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The original was posted on /r/twoxchromosomes by /u/atinylittlebug on 2023-08-03 16:46:43.

I live in a big city with crowded sidewalks and walkways. Typically people stay to their right and form two lanes walking in each directions.

On 3-4 separate occasions, typically at night or when the streets are less crowded, a man will go out of his way to walk in the opposite lane and bump into me. They typically stare you down, willing you to move aside for them, and walk straight through you.

I grew up with a dad who loved power plays like that. I always hold my ground, walk on the right side of the sidewalk as I normally would, and brace myself as well as I can when he drives his shoulder into mine … but I’m 5’5" and not any physical force to be reckoned with.

Yesterday I was walking home from work, carrying a huge ceramic plant pot that my coworker gifted me. I’m walking alone on the sidewalk, and a man is walking towards me.

He is staring at me and I watch him switch over to the other side of the sidewalk, directly in my path. There are no stores or anything around. He was moving over to scare me into stepping aside for him.

As he approaches, he continues staring me down. I know its possible he was going to mug or assault me when he made contact, and I know what I did next was unsafe, but I could see this coming and it made me angry.

He crashes into me, trying to walk through me, and I smashed the lip of that giant ceramic pot right into his breastbone with as much force as I could manage.

I heard the wind knock out of him. Now this man could feel what its like to be on my end of this sort of intimidation tactic.

He screamed obscenities and I took that moment to get my mace out, in case he attacked as I walked off.

I know it was unsafe, but I’m glad at least one man learned his lesson about pushing women around.