My life was threatened....

[JES2020]

i think generally that's a good solution for people who are mobile - go somewhere that you don't feel unsafe.

we have very high (especially recently) rates of petty property crime, mostly car break-ins and shoplifting, but violent crime doesn't worry me. at all. my kids and wife and i (or just them, or just me) walk all around everywhere we need to go and don't ever feel unsafe. and while i encounter occasional a-hole drivers, nobody throws s*it at me on my bike.

the most dangerous places in the country do NOT match the rhetoric you hear on certain national media outlets.

View attachment 129953

Amazing, note that 11 out of 12 are in the South !

 

[Cowlitz]

I knew a log truck driver who did not like to be flipped off. He passed a cyclist on a mountain pass and the cyclist flipped him off. The log trucker drove to the top of the steep grade and stopped. When the cyclist got close enough, log truck guy started throwing rocks. He made the guy ride back down the hill.

Took a ride this morning and people sure aren't waving like they did. Is it gas prices? I'm wondering if Hate Radio is now having a War On Bicycles? Could it be that it was the lower income folks who were the wavers and they can't afford to be out driving now?

 

[Mr. Coffee]

Took a ride this morning and people sure aren't waving like they did. Is it gas prices?

People are sure as heck a lot less friendly these days.

 

[FrankR]

Ugh. The gun dialog makes me very sad.

 

[JES2020]

Ugh. The gun dialog makes me very sad.

We are living in a post barbarian invasion, society. The barbarians are at the gate, they own the gate!

 

[Mulezen]

We are living in a post barbarian invasion, society. The barbarians are at the gate, they own the gate!

I cal them the ‘Idiocrats’ derived from the fine movie ‘Idiocracy’

 

[tomjasz]

Keep your gun in your bedroom and your middle finger in it's holster. Chances are you flipped off somebody that is mentally ill. I grew up with guns but would not want to shoot somebody unless they were breaking into my house. The chances of you being a hero or saving lives by having a conceal and carry are slim.

A gun is not a path to safety. Only an ego centric putz suffering for severe delusions is safe with a gun in the bedroom. No training, no muscle memory, no stress training, and BANG you’re dead.

 

[Catalyzt]

i think generally that's a good solution for people who are mobile - go somewhere that you don't feel unsafe.

we have very high (especially recently) rates of petty property crime, mostly car break-ins and shoplifting, but violent crime doesn't worry me. at all. my kids and wife and i (or just them, or just me) walk all around everywhere we need to go and don't ever feel unsafe. and while i encounter occasional a-hole drivers, nobody throws s*it at me on my bike.

the most dangerous places in the country do NOT match the rhetoric you hear on certain national media outlets.

View attachment 129953

Yeah, not exactly the same here, but very similar. I am concerned about the rise of petty / property crime in Los Angeles, and I might even step in to stop petty crimes that I oberve if I assess the situation and I like my odds. But I'm not in a panic about it, I've lived through worse. We pretty much go anywhere we want to go, but we look sharp and do our best to be ready to take care of ourselves.

You can flip someone off without losing control.

Theoretically possible, but rare, and why waste energy on some random? Who cares? Sounds like the aggressor in this situation is an EDP. There is absolutely no percentage in engaging at any level-- giving the finger, reasoning with him. All a waste of time.

Being a landlord, I have had to deal with all kinds of creeps, male and female.
If I just let them abuse me verbally it just all goes down hill.

Not a great analogy. You have a business relationship with a tenant, you don't with a random.

YOU HAVE TO STAND UP FOR YOURSELF !

Depends so much on the situation. I've experienced one or two street muggings where I actually threw the first punch because it really looked like the best option-- where running would result in a worse beating, and when I'd probably go down if I waited for the other guy to make a move. That's extremely unusual.

In other situations, I've completely ignored my assailant, or run like hell. In many, I've talked my way out, pretended to be crazy or a junkie, used intimidation, cracked a joke-- there are a lot of options. Sometimes, there is no good response, and you're going to get the crap kicked out of you no matter what you do.

My mom once was dragged into a dark alley by a guy on the street. She happened to have a mild convergence problem with her left eye, so she made her eyes look two different directions, held her hands cupped in front of her, plastered a demented expression on her face, and asked the guy, "Would you like to clean my toilet?" The guy took off-- and our family has been laughing at the poor sucker for half a century. THAT is a much better way to stand up for yourself, IMHO.

On a bike, usually there are more options than for a pedestrian-- except on narrow paths or streets where you can't jump onto the sidewalk, bang a 180, or just dodge the person by riding on to the grass.

I agree with the general idea that there are situations when you do have to stand up for yourself, when backing down or ignoring someone can actually be more dangerous. But the middle finger has never accomplished much in my experience.

 

[Taylor57]

A gun is not a path to safety. Only an ego centric putz suffering for severe delusions is safe with a gun in the bedroom. No training, no muscle memory, no stress training, and BANG you’re dead.

Not sure if I fit the ego putz deal but I feel confident with my gun in my bedroom. Pretty hard to miss with a 16 gauge Winchester model 12...

 

[JES2020]

Theoretically possible, but rare,

Hardly, I'm doing it right now, repeatedly !

 

[JES2020]

Depends so much on the situation.

Sometimes walking away IS standing up for yourself.
I have never run into a situation where it is advisable to NOT stand up for yourself !
sometimes flipping the bird is the ONLY way to do so ! Like when you are too far away to be herd. moo

 

[JES2020]

You have a business relationship with a tenant, you don't with a random.

Really? What if the "random" gets in your face repeatedly?
You can see it's not as cut and dried as you make it.
sometimes by not standing up for yourself , you make a "random" into a persistent.

 

[JES2020]

why waste energy on some random

If you are worried about wasting energy by flipping the bird...you need way more energy.
You should get off the bike and go lay down.

 

[Catalyzt]

Hardly, I'm doing it right now, repeatedly !

Sorry, but I'd have to see that to believe it, and you'd have trouble convincing me.

There are a lot of exclamation points in your posts, you sound pretty worked up.

If you are worried about wasting energy by flipping the bird...you need way more energy.
You should get off the bike and go lay down.

Actually, a nap sounds pretty good right now... but that's because you're putting me to sleep.

Your argument is neither convincing nor particularly interesting.

 

[RandallS]

When I used to go down there regularly just about every car in a parking lot had a license plate frame indicating 'Alumni of (enter university or college name here)'. Everybody seems to boast they have some sort of post-high school education, but I rarely see that this equates to much intelligence or common sense. (when going to Costco, just look at what some people decide they just 'need' to buy)
It seems like every American knows their country is a mess, but for entirely different reasons, depending who you are. CN

 

[Avg_Joe]

Shut down.
Ya'll figure out how to resolve this thread.

Yeah there isn't a resolution.

Guy goes crazy. I flip him off - not a smart move. I consider my options, and settle on simple avoidance. Done.

Yet here we are, debating mental health, introducing politics, exploring every tangent. I started this thread and am done reading it now, o well.

 

[JES2020]

Yeah there isn't a resolution.

Guy goes crazy. I flip him off - not a smart move. I consider my options, and settle on simple avoidance. Done.

Yet here we are, debating mental health, introducing politics, exploring every tangent. I started this thread and am done reading it now, o well.

I have a soultion that works perfectly well. But very few are able to understand.

 

[JES2020]

Sorry, but I'd have to see that to believe it, and you'd have trouble convincing me.

There are a lot of exclamation points in your posts, you sound pretty worked up.



Actually, a nap sounds pretty good right now... but that's because you're putting me to sleep.

Your argument is neither convincing nor particularly interesting.

Not an argument, just advise . Take it or leave it it hardly matter to me.

 

[JES2020]

But you won’t pay to open mental hospitals and drug treatment programs. “Society gets the criminals it deserves.”

 

[Mr. Coffee]

But you won’t pay to open mental hospitals and drug treatment programs. “Society gets the criminals it deserves.”

Correct but probably a gross oversimplification.

Seattle has about 800000 residents and approximately 10000 homeless people. Best guess in the short term that interventions that would keep those 10000 people from lighting random things on fire and stop them pooping in the streets would be on the order of $100000 per person per year. That's a billion dollars for a modest sized city. Or to put it another way that's $1250 per resident in a city that is already perceived as expensive.

My own guess is that we are going to let the problem fester until it becomes truly intolerable and then pursue a much less humane but uglier "solution."