And that was not enough for you (if they got aggressive)?
edit: What I mean is, if you know the feeling of being nice due to intimidation, then you can easily see why people probably even smaller and weaker than you and of increased interest to a broader range of the population might be.. well, nice, as long as they can.
I sometimes meet people, most (all?) of them women, who were not nice to one idiot groping them and woke up in the hospital. Though that are the ones talking about it, which certainly gives a bias. Smile, make yourself small and maybe they go away. Better strategy compared to confronting them most of the time. Is that also true in your case? (Honest question.)
Can't speak for the OP, but as a (maybe possibly somewhat arrogant) man, the most I have ever mustered towards unwanted people bothering me was cold, superficial politeness, just barely enough that they can't say I'm wronging them. Not sure if that counts as being "nice" under intimidation.
> I sometimes meet people, most (all?) of them women, who were not nice to one idiot groping them and woke up in the hospital.
In Europe? I suppose it's possible in some pathological neighborhoods but I would be surprised to hear it's a common occurrence. But then, I guess, once per lifetime is dangerous enough, as you say.
> Smile, make yourself small and maybe they go away.
This is awful advice. The article itself is about a series of events where implied refusals culminated over time. An early civilised but clear decline is safer and more effective. I've done what you advise in my early teens in a nexus of bullying (and more) situations and all I've got has been more suffering. You'd rather get beaten up than having such an experience, believe me.
