In the last six months, I've found myself in five "almost" fights in the "street" and I could use some feedback on what might be causing these confrontations. In each situation, I was minding my own business and in a good mood. There were a couple incidents at the bar where I was talking to a chick(s), dude shows up and mate guards, so I started playfully making fun of his insecurities; I obviously understand the cause of tension in these incidents. The other incidents have been in public, again, with me minding my own business.

One time a dude with tattoos on his face tried to cut in line at the grocery store and I obviously wasn't going to let that fly. The smart move would've been to ignore it; however, fuck that guy. Two other times I was crossing the street, using the crosswalk, no stop lights, no traffic coming when I started crossing the street, and both times the car drove towards me aggressively; tonight, the dude actually drove into the wrong lane. Both times, my reaction was to stop, turn towards the car, and make eye contact; I'm usually relaxed, so my face looks relaxed as well and isn't typically flashing a warm smile. I probably had a look on my face that communicated something along the lines of "what the fuck are you doing you fucking moron." Tonight, the dude rolls down his window to talk shit, so I pointed out that he was in the wrong lane and I was in the crosswalk: pedestrians have the right of way. He talked some shit, so I calmly told him to fuck off. He sped up, slammed the breaks, and started talking again, so I amped up my aggression and asked him what he was going to do about it as I started walking aggressively towards him. You get the point.

I generally get along with people. If I don't like someone and we're in a common space, I'll cordially say hello but will otherwise ignore them. I'm not overly friendly, but I'm also not purposely a dick to anyone. The exception is that I don't tolerate people fucking with me. At work, if someone fucks with me, I'll break their balls or come up with something funny to give it right back. A few boyfriends of my former FWBs I've run into while out on the town might occasionally say something, so I'll chuckle at their barbs, ignore them, or make fun of them directly; my response depends on the situation. The main issue is dealing with dudes outside of work or my social circle who are being aggressive towards me.

Based on what you've read, does it seem like I'm giving off a "let's fight" vibe? Is this the male equivalent of resting bitch face? I'm now in my 30s and fighting is stupid at any age, but I feel like I need to recalibrate my behavior before I get shot or hurt someone. It seems like I'm ending up in more altercations recently, although I just moved to a poor part of town to save money so maybe it's not something I'm doing or not doing? Then again, maybe it's my attitude? As a bit of background, I was an all-american wrestler and I like combat sports, so when someone's aggressive towards me, I'm inclined to help them figure out who is tougher. Everyone in these incidents I've mentioned has declined to fight, but that trend won't last forever. Any insight you could offer would be greatly appreciated.