Since that day there were other disputes in which Matt tried to jive my friends and me, but he never reverted to anything physical again. Anytime I stood up for someone else he would just revert to words and curses but that still would be enough of a liberation to help my friends get through it. Matt and I had our run-in’s in which I talked to teachers, councilors, and the like but none of them had done anything to resolve these problems. There are other routes I could’ve taken to resolve the disputes, but nothing had worked as quickly or efficiently as what I did on the playground. I don’t believe violence is the answer to all forms of disputes or whatnot, but it did provide a significant emotional event powerful enough to makes the bullies think twice.