The appeal of violence - Short story Long
Tuesday, February 22, 2005
Snapshot of my mornings: park car. enter through rear dock door. walk through steel shop, past wet saws. walk through packing area, try not to trip over boxes and large chunks of foam. pick up paperwork in factory floor office, trying not to attract attention from any number of workers since i don't speak spanish and can't understand what they're saying as i walk past them. up a long flight of metal stairs. past a smelly bathroom, and down another long storage hallway. enter main office, walk into my office.

This routine is pretty standard for every morning I am here, with the exception of this morning. When I arrived, I noticed that everyone who works on the floor was standing around, outside of the warehouse office. This is unusual, as breaks are usually spent eating and smoking outside. Apparently a fistfight broke out during the morning break, and the guys were all just hanging out, waiting to see what happens to the participants.

What is it about violence that is so thrilling to men? I may as well have been standing on the blacktop of a junior high playground...that's what they looked like. Boys waiting around after recess to see who gets suspended. I don't get it. If I have ANY male readers, can somebody please enlighten me as to what is so appealing about this situation?