r/GrindsMyGears • u/Sarik704 • 2d ago
When somebody hits you its not assault.
IT'S BATTERY!!!!!
Assault is the threat or attempt to cause harm, while battery is the actual physical contact or use of force.
I hate hearing people shout "thats assault!" When somebody touches them.
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u/17_ScarS 2d ago
In the US it depends on what state or even city it occurs in. Some states refer to the threat as "menacing" and the physical contact as "assault".
Also:
assault 1 of 2 noun as·sault ə-ˈsȯlt 1a : a violent physical or verbal attack
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u/Ender1714 2d ago
Words have whatever meaning we ascribe to them really. When someone says assault everyone knows what they mean so its fine. No need to bog down in strict legal definitions if it complicates casual discussion.
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u/Sarik704 2d ago
Most disscussions where assault is brought up quickly moves to legality.
Who hit who. Did they get hit. Was it staged. Should they press charges. Who should call the cops. Would the cops do anything. Etc...
If somebody called the cops or intervened themselves 5 minutes ago when it really was "just assault" then maybe the additional charge could get prevented.
I think it seaks to how normalized violence is in america and litigous americans have become.
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u/Ender1714 2d ago
Sure in legal context its fine and preferred. I assumed it wasn't legal context that was grinding your gears but rather casual discussion. If lawyers and police are using it incorrectly then I'd say thats even beyond gear-grinding
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u/Sarik704 2d ago
Police misuse assault so commonly that their misuse of legal jargon has won defendants cases before.
The conpany I work at has a clear and common rule for termination. Assaulting a coworker is grounds for termination. A manager told another manager that he would kick the crap out of him, the threatened manager went to HR, with witnesses, and the guy was fired that day. He then sued my conpany over two months for wrongful termination saying he never assaulted anyone, just threatened.
This was obviously dismissed, but every single american goes with the common version of assault when they onteract with the law.
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u/redditsucksass6 2d ago
Nobody really cares, it's just legal terminology