*******************************
Okay… and my first response is “So what?”
Widdle booboo heard a bad thing happen when he wuz a widdle kid. Now his story is supposed to be an inspiration for everyone to stand up and risk getting shot in the face.
BAD NEWS PEOPLE! Unless you’re willing to walk up and slit the dude’s throat from behind interfering with a violent crime is DANGEROUS! A little less dangerous to you if you can get a whole bunch of people with clubs to rush up and pummel the guy. But then there’s the whole mess with the cops and courts — even if the dude doesn’t die.
Speaking AS someone who has stopped violent crime I can assure you that it requires a WHOLE lot more commitment than standing around and making noise about your disapproval. That is social justice warrior clap trap.
Worse, if you don’t go in with the complete and total acceptance that you could die or have to kill someone, you’re putting yourself into serious danger. There’s a DAMNED good chance the guy will turn on you — if not the person you thought was a victim too. (Try breaking up a few domestics and you’ll learn that the hard way.)
There are three things that absolutely makes my teeth itch about the approach being taught as bystander intervention.
First, requires some background. Recognize that where I’m from rape is a killing offense. If she didn’t come back and kill you herself, then her family would. Feminuts like to make noise about this being proof that ‘patriarchal families owned their women’ but that is BS. The FAMILY PROTECTS ITS OWN! She is part of the family and you do NOT harm one of ours. Rape is harm, and it will be avenged. (This is a common attitude where the cops and legal system is not trusted.)
There are two possible downsides to these killings. One is your kinsman may go to prison for murder. (That’s a cost, but he did the right thing, so he’s still a good man.) Two, is if the dead dude is connected, your family just bought itself a blood feud. Which means your family members are going to die.
This creates an onus on every member of the family about their behavior. Again, this situation is horribly misrepresented by feminuts. Which is really ironic because of how often these families are matriarchal. Yeah, it’s grandma who orders someone’s death by telling the men “Do the right thing.” (Welcome to life outside surburbia and academia)
Now knowing this, you damned well watched out for your own. If you saw your sister or cousin getting drunk and out of control around the wrong person, you go in and haul her ass out. Yes, you do an intervention. And you did it KNOWING you’re going to catch hell from her. You will be verbally abused, likely hit for interfering. Why do you take it? Because she’s family! Take the abuse and hand her over to grandma and the aunts to line her out.
Bystander intervention is calling for complete and total strangers to step up and do for complete strangers what they would do for a family member. That includes — in this modern world of zero tolerance — going to jail for intervening (or if you’re in academia risk being expelled). Do you really think the drunk chick’s family is going to help pay for your legal bills? That’s problem one with bystander intervention.
Problem two, is how many of these people are relying on strangers pulling their fat out of the fire? (Or believe nobody has the ‘right’ to touch them). Thereby encouraging not just high risk, but wanton reckless and dangerous behavior? Under the delusion that they are completely safe and nothing will happen to them? (Interesting side story, I know of a co-ed who was convinced she could walk campus alone at night safely because she knew Krav Maga. A crusty old professor who grew up … rough told her not a good idea. He told her there were monsters out there beyond what she thought. She demanded to know how he’d attack her. He told her. Her response was “But that would kill me!” His response was “If I want to rape you I don’t care if you’re dead or not. You’re still warm.”)
Problem three, is what do I owe this person who’s expecting me to pull her fat out of the fire? Is she part of my tribe? Has SHE gone out of her way to create an economy of relationship with me? (e.g. friendship). What investment do I have with her that I should risk my life, health or freedom for her?
Odds are she has never done ANYTHING to establish a relationship yet, bystander intervention advocates are calling for me to risk myself and my future for her? Because they’re going to stand there and look at me in disapproval if I don’t? Well if they’re so certain about how effective this strategy is, then they themselves can go out and do it. Otherwise, they’re just using other people for cannon fodder for their agenda.