Not every man is a fighter and not every man should be a fighter. To be perfectly honest, I am a fighter, have always been a fighter, and in my later years I've begun to regret it to a certain degree. There is still a little piece of me that revels in physical confrontation, and to be honest, I don't like that piece of me very much anymore.
However, I digress. Having taught self-defense, I can say with certainty that the worst thing that anyone can do is arm the man (or woman) who doesn't have that fighting spirit. A weapon in the hands of the person who lacks the will to cause grievous injury or even death, is a weapon that will never be used in time.
Picking on the gentler people (Christ called them the meek) because they are gentle is pointless and cruel. Cajoling them into posturing as tough guys, when there is no way they'll ever really be tough guys is just reckless and places them in even more danger than they'd otherwise be in.
Just when we're starting to have a little fun picking on the nancy-boys, you have to come along and ruin it.
You are of course correct - the difference between sheep, wolves and sheep dogs covered elsewhere - but the antagonism is due not to the reluctance of the sheep to take up combatives, but instead their lack of comprehension and respect regarding those who are willing.
As to the "more danger...otherwise" comment, do you advocate capitulation for those lacking the "fighting spirit", or do you believe having moderate skill predisposes one to seek trouble?
What a great post. I love women who can see things the way they really are.
Some men will never learn the lessons of Nazi Germany etc..
I believe the "meek" Christ was referring to are the people who are meek before God, not man. Also, I don't believe that people who practice their 2nd Amend. rights are posturing as "tough guys". I think that might be an unfair evaluation. I consider people who carry as informed and responsible citizens (myself included).
Not to be picky:
Meek-In its use in Scripture, in which it has a fuller, deeper significance than in nonscriptural Greek writings, it consists not in a person's "outward behavior only; nor yet in his relations to his fellow-man; as little in his mere natural disposition. Rather, it is an inwrought grace of the soul, and the exercises of it are towards God. It is that temper of spirit in which we accept His dealings with us as good, and therefore without disputing or resisting"
I would hope that meekness is something which becomes more characteristic of my attitude towards God on a daily basis; however, I am well armed and would not hestitate to use those arms to protect those whom I love, or even other innocents.
I don't believe the males she is referring to in this article necessarily embody biblical "meekness". In most cases I would guess it is just the opposite.
An acquaintence of mine teaches rape prevention. He offered concealed carry as a solution since he lives in a concealed carry state. One student insisted that she could never shoot a potential rapist. He asked his class who wouldn't shoot a rapist and maybe 1/3rd to half the class raised their hands. He then asked who would shoot someone wanting to rape their children and all but one or two raise their hands. While I'll agree that some people are born victims, I do not think it is a very large number.
Finally, I disagree with your usage of the term 'meek'. 'Meekness' does not equate wimpiness. Many of the quite, meek people I know are quite tough, but sometimes the biggest 'tough guys' are in reality the biggest wimps.