I'll never forget the first time I read Ayoob's "In The Gravest Extreme." What an eye-opener.
The idea that some humans believe they have a "right" to do violence was, and still is, a completely foreign concept.
But I understand now that kind of mind does exist.
I need to read the book again.
In a sort of ghastly simplicity we remove the organ and demand the function. We make men without chests and expect of them virtue and enterprise. We laugh at honour and are shocked to find traitors in our midst. We castrate and bid the geldings be fruitful.” ― C.S. Lewis, The Abolition of Man
Great thread - really a lot of thoughtful discussion. I think I am going to like this forum.
I read the thread. the entire thread. i think burned out leo is teaching things that are effective for him, and other people who can visualize and sympathize with him. I think he's really trying to teach a mindset, not tactics. i worry about all the questions that get asked on this thread, and the other. things like... 'what is fanning your shirt?' how you fan your shirt is probably the most important thing.
tons of posters are trying to figure out why you would tell somebody "i don't have a gun". you say that because you know that the rats are up to no good, and you want an excuse to get messy, so you tell a bad lie, because then they can pick up on how you're feeling. the whole point is to let them know you have a certain mindset. the key being, you actually have to have the mindset. if you don't it'll probably sound stupid, or you might say it at the wrong time. it's not about bluffing. it's about telling the truth in a way that they understand.
and if you have the mindset, you should absolutely let them know, because it makes you less of an opportunity. the whole discussion was about the possibility of being an opportunity. if somebody has the jump on you and wants to mess you up, you are already a big opportunity, and the little script of catch words some people follow is very different. it's a different discussion altogether.
True...and it goes right back to what SouthNarc mentioned earlier: There are a bunch of different dynamics involved in trying to bluff a bad guy or otherwise dissuade him from an attack without pulling a gun/shooting him in the face. If you're trying to make a professional predator think you are an unpleasant risk there's much more to it than a few magic words.
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