Women: self Defense and Equality

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Just like women try to keep threads about domestic violence against women on-track, let's try to keep this thread on-track about men who find themselves having to defend against aggressive women. It happens less often, but it's still important to discuss.

I agree with what's been said about subduing rather than attacking. But if I hit a man I would expect him to reciprocate in kind. The natural response to being hit is to hit back.

TBH, I wouldn't recommend defending yourself against a woman physically unless you believe your life is in danger. Though I think it's morally justified, the potential legal consequences are going to be far more severe than the injuries you might sustain.

It's one of those weird double standards.

I don't think you should be expected to stand by and let a woman beat you, but I don't think you need to knock her out.

Self-defence is gender neutral. If someone is attacking me, I'm going to use whatever means necessary to stop the assault. End of. That ranges everywhere from "I'm going to pick you up and hold you at arms length so you can't reach me" to "my steel toe is about to meet your genitals."

I was playing 'capture the flag' a couple of years ago, guarding my team's flag, when a woman from the opposing team cam running straight at me. I saw her, she saw me, and I set up my base and put my hands out partly to protect myself and partly to get ready to tag her if she dodged at the last minute. She ran straight into me at full speed, rocked back, fell down on her butt, and started to cry. I don't know what she expected me to do... get out of the way for her to take my flag? It was one of the most bizarre human behaviors I've ever seen.
All of the men were being super sympathetic and giving me dirty looks. Maybe it's some sort of NT thing...

My mentor said it appeared like you shoved her. People...

But she ran straight at me from about 30 feet away. All I did was protect myself from being shoved by her.
What else is one supposed to do? Step aside, maybe even hand her the flag, and send her on her way with a cheerful wave? Yes, that's a false dichotomy, but come on! What she did was stupid.

There is actually some legal disparity here; a mans presumed superior physical strength is considered a weapon when used against a woman, and she's legally entitled to respond with a greater level of force in response, up to and including lethal force. Normally I agree with this legal doctrine, but I am aware that it's open to abuse, though I'll admit to never really having heard much about it being taken advantage of. I suppose I wouldn't, I mean to use a recent and ugly example, do you think we'd know the name Trayvon Martin if he'd been shot by a Georgia Zimmerman all other known facts being the same?

If ANYONE hit's me, I'll hit them back twice as hard, even a woman.

^What if someone hits you harder than you're capable of hitting them?