[user104658]

Again, though, and still, people are confusing "understanding how a situation arises and escalates" with "justifying and making excuses".

No, there is no excuse for his actions, he shouldn't have touched her. Literally no one has said that he was right to hit her, let alone knock her out, under any circumstances.

But the problem is people saying that and then shouting "END OF STORY!" Hands over eyes, fingers in ears, la la la not listening everything about this situation was fine up until the punch was thrown.

But is it the end of the story? Not really. Because whilst in an ideal world, there wouldn't be violent people like this guy out there, there are. And like I said; if people go around confident that the world is as it should be, rather than how it is, they are putting themselves at risk.

"Hilarious" or otherwise, there are young women who do - especially when drunk - think that so long as there are "plenty of people around", they are safe from physical harm in a verbal confrontation. They are not. Evidently so. SHOULD they be safe? Of course, yes, but how much of what should happen in the world actually happens?

Stats from abusive / violent encounters and attacks in different situations are not really relevant here.