Althouse: The younger brother is victorious.

January 16, 2022

The younger brother is victorious.

"There was an attempt... to lock his brother outside..."

19 comments:

Achilles said...: I have seen the tables turned by a younger sibling eventually overtaking the older sibling.

As the years progress and that couple of years difference helps less and less there are times when the older sibling regrets abusing that power.

It is very analogous to using the government to punish political enemies when you have power.; 1/16/22, 11:24 AM
Joe Smith said...: Great move!; 1/16/22, 11:26 AM
Yancey Ward said...: Quick thinking or blind luck?; 1/16/22, 12:00 PM
Big Mike said...: I’m so grateful that my two sons always got along so well.; 1/16/22, 12:17 PM
mikee said...: My abusive older brother stopped hitting me after I nutpunched him very, very successfully.
He remains a sociopathic asshole to this day, decades later, but I wasn't hit by him any more.
Most humans respond to painful stimuli, even older brothers of questionable humanity.; 1/16/22, 12:27 PM
Achilles said...: Yancey Ward said...

Quick thinking or blind luck?

I think he was aiming at his brother's head.; 1/16/22, 12:50 PM
SteveWe said...: For sure a Ninja move. I did it or like it 65 years ago and five years ago.; 1/16/22, 1:21 PM
R C Belaire said...: See, this is what boys do on a regular basis -- torment each other openly and with vigor. In my experience, girls are much more subtle.; 1/16/22, 1:27 PM
Narr said...: I've been both younger bro and older. My older one was similar to mikee's, and at almost four years older he gloried in his advantage. Until he didn't. He never stopped wreaking pain and havoc to everyone he should have cared about, until he died in his mid-50s doing what he loved. (Drugs.)

But as in most things, his bad example was a good one for me, and while I was no angel I never bullied my two younger brothers (or any other weak person) the way I was treated.; 1/16/22, 1:41 PM
BG said...: In my experience, girls are much more subtle.

Not my daughter. She used to bully my son who is 2-1/2 years younger. I kept warning her that some day he would be bigger than her. That day came. He gave her a shove to get her away from him. She yelled, "Mom! Aren't you going to do something?" Nope.
She didn't "pick" on him anymore.
(I was always amazed at his patience.); 1/16/22, 2:36 PM
Rory said...: I too ninja classes for a while, but had to give them up. My teacher told me he just couldn't see me as a ninja.; 1/16/22, 3:40 PM
Wince said...: Wow, a lot of Cain and Abel stories out there.; 1/16/22, 4:37 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: Wow, a lot of Cain and Abel stories out there.

Actually, as Kamala might say, the big brother relenting, admitting defeat at the end, shows what a healthy playful competition looks like.; 1/16/22, 5:51 PM
victoria said...: I'm from a family of 4 kids, attempts made, unsuccessful in some cases. I locked both my mother and baby brother (now 68)out of the house. My grandfather had to come over to let my mother in the house. i was 3.(now 70) Has he ever forgiven me? Who knows.

Vicki from Pasadena; 1/16/22, 8:05 PM
EAB said...: My sister locked me out once, and I banged so hard on the glass in the front door I punched my fist through it. Scared the crap out of her, but I luckily only had very minor scratches.; 1/16/22, 8:29 PM
Amadeus 48 said...: I have three brothers. My parents insisted that we be friends. We are wildly disparate in temperament and outlook, but we like and respect one another and get together at least twice a year from across the country. Well played, Mom and Dad.; 1/17/22, 4:52 AM
gadfly said...: mikee said...
My abusive older brother stopped hitting me after I nutpunched him very, very successfully. He remains a sociopathic asshole to this day, decades later, but I wasn't hit by him any more. Most humans respond to painful stimuli, even older brothers of questionable humanity.

Assholes and bullies are common but you are flat-out unlucky to have such a brother since only 1% of our population is afflicted with the disorder called sociopathy (ASPD). But unfortunately, Americans have all been affected since we had to endure an absolutely charming but sadly remorseless and friendless sociopath/psychopath sitting atop our government from 2017 through 2020.; 1/17/22, 6:25 AM
Narr said...: Poor poor pitiful gadfly.

If Trump was a socio/psychopath, he was an amateur. We can now see what an entire party of professionals can do.; 1/17/22, 8:05 AM
RigelDog said...: Love this---love how much enjoyment and fun they are both having. Love how it's such a typical boy kind of play with no mean-spiritedness!; 1/17/22, 3:55 PM