No doubt about it - there was a true WROL situation happening across the pond this week. I offer all of the cyber-support I can to the families and friends over there who were victimized by these thugs. It's a stark awakening for some - but a reminder for others. It's a deep look into our natural, animal instincts. It's a mirror to failed policy and generations of mistrust.
There are no excuses. There are no true explanations. It's just people being people - we're all capable of it, some just have better coping skills.
Europe, America, Canada - there are examples that can be made in almost every major populated area in the world. I am no sociology professor, but I can see things happening on the news that I've never seen before. I don't know what's causing it, but I know that there are massive groups of people who seem to get a good kick out of destroying things. Lives, property, morale - if you look closely, a lot of the 'protesters' in England this week were smiling and laughing with each other - not being angry and screaming for change.
These examples are good reason to discuss a topic often left out of Canadian conversations, especially regarding the use of force. While some people subscribe to the notion of 'god given rights', I prefer to remove the religion from that statement and just call it 'natural rights'. I guess you have to be slightly humanistic to accept the notion that we all have inherent, inalienable rights that apply under all circumstances but in any case, this is a philosophy that I subscribe to and I'll discuss the use of force assuming that natural rights do apply.
Specifically, the natural right I'm referring to is a simple fact in my eyes; you have the right to protect yourself. In saying this, please understand that I am not identifying your property as a part of you - that's a separate issue that I'm not prepared to discuss in this article.
Understand, as well - I am not a police instructor nor a non-violent-crisis-intervention teacher. I'm just speaking about common sense here. A rational reaction method to an unreasonable situation. I think that's a fair conversation to have - after all, we're adults; responsible and rational.
So let's toss around a situation - there's a localized loss of the rule of law in your area - under a few kilometres from your house. You've secured your doors and main floor windows and your family is all accounted for and safe. What's next? I'll take for granted the fact that you've thought about this in advance.
If you're being confronted by an aggressive individual, there are a number of things to take into account when you're in the middle of a situation like this. Is he alone? What's his disposition? Does it look like he's carrying a weapon?
Remember O O D A.
Here's a little list to get us going. Use this as rough guide to your actions. Of course, everyone's arrangement will be different and dynamic but this could serve as a good starting point for an open dialogue concerning the use of force in a truly defensive situation. This list is used (apparently) by police officers - you'll have to draw up your own list. That in itself is a fantastic way to explore how self aware you are; know what you're capable of.
1. Physical Presence
2. Soft Hands
3. Mace or Pepper Spray
4. Hard Hands
5. Police Baton, Taser, etc.
6. Threat of Deadly Force
7. Deadly Force
Under no circumstances am I trying to portray a violent confrontation as a 'cool' or 'fun' thing to be involved in. I hope you can ascertain that from the tone of this article. You should only progress through these stages begrudgingly. Only after you've exhausted every possible alternative could you even consider the use of force on someone else. Alas, there will be times in an actual WROL situation that we will be forced to stand against someone trying to do harm to us. It's just a simple fact - there are people out there who will make the conscious decision to attack us at the most opportune time. It's unfortunate, but it's the reality of the world we live in. But I guess that's a fight or flight thing, isn't it?
These stages represent your reactions to a violent situation as it progresses. The time needed to advance to each new stage will depend entirely on you - and I'm not sure if it's something a civilian can train for, but it's certainly something you should be aware of.
It's a touchy subject - one worth talking about in our FORUM.
One thing that needs to be noted is that the use of force scale is fluid, one moment you could need deadly force and then in the next just verbal skills are needed. That is usually what gets people into trouble, they start to defend themselves and when they start to win, it turns into a revenge beating.
ReplyDeleteThe second thing to remember is that if someone wants your "stuff", is it really worth a fight and injury to yourself?