@jestermage, opinions vary , i personally also don't think you can just hug-a-bullet to make it stop but thats all case by case, i think my old man had a good point as most packs of hyenas revolve around one alpha-male (or female) since its virtually impossible by nature to have more than one in one pack, since they will keep bickering until the "order" has been established so in most cases its only one that's the problem, not the whole sorry lot

which, (imo) doesnt mean you should just take a beating in the name of Gandhi, after all Gandhi got shot, didnt he, and it looks to me like wars didnt stop after that. It's a balance, as always.
I got a personal thing from when i was way older, some pre-twennies in a pack with "the man" who tried to snatch my money, so basically as a reflex (i was a bit shorter on the fuse then still) i smacked him and as you say, even if his 15 friends jumped me and broke my foot and what not, even if the cops told me "they knew them because they were ALWAYS trouble" i was the one ending up getting convicted for assault (or whatever thats called overthere) , mind you im not a violent person, i hate violence but i have a hard time letting people walk over me, i can count the fights in my life on one hand still and none of them happened before i was thirty as life really kicked me in the nads around then.
Which makes "the law" ridiculous again because what i should have done according to them is let them steal my money, let them slap me around a bit, then call the cops (as if they could do something since its my word against some rich kids, right)
but thats like more than 15 years ago, before the worst part happened even.

ive never been a big believer in "justice" by law

but to preach violence as a first means i think should still be avoided, teaching kids some self control is essential, confidence , or lack of it, is what causes the fuse to blow a lot of the times