04 Sept 10
"... and, I said to myself, 'Sit down! Sit down; you're rockin' the boat!'"
"Sit down! You're Rockin' the Boat," from the 1950 Broadway Musical, "Guys and Dolls," and sung by Frank Sinatra in the 1955 movie version.
"Voluntary" fights:
When friend and colleague, Mas Ayoob, defines lawful self-defense for his students, he always includes the phrase, "... otherwise unavoidable" when describing a threat confronting a person considering forceful defensive actions.
I've shamelessly borrowed that phrase (and many others from Mas), because I think it is the best way to emphasize the principle that legitimate self-defense is always "involuntary." That is, when recapitulating what you did, your first sentence should always start with, "I was where I had a right to be, minding my own business, when...;" and end with, "... so you see, I had no choice!"
When a pernicious, deadly threat is thrust upon you, through no desire, nor invitation, of your own, you need to do whatever is reasonably necessary to keep from getting hurt, even including the application of deadly force. That is your right. In addition, as noted above, you probably have no choice!
The criminal-justice system will subsequently look upon the circumstances that lead to your defensive actions as "unfortunate," but upon what you did as "reasonable." The aftermath will still be unpleasant, and expensive, but at least you'll be alive to worry about it. In the USA, unlike in most other countries, reasonable self-defense is still your right.
So, when all lesser options are unavailable/impracticable, and the threat is imminent and deadly, yes, then you may take a stand, and clamor like a champion... assuming you've got the spittle for it!
"Perfection" is not required. "Reasonableness" is. And, as the saying goes, "There is no pillow so soft as a clear conscience!"
The foregoing is not in dispute, at least among most of us.
What does generate a great deal of impassioned discussion is the wisdom of forcefully inserting ourselves into an egregious situation in which we were not otherwise involved!
An example:
At the NTI a few years ago, I found myself in the middle of an urban, terrorist incident. My goal was, of course, to extricate myself, unhurt.
On my way to a place of at least temporary safety (the concrete entrance to the subway), I had the opportunity to pick up a Kalashnikov rifle from the body of a dead terrorist. I considered leaving it there, so as not to elevate my profile, but I decided to take it with me, along with several magazines.
Shortly afterward, I noticed several terrorist suspects, clearly armed with RPGs, one hundred meters away. I was pretty sure they saw me too. They may have even seen me gun-down several of their colleagues minutes earlier, but they otherwise displayed little interest in me.
I concluded that their RPGs were likely intended for bigger targets than just a single individual, even one armed with an AK. So, I elected to not engage them, although I easily could have ( and probably would have gotten them all, at least the ones that I could see), and continued to make my way to safety.
At the NTI, there is seldom a "school-solution." Options are merely pointed out and discussed, and I was asked if I had considered eliminating the RPG threat. I answered in the affirmative, but confirmed that my non-engagement strategy was indeed deliberate.
In my defense, I indicated that, since they were not creating a problem for me, I decided not to create a problem for them! For the record, it was my decision, and, of course, we never get to know what "could have been."
In a less dramatic scenario, any of us may witness a violent crime, in progress, but one that does not otherwise involve us. The question of precipitous involvement/insertion is always a personal one and requires a frank discussion between you and your own conscience.
Of course, the safest course of action is always non-involvement and rapid separation. Any time you elect to step forward in such a situation, the law requires you to act in a "non-negligent" manner, whatever that means! You're opening up a real can of worms, however you decide to handle it.
A less-risky option is, from a position or relative safety, to yell out something like, "Hey! You leave her alone! I'm calling the police." That can be done with a great deal less risk to you than physical involvement.
It is not my place to tell you what to do. My job is to be sure you know what is likely going to happen when you do!
"Reasonableness" is a tricky term, and one difficult to define during the excitement of a life-threatening scenario.
It is best to think about all this in advance, and then come to one of our Scenario-Based Training Programs, so you can get hands-on experience with all the various behavioral options you're considering. We're doing two this fall, one in Chicago, IL, and one in Columbia, SC.
In the 1959 feature film, "Rio Bravo," "Colorado" Ryan, (played by Rick Nelson) is asked by Sheriff John T Chance (played by John Wayne) about his skill with a gun. Ryan acknowledges that he is extremely good with a gun, and then adds:
"... but there is something I'm even better at"
"What's that," asks the Sheriff
"...minding my own business!"
Now, that is the right answer!
/John
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