Avoidance cues

Status
Not open for further replies.
B

BobCat45

New member
Thank you, that site was an interesting read.

It reminded me of a website I read years ago, that contained similar information about how to read situations and people in order to avoid conflict.

I searched for that site and it still exists, all these years later!

It is http://www.nononsenseselfdefense.com/five_stages.html and may be a little "busy" to read casually (filled with hot links to other pages within the site), but still may be interesting.
 
F

fisherman

New member
I got confronted at a resturant by a drunk who was going to punch my lights out and give me two racoon eyes as he stated. I am 75 and had just stopped down to eat dinner and have a beer. I had been bear hunting all day and did not want to make dinner so I stopped at the local restraunt and the guy got in my face before I even entered. I had forgotten to take off my 9MM semi and had it under my jacket on an inside the hip holster.
He told me to get back in my truck and leave or he was going to beat crap out of me. I went back to my Modern Day Gunslinger book I had read the year before. I simply put my left hand up in a stop motion, started to back away with my other hand on my 9mm.
It was dark out so he did not see my right hand on the gun. I slowly backed away, got in my truck and left. Best move I ever made because he would have been dead if he had hit me and I would be in a world of "crap". Get a copy of the book I mentioned and live by it. It works. Avoidance and flee is the best alternative if give the option. If not, you have to defend yourself unfortunately. But if he is in his 40's and hits you at 75, I feel it would be justifable but why have to shoot some one or explain it to a grand jury if you can avoid?
 
M

MoArk Willy

New member
Racial profiling is only against the law when LEO's do it.
Racial profiling by ordinary citizens is called common sense and situational awareness....both are needed to survive.
 
J

JohnKSa

Administrator
1. If you are ever involved in a shooting that ends up being controversial, your online postings could potentially be located.

If that were to happen, and the person who attacked you happened to be of a different race than you, it probably wouldn't be great for your defense if you have made posts that could be misinterpreted to suggest that you had prejudices against certain races.

2. There is absolutely nothing in the article or in the original post about race or racial profiling. It is about body language and behavior.

With that in mind:

There's good information in the article. Let's discuss it.

If you want to post about racial profiling, quit crapping in this thread and start your own thread on the topic. See how that works out for you...
 
F

fisherman

New member
If you live in white instead of yellow you become an easy victim. Yellow means you always sit so you can see the entrances in a restaurant in the event bad people do something upon entry. You always carry a weapon and you avoid any and all unfriendly confrontation if at all possible. You don't mistrust everybody all the time, and you don't trust them totally either unless you know them well. You also dress the way people around you dress so you don't stand out in the crowd. All the above are simple little things you can do to help avoid and or live through trouble. I read the articles linked and I sure as hell did not see anything about racial profiling. Human type identification of all races and (in all parts of the world as it states) has nothing to do with race. Hope I didn't offend the poster who made those accusations.
 
Last edited:
F

FireForged

New member
I pay attention but will not assign any particular defcon, color code or any of that jazz. Color codes, decision trees, conditions levels, fancy acronyms and mantras are great for the classroom where you are trying to convey a concept as well as construction. Outside the classroom, I simply pay attention... that's what I call it. Paying attention can certainly encompass many things.

As a citizen, I do not door watch and am not one of "those guys" who make a dramatic production about the tactical consideration of every aspect of life. Yes, I pay attention but where I sit in a restaurant is going to depend on where I expect to receive the most enjoyment. I will sit away from the crowd and try to avoid sitting near the kitchen or restroom. I don't give a flip about the door or who might come through it. Should something get my attention, I will assess it and either dismiss it, address it or avoid it. I do the same thing in theaters or anywhere else the people gather... I go where I expect to receive the most enjoyment. Altering where I sit based on a what a crazed gunman might do is just silly in my estimation.

As a joe citizen going about my day-to-day.. I just pay attention. If I happen to be with others, a make an effort to be present in the moment, not narrowly focused on the boogeyman. I know guys like that.. the "I wont sit here or sit there or.. I wont sit with my back to this or back to that". The guys who try to memorize what everyone is wearing or how many paces it is to the front door. The drama of it makes me chuckle and I don't know what is worse, the fact that they are doing that or the fact that they will proclaim it like a badge of honor. I Don't hang out with those guys, at least not more than once.
 
F

fastbolt

New member
The idea of detecting danger is one that's seen some serious study and development in police work over the last couple of decades. Retired police chief Steven Rhoads (now Dr Steven Rhoads, PhD) has been teaching LE classes on "Detecting Danger" via verbal and non-verbal clues for quite a while.

I had the opportunity to attend one of his 1 day (8hr) classes when I still had a badge. It could easily be "unpacked" a bit and made into a 2 day format, but agencies tend to become frugal when it comes to seeing how many training hours are being required for any class. ;)

Gaining benefit from this type of specialized training is a lot easier to grasp and utilize if the student already has experience and a solid foundation in interactions with potentially violent people and the dynamics of such events, as well as how to handle them. Non-LE folks have the "advantage" of being able to avoid and/or withdraw from such developing situations, and not acting in a role involving intervening in them in the interest of general public safety in the first place. (This is a handy thing to be able to appreciate in retirement.)

I suspect that some folks within the general non-LE public might benefit from this sort of knowledge in an unexpected way, meaning learning about themselves and how their body language, postures and words might give off cues that might needlessly escalate some situations with others, in ways of which they may be unaware.
 
J

JohnKSa

Administrator
My general philosophy of situational awareness is to:

1. Pay attention to what's going on. You've spent a lifetime looking at "normal" and when something isn't normal, you will notice it if you are just paying attention. I don't mean constantly scanning your environment, I just mean not zoning out or focusing on something else to the point that you are unaware of your surroundings. Understanding the avoidance cues at the conscious level will help you make sense of why you are feeling uncomfortable about something in your surroundings so you can take action as appropriate.

2. You don't need to EXPECT bad things to happen, just keep your mind open to the possibility that bad things COULD happen. Most people expect NOTHING to happen and when something does happen, they waste time convincing themselves that something bad is really happening. You can see these people being interviewed on the news talking about how they never expected it would happen to them and they couldn't believe it was happening to them even when it did. Don't be that person.
 
B

briandg

New member
This entire thing can also be compared to driving. pay attention, see who is behind you or in your blind spot, watch for stupid, impaired, or angry drivers. just observe, your brain is MARVELOUS. it thinks better than you do. it may pick up cues, you will call them intuitions. unless you are really in a battlezone, just observe, discreetly. keep the eyes roving without making eye contact, pretend that you are looking at the price of charmin.

Keep a quiet, gray, neutral expression as you scan. Don't draw attention.

We live in a city full of weirdos. When I see a really off the hinges guy who has implanted goat horns into his head, I tell my wife to look at something nearby and let her see it without looking straight at him. It took years of saying "oh for the love of god, look near him, not straight at him!"

Regarding the magnificent powers of the brain. I've always been forgetful. Memory has been kind of bad. However, if I find something that I need to know, such as a name, I dismiss it from my mind. (Hey, who was that blond that I dated who drove the blue mustang?)It may take an hour or two, but later, it will just explode into my thoughts. Interestingly, I can tell in advance if it is actually there to remember, and either i know that I will catch up with it sooner or later, or I know that I will never retrieve it.

Your subconscious mind is a miracle.
 
M

ManyMag

New member
Learn from the predators.
Cats, canines, coons and hogs all have very different ways of taking prey.
Asphalt monkeys differ in some ways though. You can't tell by their appearance what their technique will be.
Best to study predators in order to better your own defense system.
With predators it's all about eye contact and/or the lack thereof.
In the end you are either predator or prey. The is no middle ground.
 
R

RaySendero

New member
Here's my take:

1. Be prepared
2. Be aware
3. Get/have a plan (avoid, escape, defend or confront)
4. Don't hesitate when you need to react.
 
S

shurshot

New member
My advice to people, whether they are family, friends, fresh out of the Academy LEO's, or individuals struggling with day to day life is the same; Avoid "STUPID". Avoid stupid people, stupid places, stupid times, stupid things, and stupid ideas and you will find that life is far easier and much more rewarding. We all have choices in life and must be prepared for any and all potential
consequences as a result of our choices. Just avoid "stupid".
 
M

ManyMag

New member
I hear avoid, avoid, avoid and avoid.
That may work for some but not for all.
I live within a couple of hours of mexico on a major corridor.
In my world AVOID means DON'T go to the grocery store, don't go to the bank, don't go to the pharmacy, don't buy gas.....and on and on.
 
S

shurshot

New member
Manymag;
You have free will pertaining to where you decide to live, correct? You are there by choice. I know, career, family, etc., but ultimately you CHOSE to live where you do, as we all do. Right?
So I ask; Do you make the choice to hang out in bars in Juarez late at night? Do you go to ATM's in bad areas at 1:00am to draw out cash? Do you drive around with your doors unlocked? Do you wear expensive jewelry and flash your cash around when shopping on the street? Do you hang out with people of questionable character??
My guess is you answered "no", to all of those questions and for good reason. You "avoid" stupid. At least I hope so.
 
G

Glenn E. Meyer

New member
Nothing more useful to be said. The post was to give people info. Do what you want with it as it interacts with your skills and ability.

Closed.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top