From: li@Data-IO.COM (Phyllis Rostykus)
Subject: Re: The Difference Injure..
Organization: Data I/O Corporation
Date: Tue, 17 Nov 1992 00:03:38 GMT

>In article <4f1fJb_00awNE3uJQt@andrew.cmu.edu>, Mark Beirne Lively <ml5a+@andrew.cmu.edu> writes:
>=Excerpts from netnews.alt.callahans: 15-Nov-92 Re: The Difference
>=Injure.. Speaker-to-Minerals@SOL1 (398)
>=> > Taldin writes:
>=> > If I were taller and stronger then they wouldn't do that."
>=
>=> I suspect you're wrong in that claim.
>=
>=Thats why some of us had those sorts of problems.

I hate one liners.  One way to read that is that the suspicion is the cause
of the problems.  The other... I'll take the other possible interpretation.

Hmmm... Yeah.  Belief that just because they are bigger, they think they
can insult and emotionally injure littler people and be safe could be the
cause of a lot of littler people's problems.  Grin.  Hmmm...  Turn it
again, and it could be the cause of a lot of big people's problems, too.

For Instance:

Just last night, one of our slighter ladies got *hammered* by one of the
big strikers on the other team.  Everyone got pissed off at the striker,
the ref blew a foul and then the 250 pound 6'6" guy on their backline
yelled, "Keep hammerin' 'em!"  I'll admit, I'm only human.  I got *really*
mad.  On the next play that went to him, I went in, shoulder first, and
hammered him.  He started whining to the referee, who didn't listen to him.

The next play he and I converged on, I could see he was aiming for me
instead of the ball, so increased my speed, touched the ball away from
him; and then I put my shoulder down, put both legs into the impact, got
my shoulder into his gut and *lifted* him with my legs.  My striker got
the ball, and with the fullback completely out of the way, took a
beautiful shot...  Chuckle.  I'm smaller than he was by a *long* shot, so
after the impact, I went over backwards and to my right (I'd hit him with
my left shoulder), somehow rolled sideways when I landed and got my feet
under me so that I wound up, a little confused, but standing.  He was
*big* and hit the ground pretty damned hard, only to whine to the referee
from the ground.  The ref looked at me, head to toe, with some wonder, and
then turned on the fullback and said, "YOU get your head on straight,
you're damned lucky I didn't card you for that, because she had control."

After the ref walked away, I offered my hand to the fullback to get him up,
and smiled at him and said, "You *wanted* a hammering game, yes?"  It took
him a moment, but then he started laughing.  He shook his head at me, took
my hand, and he and their striker stayed well clear of our ladies for the
rest of the game.  I'll admit he earned *my* respect with the laughter.

StM is right in that being bigger and stronger isn't an issue until you
decide to use violence as an option.  For me, amusingly enough, I can't
even *think* of violence as an option unless the other party *is* bigger
and stronger and meaner than me.  Usually I just grin and go on.

I do know that *being* bigger and stronger than most women, 'they' still
insult bigger folks and do it even meaner, sometimes.  Chuckle... Hmmm...
"Horse," "Elephant," "Hippo," "Moo..." until I beat their pants off in a
dead sprint and then it's 'bitch', grin.  Don't know, but in soccer, I
take a *lot* of satisfaction when they're yelling insults, because it
means that I'm frustrating them.  It's gotten so that some of my teammates
deliberately call me 'Horse' because of my running.  So what started as an
insult has turned into an honor of sorts.  Insults met with real laughter
are a lot more fun.  It often confuses those that give them intending to
hurt with them because it turns their weapon back in on itself, rendering
it harmless.

Being smaller and shorter than most males, I *can* get respect from those
that try to insult me and are bigger than me through Joe's
recommendation.  Meet them with grace.  Laugh *with* them, cause them to
laugh.  Turn it all around and take self-respect *from* your differences.
Don't know about you, but I loved Robin Hood, and I *like* his values and
his actions, and would take some inner respect from even the thought that
I was somehow *like* him.  Don't know if that helps, but I hope it can...

-----
Liralen Li
li@Data-IO.com