What truly is considered a fight?

After an incident occurs at any school, the term ‘fight’ runs through the rumor mill quite frequently;  however, many times, a fight is not what actually occurred.

Fighting is defined as “an attempt to defend oneself against or to subdue, defeat, or destroy an adversary,” according to dictionary.com. This implies that two people are involved in a fight, and both parties participate. The altercation that happened on Wednesday involved two individuals throwing punches, constituting the altercation as a true fight.

Usually, fighting is not just a spur of the moment attack; there are certain elements that lead up to individuals’ wants to throw punches. In this instance, comments made on Instagram, angered a student enough to fight other students. 

There is also a discrepancy between self-defense and fighting back. Self-defense is needed when one is being attacked by another person, in order for their personal safety. Fighting back happens when both parties are equally willing to engage in a physical altercation. In Pleasant Valley’s situation, however, both students were equally as willing to fight each other, so self-defense wasn’t necessary.