Is the Gray Matter Between Your Ears!
Those of us that work to design and manufacture the Yellow Jacket Smartphone Stun Gun Case are constantly researching crime statistics and violent assault cases, to learn more about how to effectively counter and defend against those criminal acts. On a per capita basis, violent assaults continue to increase regardless of the socio-economic strata one occupies.
While it is true that those who live in gated communities, reflecting a wealthier socio-economic background, may not be the victim of petty crimes that many “inner-city,” residents must deal with. Violent crime is less discerning or discriminating when it comes to “targets of opportunity.” In short, being in the wrong place at the wrong time…may be the only common denominator necessary to place you in harm’s way.
However, research does indicate that there are several key indicators that the victims of violent crime may share that could have been avoided. Specifically, many survivors of a violent crime recognize a key decision that they made that may have contributed to them being identified as a “target.” In fact, many of these same survivors recall conscious, deliberate decisions that may have placed them on a collision course with a potentially life-threatening encounter with their assailant(‘s).
Fate vs. Spider-Sense
During the subsequent Police Reports invariably generated if a victim of a violent crime survives for such an interview, there are common themes that continually are cited in those reports. Many of them are common sense based while more often that not, many of them are intuitive based. Below is a sampling of some of the more striking common thoughts shared by surviving victims.
- “I had a bad feeling as soon as I turned the corner on that street. I knew I shouldn’t continue that direction but I didn’t want to give into my spider-sense that was screaming in my head to turn around.”
- “The more alcohol that was consumed by “them,” the more aggressive they became. I knew I should leave before it got worse…but I was having a good time!”
- “I was driving in a part or town that I was very unfamiliar with but could tell was a bad area for me to be in. I kept thinking I should have gotten gas in the morning like I normally do instead of running on fumes in a dangerous part of town, looking for a gas station. I guess it was fate.”
- “Even though he was dressed nice and seemed cool, I kept seeing “red-flags,” based on the overtly sexual comments he kept making about women in general and me specifically. I guess I should have listened to the little voice in my head.”
- “I parked my car earlier in the day, when the sun was still up, I never gave it a minute’s notice that I had just parked in a spot that was going to be pitch dark, with no lights or cameras around when I finally left that evening. What was I thinking?! I usually take a moment to evaluate where I am parking…not based on when I am parking but based on when I am planning on returning to my car. This time I was too busy or distracted to take that precaution.”
Don’t be Afraid…To be Afraid…
Many of those common themes that survivors of violent assault share are that they heard “alarms going off in their head,” or saw “red-flags,” or could feel their “spider-senses tingling,” before they were attacked. However, in almost every case…they chose to ignore those intuitive alerts that they were receiving. Why is that?
The most common reasons normally stated for ignoring those “alerts,” is that they did not want to appear afraid or put more succinctly, they did not want to appear irrationally afraid. They literally decided to continue down a path that every fiber in their being told them was dangerous and wrong-headed because they did not want to appear irrational. Put another way, they did not want to appear afraid…to be afraid.
Fear, is a rational and mostly logical feeling of impending doom or danger. Ignoring those feelings makes far less sense than acknowledging them and then modifying your actions based on those feelings. As an example, asking someone to walk you to your car because you are uncomfortable doing so by yourself…is not irrational if you feel it is rational. Better yet, maybe spending a few dollars on “valeting” your car makes more sense some times.
Rely on Your Personal Super-Computer!
Millions of years of tactical training has been programmed into the super-computer perched on your shoulders. Common sense is only “common” because it is obvious to most of us. If you know that walking on the street while paying more attention to your text messages than the guys walking towards you…is not using your common sense, then JUST DON’T DO IT.
Making sure your car always has at least half a tank of gas in it means you probably won’t have to stop somewhere at night while traveling by yourself. Parking in well lighted, open areas that have easy access to where and when you are exiting a building…just makes sense. Valeting your car in certain circumstances makes sense. Communicating with family and/or friends your travel plans and timelines does not sound irrational.
Do not get in the habit of “pretending” that violence can’t happen to you…or even worse, that if it does, it must be fate and there is nothing you could have done to prevent it. While this may truly be the case sometimes, more often than not, there were alarms or alerts going off in your head and you heard them loud and clear. Choosing to listen to them can be the key to your survival!
