An Eye For An Eye

To what extent do you subscribe to this philosophy? Do you think people should always be limitless fonts of forgiveness, or do you think sometimes retribution is in order?

So why I'm posting this is a rather silly matter to be honest, but something that has got under my skin never the less. The other day I was walking home and I stepped off the curb, rolled my ankle and completely floored myself. I have long, thin and very flat feet; so these things probably happen to me more than your average person. I was carrying a lot of shopping at the time and most of it got ruined because I hit the ground pretty forcefully, though I didn't injure myself beyond a few large bruises. To the casual observer, sure I guess it would have looked pretty amusing.

At the same time a local roofing company in their work's van actually went to the extent of pulling over to laugh at me. They pulled over, wound down their window and without offering me help laughed at me for at least half a minute - which may not sound like a long time but it is to stay continually laughing at someone. I could understand someone driving past and just saying "HA!", but this was taken to the point that it was really quite insulting.

I know where the people who run the company live, I have to walk past them every day to get into uni. Just this morning I walked past the boss man (who I'm not sure was in the van at the time, I could only see the guy on the driver's side - but with such a small family business I would imagine he would be) and I was pretty tempted to swing for him. It irks me quite a bit that I'm going to have to walk past that van every day I go into uni 'til I at least finish my master's next year; maybe even longer if I decide to do a PhD to properly get into research which I most likely will do.

So what could I do about this? Well in this day and age there are plenty of online review sites for business. I could go on every site, make a false account and do my best to paint them as rogue traders (which even if they aren't they are probably quite unprofessional given how they reacted to myself falling over) - saying that they were rude, took way too long finishing the job, overcharged me and then added on additional costs at the end that I felt like I was being held at ransom to pay.

I feel as though this may be a bit far given the slight, and I would also be lowering myself by the fact I could act so childishly. Plus there's the slim chance that I might get done for defamation (or slander, whatever you want to call it) if it ever was traced back to me, and there might be a bit of the fact that I'd be taking my angst about where I live on the whole on just one business (case in point someone nearly ran me over last week at a zebra crossing - I had to actually leap out of their way, and it seems like I can't go a few days around here without some stranger being horribly unpleasant to me). Still, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't tempted. If I was physically imposing I could have just asked them to get out of their van and laugh in my face in an intimidating fashion and that would have been the end of it, but surprise surprise people who post frequently on internet forums aren't typically muscle bound he-men.

I guess I just know if the situation was reversed I would help someone who had fallen over (and have done in the past) so I can't really comprehend why they would act like that, or at least take it to the extent they did. Another bystander did try and help, so I guess the state of humanity around where I live isn't so terrible so that absolutely everyone doesn't give a shit about their fellowman. I suppose I'm giving this situation much more gravity than it deserves, but I think my capacity for forgiveness of unpleasant strangers and the faith I have in other people has dramatically lowered since living here.

So, an eye for an eye - your thoughts please. Have you ever been in a situation where you felt compelled to seek retribution for a slight? I guess some of this ground may have been covered in one of my previous threads, but meh.

*Waits for do-gooder to quote Gandhi*

 

"Whatever you do will be insignificant, but it is very important that you do it."
Mahatma Gandhi

 

I almost smashed someone's head in, because he attacked me with a knife once. I still have a scar on my left side of my face though.

Jobo: It is called slander if you lied to make them look bad.

 

Even if you do believe in an eye for an eye, I don't think that ruining someone's business is on a par with laughing at someone because they fell over. The equivalent would be to hang around their work site waiting for one of them to have an accident, and then giving a hearty guffaw.

Also, your story doesn't add up. In another thread you mentioned a supposed fiancée, yet now apparently you're still at university.

 

I'm a Paladin.

 

Your story doesn't add up.

 

You're*

 

My advice? Don't feed the trolls and don't take them with you.

 

Top points to Constipation, I think Jjbb is the best contraction of my name I've heard to date.

Sounds like your eye for an eye story is a bit more severe than mine! And it would be lies making them look bad, so yes it would be slander; although odds are they aren't consumate professionals.

Yeah I guess the punishment doesn't fit the crime, yet the fact is I wouldn't be able to laugh at them if they had an accident because in all likelihood they would kick my head in. If I had some other clever means of settling the score that couldn't be traced back to me and wasn't illegal I guess I would do that, but there just isn't. I guess I'll have to let it go.

Yes I am engaged and at university, it is just a long engagement due to lacking funds. As soon as I have more money then it will be my main priority.

 

Lots of people are engaged at university. I know a guy who got married before finishing undergrad.

 

Go and pee their van!
Or...
You can patiently wait until you are PHD'd and call them over to fix your roof, that has previously covered with a big, BIG copy of your certificate, then when you pay them mention your monthly salary.
That should net you a big laugh!

 

I doubt that your attempts to ruin their business would actually ruin their business; I couple of bad reviews is not going to change the fact that people need roofing services and will still use the company.

In a month or two, you'll be as far removed from this incident as I am and you will not feel like it needs an answer. I suggest you wait until then until you decide a plan of action.

In the meantime, be smart about your revenge. Do something that is unlikely to be traced to you. Puncture one of their tires.

I appreciate that you refer to your fiancée as "it." Please maintain this practice even after you've sealed the deal.

 

That's the thing, they have no reviews on most of the sites I can find. Three or four one star reviews from a series of fake accounts may put a dent in their reputation if that's all people have to go on. Still you're right, I doubt too many people bother to research a company before they hire them if they need a job doing and they're the only one that's local. I guess I do already feel more removed from the incident already, so I'll let things lie - though that's not to say if an opportunity presents itself where I can be a dick to them in some minor way I won't take it.

That's not what I meant, but if it'll make you happy I will try.

 

I'm pretty sure this is the attitude required for a successful marriage.

You could get a bunch of university chums to dress up in top hats and monocles and then stand around outside the work site commenting in posh accents about how it would be so awful to be a lowly common man who has to earn his living via manual labour.

Then you all moon them and run away.

 

It's a good idea, but unfornately I'm not privileged enough to own a monocle and top hat - let alone a score of them for fancy dress purposes for other people too. I guess I just haven't achieved the Dark Elf Standard of Greatness yet.

 

That is a sad story.

"The clown bestows upon his cruel and vulgar audience the saving grace of laughter."
-not Gandhi.

So, really, you're like Jesus.

 

Thanks but come on, I knew that already ytzk.

 

An eye for an eye really is too much effort, especially when the thing that got hurt is as intangible as feelings.

Maybe in that case, karma will take that for you, saving you the time and effort?

I find that those who adopt this attitude don't know when to stop - suppose the other guy didn't see his original act as a slight, and thought you instigated the original act, thus he decides to take an eye for an eye?

Hence - an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.

 

That's if you believe in karma - it's nice to think some magical cosmic force will give people their dues but really there are plenty of people who remain dicks for their entire life and nothing bad happens to them. Still, I've reconciled myself with letting it go so it's not a problem any more - if it ever was in the first place and not just because they caught me on a bad day.

 

Karma is natural law. You don't need to believe it, it happens anyway.

E.g., no-one likes a bastard, even shy and retiring folk like yourself are inspired to vengeance, or at least blogging about it.

Therefore, sit back and relax. Someone else with some violent karma will smite those guys one day.