I’ve spent years training in martial arts. I’ve being doing Jiu Jitsu for 7 years and Krav Maga for 2. I’ve undergone pressure drills that have built up to facing someone really making a genuine effort to take me out with baseball bats, coshes and metal chains. Its disconcerting at first, but we built up to it. At the end of the day, it was practicable to do so, because cocking it up meant, at worst a trip to the hospital (and I’ve seen it happen many times), and it was unlikely that any bystanders could have gotten hurt by what we did.
I’ve never had to use violence in real life since I left school, fortunately, but I came pretty close last year when I was accosted by three surly tw*ts (insert vowel of your choice) who would have mugged me if I hadn’t made it very clear from what I said and from what I imagine was an angry look of calm on my face that I was ready to kick all their asses or go down trying. I was definitely terrified and I know that if I’d had to fight, it wouldn’t have been anything like as nuanced as anything I’d done in training.
This was happening in broad daylight near a busy road by the way, and let me tell you, the idea that was forming in my terrified mind was to piledrive the nearest one into the path of an oncoming car before dealing with the others (my state of mind wasn’t making any allowance for the consequence for the driver). So I know from that that being scared for your life makes your judgement a lot poorer, even if you are trained.
To be honest, now that I’ve had a chance to read and reflect (even from some of the less polite posters here) I can get that what the lady did was understandable, but the potential consequences to bystanders are still worth considering, and perhaps that is why the police are not happy about the idea of people blazing away at bad guys with guns unless it is a last resort.
Well reasoned post. The fact of the matter is this: when confronted with violence, you are ALL ALONE. What you do cannot be second-guessed by monday morning quarterbacks. You do what you do at the time, and if someone doesn’t like it, Oh Effin Well.
I think the point that a lot of less eloquent posters have tried to make here is this: Its really hard to judge what you will do when confronted as she was.
The girl had a piece. She chose to present that piece and blow off a few caps, and that ended the confrontation. Yea, a whole lot of lead went flying about. No one got hurt. Good deal. Perps learned a lesson.
Could an innocent bystander have been hurt? Could a crane fall from the skyscraper being built? Could a sink hole open and swallow a car with babies inside?
You betcha.
Could you win the lottery?
Point is this: living your life based on what BAD COULD HAVE HAPPENED will paralyze you into inactivity.
The girl made a CHOICE. She took action. She probably saved her own life. She certainly sent shivers down the spines of the bad guys. NO ONE ELSE GOT HURT.
And at the “end of the day,” it was a really good day.
If you live in fear of what “could have happened”, you live in fear forever. Not a place I want to be.
Have a good evening.
Another profundity: when surrounded, focus on the leader of the pack. Wrap your arms around him, bite his face, push your fingers into his eyes, bite anything of him that gets near you. His screams will unnerve his team. Bite his fingers off, stick your pinky up his nose, and no matter how bad his homies are beating you, NEVER let go of the "ring leader."
Bite, stab eyes, bite fingers, sucker punch the adam's apple. Be like a leach on the "leader."
You may well die, but you will make the gang pee themselves.
ALL IN IS ALL IN. Trouble is, too many White breads have punked out on their own.