What is the root of all human evil? Many claim it is money. But I think it is something else. A contagious behavior so insidious that effects all human beings to various degrees regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, religion, presence of disability or lack thereof, social class, education level, political affiliation, and more. This … [Read more…]
SSgt Grizzly Bear has a saying “Ignorance is not a sustainable paradigm in violence professions.”Unfortunately bad information from your instructor can (and will) get you killed, hospitalized, imprisoned or sued. While I hope and pray that nobody I teach ever has to use the information, I know that some of them will find themselves in … [Read more…]
There are many ways in which people try to solve problems in their lives and in the world. But, there are two widely used methods that take completely opposite approaches. The method used is usually a function of the person’s Locus of Control. Internal Locus Problem Solving (ILPS)- Someone with an Internal Locus of Control … [Read more…]
Two people can have entirely different reactions to the same event. What can be crippling psychological damage to one is a challenge or an incentive to grow for another. Civilian scenario training, like we did in Sheffield, is more complex and more dangerous (on may levels, not just physical) than most of what I see … [Read more…]
Let’s take a look at the following accepted and politically correct phrasing used when referring to sexual assault. “Rape and all forms of sexual assault are completely unacceptable, no matter the circumstances and is *never* the fault of the victim.” Finding fault and placing blaming is a societal construct. These terms are used for assigning … [Read more…]
Let me cut to the chase, social ‘crisis’ IS a multibillion dollar industry. What I want to talk about here is the business of’ social problems and ‘making a career out of’ them. This is an important mental shift because, once you make something your career, you never actually want to solve the problem. … [Read more…]
This is response to an older black friend who snarled that racism is alive and well in the US. Here’s my response. ******************** I actually agree with you, racism, bigotry and hatred still permeate American society. Thing about it is, growing up in an ethnically mixed area where: A) people tended to self-segregate into ethnic … [Read more…]
There’s an old saw about every story having two sides. My wife — an ex journalist– scoffs at that idea and replies, “Two? You’re lucky if there’s only 16!” I tell you that because anytime someone claims to understand the ‘real motivations’ of something my bullshit detectors start flashing and sounding off.I have a term … [Read more…]
I have a serious problem with the abuse of the word ‘survivor.’ Well, more specifically people who have extremely limited experience with violence trying to ’empower victims’ by calling them survivors. See thing about being a survivor is there’s this little complication called death. As in, you die if you don’t get off your ass … [Read more…]
No experienced instructor is right. No inexperienced instructor can know when they are wrong.As instructors, we are sure about many things. My experience is that as the experience increases, the sense of being sure diminishes. With only training and without experience, we learn all this stuff and we learn a framework of logic or maybe … [Read more…]