In my heart I know you were right and the correct thing was to let her stew in her own juices and not escalate things. But in my head I struggle with the question of who are these crazies that do these things? And, are they behaving like this precisely because they get no pushback and think they can get away with it? These people seem to be everywhere. Same looks, same obnoxious attitude, some aggressive foul mouth.

In a broader sense this sounds like the same problem we're all facing. There are people who think they have the right to shout us down, bully, attack anyone who doesn't believe as they do, think, look or act as they do, etc. And there's the rest of us who put up with the madness because we don't want to escalate a no-win situation and take the path of least resistance by refusing to engage in a mud slinging battle.

I'm not a violent person but that doesn't mean I'm not able to give as much as I get. I'm not sure how I would have reacted in your situation. Given the insanity that has been permitted to go on for years, I'm not certain if reacting makes things better or worse. But I am aware of a deepening rage I feel when confronted in similar situations. My own demons get triggered and I'm doing battle with myself and the other in my head. I often wonder if these lunatics only learn the meaning of respect after spitting out their first mouthful of teeth?

In my heart I know you were right and the correct thing was to let her stew in her own juices and not escalate things. But in my head I struggle with the question of who are these crazies that do these things? And, are they behaving like this precisely because they get no pushback and think they can get away with it? These people seem to be everywhere. Same looks, same obnoxious attitude, some aggressive foul mouth.

In a broader sense this sounds like the same problem we're all facing. There are people who think they have the right to shout us down, bully, attack anyone who doesn't believe as they do, think, look or act as they do, etc. And there's the rest of us who put up with the madness because we don't want to escalate a no-win situation and take the path of least resistance by refusing to engage in a mud slinging battle.

I'm not a violent person but that doesn't mean I'm not able to give as much as I get. I'm not sure how I would have reacted in your situation. Given the insanity that has been permitted to go on for years, I'm not certain if reacting makes things better or worse. But I am aware of a deepening rage I feel when confronted in similar situations. My own demons get triggered and I'm doing battle with myself and the other in my head. I often wonder if these lunatics only learn the meaning of respect after spitting out their first mouthful of teeth? Of if it's best to just shrug my shoulders and walk away?