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Watermelon, I don't really like to pick on people, but you are giving some terrible advice, and I feel the need to make this point. If your idea of being alpha is not caring about ethics or morals, you can have fun being "alpha" in prison. This is not where I was planning on going with this post, but since I'm on the topic, why not. Being the alpha male means you are the leader of the group. If you act like a moron who doesn't give a shit about ethics, you are going to cause the destruction of the group. The people you are leading, out of self-preservation, will effectively "demote" you from your alpha male status.
But back to the OP. I do not think it makes you beta to not fight. If you handle the situation without violence, I believe it makes you more alpha. For example, look at the non-violence civil rights leaders like MLK. If the alpha male is the leader of the group, then MLK would be the alpha male of the civil rights movement. The man's entire principals were based on non-violence. That leads me to believe that if you can handle a situation without resorting to violence, you earn a lot more respect, and in turn, become more alpha.
On a side note, from a legal stand point, if you agree to the fight, it does not matter who throws the first punch, your are not defending yourself, you are fighting. If you make it clear that you do not wish to fight, and the other person throws the first punch, then you are entitled to defend yourself. So keep that in mind.
Fog.
Although your stance is commendable, and what you say about fighting and alphaness holds some truth... ....here's a quick reality check for you.
1. The only time where I was in a "self defence" situation where I let the other guy hit first, I escaped with a bruised jaw a cut under my left eye and a lump on the back of my head. I was in tatters, I've been in a number of other situations, where I have hit first and I have escaped without even coming close to the beating I took that day.
Statistically if you throw the first hit your chances of "winning/escaping" DRASTICALLY improve.
2. Self defence is a bullshit term, and any instructor worth their stars will tell you that. Self defence does not exhist, it's just fighting ineffectively. The only real reason why the phrase "self defence" was used by the martial arts was that it's better to say learn "self defence" than learn "how to fight", if you want people to join, fighting in itself serves a purpose, and that is to be violent, saying you have the right to self defence is like telling a basketball player he can play basketball, but he is only allowed to use his left hand and he is not allowed to dribble.
As soon as you start thinking about "self defence" you just strap a bunch of limitations on yourself.
3. The law (at least in the uk) when regarding self defence, is fucking awful, it defends the assailent more than the defender. If your serious about getting through an attack in one peice, just leave the law out of it. If some idiot is shouting at you and pushing you around, and your first thought is "at what point is it legal to respond"..... ...you've probably already lost.
Plus a friend of mine who is in the force has confessed to me, and as I've experienced, if you get in that situation like that, and leave reasonably promptly after the inciddent has taken place, the police rarely have the "means" to figure out where you went, let alone catch up with you.
4. Their is a correlation between non violence and great leaders, but these are modern leaders, compare them to Caesar, gengis khan etc Their ethics may not me contemporary, but they were fantastic leaders.
Avoiding violence by good negotiation skills is an alpha trait, not participating in violence is often a different matter.
Way I see it fighting is a tool, it's how it is used that defines the charecter behind it.
On a side note fighting can be attractive, with regards to "defender of lovd ones" etc. It's a very primal way of demonstrating alphaness, bravery, skill etc.
However agreeing to a "fist fight" in which you have to say yes or no too is ridiculous.
If you can say no then say no.
Just be aware of the situations where the other guy isn't looking for a "gentleman-like fist-fight" and has no intention of taking "no" for an answer.