I tend to think that being an arsehole when provoke is still being an arsehole. There are other ways to defend against such an attack than sending the boys¹ round to play bully², that was no better than throwing bricks through all their windows and I assume that we are civilised enough here that wouldn't condone that.

I particularly dislike the fact that I was, unbeknownst to me at the time, was coopted as part of that brigade of brick throwers.

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[1] a significant chuck of the internet

[2] beat up his online resources