What Counter-Strike Taught Me About A__holes

Published on Jul 6, 2025, filed under misc, advocacy (feed). (Share this on Mastodon or Bluesky?)

During the pandemic and for a while thereafter ^*, I played Counter-Strike, somewhat semi-competitively (and often badly).

Studying plays and tips, there was a principle that pervaded nearly all training (probably because I watched too many clips from TheWarOwl): Never pick a fair fight.

Although not fighting fair usually required time to practice, the idea turned out to be behind many a tactic or trick shared in the game. Apart from outright cheating, anything is allowed in a game of Counter-Strike.

What does this have to do with a__holes?

A great deal: A__holes don’t pick a fair fight, either.

While there’s a spectrum of a__holism on which some draw lines sooner than others, there may not be a rule that’s off-limits to them. (Just take Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu, two “leaders” who have been redefining the a__hole scale.)

That is, IRL, if you don’t seek out advantages over others, and play by the rules, you don’t stand a chance against even a moderate a__hole.

So what can we learn from this?

Essentially, fight fire with fire: When dealing with an a__hole, fight like an a__hole.

We cannot rein a__holes in and put them in their place if it’s only us who play by the rules.

As the nice people we are, dealing with a__holes is the exception to our rule: We cannot and we should not be nice to a__holes.

We could go backwards now and start by viciously going after warmongering and genocidal countries. (Actually, yes please.)

We can also start slow and speak up when someone in our vicinity shows anti-social behavior (or join others who stand up to such people).

The tolerance paradox is not a paradox: It invites us to realize that sometimes, deciding who we are (tolerant, respectful, kind, compassionate) may require us to be who we are not.

When dealing with an a__hole, be an a__hole. ^†

I actually managed to write this post without writing about how many a__holes you find playing Counter-Strike. Given how many of these players are young, we might dismiss that—and still we fail, as a society, when we accept unacceptable behavior.

^* …until Valve killed the game for all macOS players.

^† Later, allow them to change and forgive them. If necessary, rinse and repeat.

About Me

I’m Jens (long: Jens Oliver Meiert), and I’m a web developer, manager, and author. I’ve been working as a technical lead and engineering manager for companies you’ve never heard of and companies you use every day, I’m an occasional contributor to web standards (like HTML, CSS, WCAG), and I write and review books for O’Reilly and Frontend Dogma.

I love trying things, not only in web development and engineering management, but also in other areas like philosophy. Here on meiert.com I share some of my experiences and views. (I value you being critical, interpreting charitably, and giving feedback.)