will also grow out of that phase.[/quote]

To clarify I did mean showing that you are ready. When you get older you get more subtle, you dont get all swole up like a Rooster when other Roosters are around.

I still size people up and go through the mental aspect of it. [/quote]

Exactly. In every social situation outside my own home, I’m always alert and aware of my surroundings. I size up everyone, yet do not show a thing on the outside.

Second nature.
[/quote]

We are old roosters, we let the young cocks fight then take out the winner. :slight_smile:

[quote]QuadasarusFlex wrote:
Yesterday I ran into a friend,whom I have not seen in awhile, at work. He was really happy to see me and we caught up with each other for a few minutes. One of my coworkers came up to me and told me that there was a truck waiting to be unloaded. I told him that Ill be there in a couple minutes and he left. My friend asked “What was all that about?”

I asked him what was he talking about. He told me that my body language was very defensive. That my body was squared up to my coworkers,my eyes starred at him,hardly blinking and my hands tensed up. He could tell that I was about ready to fight him. I told him that I just didnt like working here. However,This got me thinking;Does everybody else size people up?

Do we do it to only people we dont like or even people that we like but think that in the back of our minds what we can do if it got to “that point”? And people that we dont even know or just met? Is it only guys that do this;where we are always calculating how to fight and win against other dudes? [/quote]

I imagine your friend is pretty pretentious is he walks around “reading” people’s body language like that.

I wouldn’t put any thought into this if I was you.

[quote]Iron Dwarf wrote:
In every social situation outside my own home, I’m always alert and aware of my surroundings. I size up everyone, yet do not show a thing on the outside.

Second nature.
[/quote]

It certainly should be.

I always plan escape routes in public places. Never was in the military but I started after the scene in Bourne Identity when he is in the restaurant with the chick telling her what he was thinking. Rather not be eating at an IHOP when a crazed gunman enters and not know where to run right away.

[quote]BlueCollarTr8n wrote:

[quote]Iron Dwarf wrote:
In every social situation outside my own home, I’m always alert and aware of my surroundings. I size up everyone, yet do not show a thing on the outside.

Second nature.
[/quote]

It certainly should be. [/quote]

Exactly. But you’d be surprised at the lax attitude some people have regarding their own safety. In a past thread there were those who even labeled it “paranoid” to be so overly aware.

[quote]Iron Dwarf wrote:

[quote]BlueCollarTr8n wrote:

[quote]Iron Dwarf wrote:
In every social situation outside my own home, I’m always alert and aware of my surroundings. I size up everyone, yet do not show a thing on the outside.

Second nature.
[/quote]

It certainly should be. [/quote]

Exactly. But you’d be surprised at the lax attitude some people have regarding their own safety. In a past thread there were those who even labeled it “paranoid” to be so overly aware.
[/quote]

Wasnt that the jogging thread and females etc. wearing head phones and such?

[quote]Derek542 wrote:

[quote]Iron Dwarf wrote:

[quote]BlueCollarTr8n wrote:

[quote]Iron Dwarf wrote:
In every social situation outside my own home, I’m always alert and aware of my surroundings. I size up everyone, yet do not show a thing on the outside.

Second nature.
[/quote]

It certainly should be. [/quote]

Exactly. But you’d be surprised at the lax attitude some people have regarding their own safety. In a past thread there were those who even labeled it “paranoid” to be so overly aware.
[/quote]

Wasnt that the jogging thread and females etc. wearing head phones and such? [/quote]

I can’t recall. But I think I remember someone being attacked at a gas station.

[quote]Iron Dwarf wrote:

[quote]Derek542 wrote:

[quote]Iron Dwarf wrote:

[quote]BlueCollarTr8n wrote:

[quote]Iron Dwarf wrote:
In every social situation outside my own home, I’m always alert and aware of my surroundings. I size up everyone, yet do not show a thing on the outside.

Second nature.
[/quote]

It certainly should be. [/quote]

Exactly. But you’d be surprised at the lax attitude some people have regarding their own safety. In a past thread there were those who even labeled it “paranoid” to be so overly aware.
[/quote]

Wasnt that the jogging thread and females etc. wearing head phones and such? [/quote]

I can’t recall. But I think I remember someone being attacked at a gas station.
[/quote]

They were jogging with headphones on and got attacked or hit by a car or something.

[quote]Derek542 wrote:

[quote]Iron Dwarf wrote:

[quote]Derek542 wrote:

[quote]Iron Dwarf wrote:

[quote]BlueCollarTr8n wrote:

[quote]Iron Dwarf wrote:
In every social situation outside my own home, I’m always alert and aware of my surroundings. I size up everyone, yet do not show a thing on the outside.

Second nature.
[/quote]

It certainly should be. [/quote]

Exactly. But you’d be surprised at the lax attitude some people have regarding their own safety. In a past thread there were those who even labeled it “paranoid” to be so overly aware.
[/quote]

Wasnt that the jogging thread and females etc. wearing head phones and such? [/quote]

I can’t recall. But I think I remember someone being attacked at a gas station.
[/quote]

They were jogging with headphones on and got attacked or hit by a car or something.
[/quote]

Good memory.

I see females in my neighborhood jogging in the evening. They’re wearing headphones. Stupid.