Bigneil,
I see your point as being "Alpha males don't suggest relocating a potential fight, they do it right where the conflict occurs." It is an interesting idea to explore, but there is a lot or variables to consider.
To some degree, I think you're right, but you're basing your opinion on your own experiences, which are also biased towards your unusually large body size. You have the luxury of standing up and being able to intimidate people, so perhaps your potential altercations do end right where the conflict occurs; especially with Beta males, or males who simply decided that a fistfight with you was not worth the real or perceived insult. There are differences between the two, certainly.
For others, like myself, it is not so simple. Without going into all the philosophical talk about whether getting into unregulated fistfights are a good idea (they're not), I'll give my experiences as a response to your post.
I've trained in martial arts and fought competitively in full-contact, no holds barred fighting for about eight years. I did so prior to the Army, and also representing my battalion in a division-wide tournament for a while. I'm certainly no bad-ass, but I do speak from a fighter's perspective.
I fought in the lightweight class, I'm a slim guy, no doubt. Thus, when I wish to defuse a potential bar brawl situation, I have to try to talk it out first - few people are going to be intimidated by me standing up. If I am unable to convince the other person that a fistfight is not in either of our best interests, then I always politely suggest we go outside.
I do this for a few reasons. First, it's to avoid dozens of witnesses to a possible felony assault. Second, being off of the property means the police are far less likely to be called. Third, it allows me to see how serious they are, and also what kind of resources, i.e., friends, they have. Last and most important, in the state of CA, mutual combat is legal and is much more easily proven when both participants willingly meet at a designated location for combat.
Most intelligent, reasonable men, do not let it go that far. I'm happy to buy a guy a beer if it makes him feel better and I have no problem saying "Hey man, my bad, I didn't mean to bump into you".
Still, one guy did take me up on my suggestion in eight years, and he ran off after the first couple of strikes. Once the fight began, I could tell he immediately realized he had got a lot more than he bargained for. Even his friends were embarrassed and left.
So, in conclusion, not everyone who suggests going outside is copping out. They may certainly do so at the last moment, but I would say that if they suggest relocating in an even, polite tone, with no discernible emotion, they are probably quite serious and are framing the situation, legally and tactically, to their benefit. If they're obviously young, drunk and yelling, then it's likely just posturing and trying to one-up the situation, hoping you'll back down.
Obviously, you one-upped even further in your incident with your former roommate. Still, the best result is that you guys resolved it without any fractured eye sockets.
For the fun of it, let's say I, Sik, bump into you, Bigneil, at your favorite Irish pub. You turn and say "Hey bro, you bumped into me!" I would say "Did I? I'm sorry! I didn't mean to." Hopefully, that would be the end of it. Let's say you, Bigneil, are really angry that day and get aggressive, saying "Sorry isn't good enough! I'm Bigneil and I'm going to stomp your guts out!" I would say "Whoa! I don't want any trouble. How about I buy you a beer, bro? What are you having?" If that didn't work and the aggression continued, I would decide to leave or politely say "Well, I'm sorry you feel that way, Mr. Bigniel. We can settle this outside."
It may or may not end well for me, haha. It's been a long time since I stood with a light heavyweight (205lbs), and he had me seeing stars. Damn fists were like hammers...
Just to be clear, getting into unregulated fistfights is generally a bad idea. There's little to gain and lots to lose. Being attacked, of course, is entirely different. Beat that bastard without mercy, leave immediately and lawyer up.
