I’ll admit I find few things as relaxing as a nice, cold beer on a Saturday evening, and apparently I’m not alone. Every weekend the bars downtown get jam-packed with Kent State students enjoying a night out with their friends.

And then somebody has to throw a punch or a beer bottle – you get the point.

Now maybe I’m just getting too old for that sort of nonsense, or maybe it’s the fact that where I was raised, getting into a fight with the wrong guy could get you shot. But what is it with students and fighting?

Just the other night I saw two guys go at it because one of them didn’t hold a door open.

A few weeks ago I was at a house party where four or five fights broke out in less than an hour. The biggest fight, and the last of the evening, started when a guy stepped on somebody’s shoes. Yes, I said it, stepped on his shoes.

Are we stuck in a Chris Rock video? Is getting a scuff on your Puma’s really enough to want to give somebody a beat down, Snoop Dogg?

If that’s the case, perhaps you should consider not drinking so much, or better yet, not drinking at all. Maybe you should consider that although a fight may sound like a great idea to you, the vast majority of the people you’re surrounded by think it’s a horrible idea.

And most importantly, you might want to think about your future.

You see, a criminal record is an amazing thing. You might think employers won’t care about a little assault charge that happened a few years back, but believe me they do. If they see one on your record from when you were 18 or younger, they might hire you.

But at 22, maybe 23, forget about it. The fact that a grown man or woman could be compelled to intentionally injure another person, especially when alcohol is involved, is a major red-flag.

Think I’m kidding? Try calling some of the major corporations in the state and asking them how they feel. There also happens to be a number of criminal justice majors on this campus. Think there won’t be a thorough background check when a police or sheriff’s department looks at hiring you?

The fact is everybody gets pissed. Everybody reaches that point where they really wish they could hit something or someone, and that includes me.

Regardless, with every punch or kick you throw you might be throwing away a lot more than a fun evening.

My father used to tell me that everybody likes to fight until they get hit. It sure would be a waste to see you take a shot you can’t get up from.

James Everetts is a broadcast news major and a columnist for the Daily Kent Stater. Contact him at [email protected].