So your in some urban hellhole...

[searcher]

Would you all stop talking about my hometown? It is bad enough as it is.

 

[Chris Parker]

Well,
Chris, as to why I kept putting myself in dangerous situations, I had bills to pay. It' s more dangerous being homeless. Quite frankly, my cart pushing job is more dangerous than any of my security jobs present and past, I've lost count of how many times I've almost been run over by a car while cart pushing in a huge Walmart parking lot.

Cool. Please realise that I meant no offence or disrespect in my question, it just seems to me that there are other (potentially safer) methods of paying bills. So I was wondering why you would continue to pursue a career path that is focused on violence, rather than seeking out an alternative. As I said, that could be for good, healthy reasons, or for less-than-ideal reasons. If I am reading your answer correctly, it seems to be simply a matter of availability for yourself, yes?

I have tremendous respect for those who place themselves in harms way for the sake of others, however, if the reasons came from a place of ego or a sense of power, then that respect would have been lessened. I am happy to hear that that appears not to be the case here.

 

[Joab]

Cool. Please realise that I meant no offence or disrespect in my question, it just seems to me that there are other (potentially safer) methods of paying bills. So I was wondering why you would continue to pursue a career path that is focused on violence, rather than seeking out an alternative. As I said, that could be for good, healthy reasons, or for less-than-ideal reasons. If I am reading your answer correctly, it seems to be simply a matter of availability for yourself, yes?

I have tremendous respect for those who place themselves in harms way for the sake of others, however, if the reasons came from a place of ego or a sense of power, then that respect would have been lessened. I am happy to hear that that appears not to be the case here.

Right now, there the only jobs I can get. Times are tough right now.

 

[kidswarrior]

Throw my arms wide, smile without showing any teeth, call him "brother," and disarm him with my winning personality and obvious innocence (this has, believe it or not, worked under the same sort of circumstances on more than one occasion...)

Joab, this literally happened to me.

But I understand that there are mentally ill individuals out there who need more help that a butt-kicking.

Working as a bike guide in downtown STL, a guy approached me while I sat on my bike and snatched a pen out of my bike pants (the last time i'll ever wear a pen/sharp object in the open) and ice picked it, saying... of all things...

"Get my mom outta your pocket! I'll kill you!"

Threat? Yep. Crazy? Definitely.

For all intents and purposes, yes, he could have stabbed me. Yes, I could have escalated force and snapped him down and beat the ever-loving crap out of him.

But people in any "right" mind don't really do that. Even in what you call "urban hellholes" (As a "city snob" I find the term slightly insulting, but especially so coming from you).

I didn't hurt the guy. I made space between myself and the guy, using my bike, t-rexed my arms, opened my hands and used a calm, but forceful voice and said "Buddy, please don't do that. You need help? Want some food? You've got it. Besides, there are two coppers over there that would rather be with their families on Thanksgiving and wouldn't like taking you in. Want that? Put the pen down, and I'll get you someplace warm and maybe some soup. Good? Good."

When I got him to a shelter (two steps behind on an angle with my bike between us... made some spastic small talk... nice guy... just kind of nuts) one of the workers was happy to see him. The guy was certainly off his meds, and went missing for a few days. He got a hot cup of soup and a warm place to stay for the night.

It was a win-win in my book.

I'm not going out of my way to hurt anyone. Especially the downtrodden who live in the "urban hellholes" you look down upon. In the end, they're human beings with their own problems. You can look at a person like that as a human being, while being fully capable of defending yourself.


You scenario is unrealistic, and implies that you are looking for a chance for violence. I suggest getting your mind out of these scenarios and possibly finding your own answers in your training, and possibly competition.

In my experience, this approach has worked well in many situations where it's been me facing multiple guys looking to get to a teen standing behind me. I've found most people aren't looking for violence, they're looking for something else and think violence is the only way to get it. When presented with an alternative, and my ego is left out of it, things have generally calmed down rapidly.

 

[Andy Moynihan]

minding your own business, when suddenly, a huge, fast moving man comes at you running at full steam, frothing at the mouth yelling "I'm going to kill you!" You have no time to run, no time to hide, no time to pull out a gun, no time to do anything except react FAST or get slammed into by this seemingly insane or drug crazy behemoth baring down on you fast! What do you do? .

Stop him.