Get a cup of coffee, this is gonna be a discussion of another long, complex subject. And I mean a real long one. (No lie, I mean it’s REALLY long.) I always enjoy pointing folks to a study done at Emory University. People — who identified themselves as either liberals or conservatives — were put … [Read more…]
This blog can be used as a tool by anyone who wants to teach self-defense and effective rape prevention to women. It also will help folks who have ever been accused of ‘blaming the victim’ because they dared ask the very reasonable question: “What was she doing there in the first place?” Get yourself a … [Read more…]
Awareness Markers – knowledge about self defense that signals your brain to take note and amp up your awareness. Ex: any precursor to a monkey dance that helps you label it as such. Asymmetrical Violence – When the parties in a physical confrontation differ widely in factors such as size, strength, ability, experience, tactics, weapons, numbers … [Read more…]
A doctor friend came up with the term ‘Internet Intelligence’ Short version, someone who doesn’t have the scientific, technical or educational background reads something on the internet and says, “I understand this subject.” No, you don’t. Because if you did, you’d know why what you read on the internet is out to lunch. In my … [Read more…]
Why Most Current Anti-Violence Efforts are Doomed to Fail “Stop the violence”. “Senseless acts of violence”. “Random acts of violence”. These phrases are commonly used by anti-violence organizations, the police, and media pundits when talking about violence. (1) Many people use this terminology to condemn violence as pointless. These words show their abhorrence for violence. The hope … [Read more…]
Most people can’t fight ‘cold’. They need the emotional edge of fear or anger to get over the taboos involved in hurting people. Not everyone, but almost everyone. Even very experienced fighters, whether good guys or bad guys, want to be “in the zone” just like any other athlete. Part of being in the zone … [Read more…]
I’m going to try to integrate what Marc and I have been saying. It may be simpler than we thought. Three concepts first: The three stages of a fight; Fight-Flight-Freeze-Posture-Submit (FFFPS); and predatory versus social violence. Three Stages: Being on the receiving end of an unexpected attack you will go through three stages. The OC … [Read more…]
Most, if not all animals have a ritualized combat between males of the same species to safely establish dominance. Snakes coil around each other and wrestle. It can look like mating to the uninitiated. Deer and elk lock antlers and push and fence. Rams slam their horns, reinforced with massive blocks of bone, into each … [Read more…]
The Group Monkey Dance (GMD) is a show of group solidarity. There are two levels, at least. In the lowest level an outsider is discouraged from interfering with group business—it is a way of establishing territory. Families are tight-knit groups. Domestic violence incidents are acts within the group. Sometimes, when the police intervene, both … [Read more…]
Most of the people reading this will be comfortable products of comfortable homes with significant education and socialization. This is the norm in North America, where I happen to be writing. The norm is so powerful and pervasive that it can be very easy to believe that the values of middle-class Americans are universal. They … [Read more…]