AnDrOiD wrote:It's easy to say when you sit in front of your computer
Well, I'm capable of doing just that... ignoring idiots.
I believe you and I'm too...well, let's say I'm still learning
Even though I think
people shouldn't ignor every kind of idiotism. When I hear racist, anti-jewish or f.e. offending someone's disability comments in my environment, I wouldn't leave it just as it is, letting someone to say every stupid thing what came to his mind. Some words shouldn't be said in a world of such sad history.
The same if someone's offending my friends - as I know they would defend me too.
It is rather general thought, as Zidane did just what the agressor wanted and let him win.
And what I exactly wanted to say by the quoted sentence- you may not know your borders and it's hard to predict your reaction to every possible event...maybe Zidane promised himself before going on the pitch "Hey, listen man...any f*** idiot provocating you - ignore...and show who is a master!" - but there's a situation when you have been running nearly all the time for 110 minutes, you're extremely tired and stressed, maybe you were provocated from the beginning of a match, heard digs or being spitted (as it was suggested), it's really hard to control emotions when you finally hear someone offending people who are close to you or jeering of your origin (especially when - as in case of Zizou - you have to put up with it since your childhood). Sure - it is possible to ignore, even in such a situation. But
not easy.
If you're one of this people who has achieved the level of never letting his emotions going out of control -
congrats, I really respect such people.
Still can understand these, who haven't.
Yes, hurt your feelings... or psychological state. Physical violence can kill you.
At first - curing the body is often easier than curing hurt psyche.
Secondly - we both know Zidane's behaviour couldn't have killed Materazzi and it wasn't its aim to kill him. But I understand that we're now talking more generally, so - I see a difference between hitting something who offended your mother (which doen't mean I see as the best way) and trying to kill someone.
And in fact -
your psychological state can kill you too, it's not the same death that dying in blood around, it's much more silent and much more longer death. I'm not sure if less painful.
But know we are referring to extremal situations.
What I know try to say, even leaving Zizou's case..
I'd be very careful before making a statement that mental violence is "better" or "lighter" than physical violence. It's not truth IMHO. For me the husband/wife torturing his partner mentally isn't better that the one beating her/him.
And well, calling somebody "old fool" seems also to be a sort of word agression, doesn't it, Mr No_Violence...?
No, for me it's a manner of speaking... I'm an old fool too.[/quote]
For me none of you - Zidane and AnDrOiD - is an old fool.
AnDrOiD wrote:So... if I call someone an old fool, it's al right for the person to hit me back, or where do you draw the line?
It's a tricky question, but I'm not going to escape from answer
Firstly - as you suggested, it depends on the "word manner" in the environment. If it's normal for you to call your friends/people in general "old fools"...friendly or something, it's clear. (But mind that for a person called an "old fool" it can be normal to hit you "friendly"
)
Secondly - it's a BIG difference between calling somebody an "old fool" and offending his family (some time ago it was a matter of honour to have a fight with the person who has done it - and in my opinion only narrow-minded people offend someone's families, it's a lack of any politeness) or laughing from his origin/ilness/something what he doesn't have any influence on
At last, and most important -
I don't try to convince you, as you tried to suggest, that Zidane's behaviour was "all right". I was saying all the time that I understand it, which doesn't mean the same...
Now let me ask my question, it won't be tricky, I'm really intersted, especially that it's thing I'm still wondering about:
What are the situations when - in your opinion - we can justify psychical violence 
