Creaky_Old_Cop
member
As someone (or many someones) have posted the question above on more than one occasion...I want to address it.
So...what CAN we learn from interwebz videos of self defense or assaults, or from being armchair quarterbacks?
Most often, we can learn what NOT to do. If we accept the truth that most videos posted online are put there for shock value, or for the entertainment of a "certain segment of society" to laugh at, or brag about how they handed out a beat down...we can still learn from them. Often they show real world behavior that many people can't accept exists.
Outside of their cotton candy and lollipop bubble where all the sharp edges have been sanded smooth, and everyone is peace, love, and unicorns spewing stripper dust...people can't conceive of just how bad "bad people" can be, or how dangerous and vicious so-called innocent and cherubic children are.
We can also learn, in some cases, what to do. Or, by analyzing what happened in a video, we can see where the victim went wrong and apply it to our own skillset. Adding a freebie, you know a lesson that doesn't cause you to bleed, to your toolbox is never a bad thing.
Yes, the victims in videos may or may not be the nicest folks in the world, but the truth is, they by action, lack of action, right decision, wrong decision, or having their head up their ass contributed in some way to the situation they wound up in. It is not "insensitive" or "mean" to point it out. It is reality, it happened, and if it is on the interwebz it is fair game for people to critique it as long as it is done constructively.
Another thing we can learn from interwebz videos is how bystanders to an incident are likely to act. Diffusion of responsibility is the norm. Yep...most people will choose to "not get involved" for whatever reason or justification they can come up with. Kitty Genovese, who was murdered in front of over 38 witnesses, over a duration of thirty five minutes, in THREE separate attacks is a prime example of this. Think about that. One depraved murderer, taking over half an hour to murder her in three separate attacks and not one of them did anything.
"Oooga booga booga! I'm tacticool and I'd engage like an operator operating operationally and ooga booga booga...I'd deliver precision shots from my Mark One Tactical forty six caliber wonder weapon, and ooga booga booga!" - Cool. I hope you would...but the reality in most of these videos, and in my professional experience, demonstrates that you will look away and try to be invisible.
We can also learn, from the discussion thread, what the more reasonable or experienced members think. It can add a perspective that you may not have seen, or thought of. That too can be a freebie. Contrariwise, we can also learn just how inept or ignorant some members are by their snarky drive by comments. It's a two way street.
We can also learn how things are done in other parts of the country. We may not always be on our home turf where we are all "experts and legal scholars". Freebie.
So yes, there are a lot of things we can learn from interwebz videos. Some good. Some bad. But it takes an open mind and the rare ability to apply common sense, logic, and reason to what you're seeing.
So...what CAN we learn from interwebz videos of self defense or assaults, or from being armchair quarterbacks?
Most often, we can learn what NOT to do. If we accept the truth that most videos posted online are put there for shock value, or for the entertainment of a "certain segment of society" to laugh at, or brag about how they handed out a beat down...we can still learn from them. Often they show real world behavior that many people can't accept exists.
Outside of their cotton candy and lollipop bubble where all the sharp edges have been sanded smooth, and everyone is peace, love, and unicorns spewing stripper dust...people can't conceive of just how bad "bad people" can be, or how dangerous and vicious so-called innocent and cherubic children are.
We can also learn, in some cases, what to do. Or, by analyzing what happened in a video, we can see where the victim went wrong and apply it to our own skillset. Adding a freebie, you know a lesson that doesn't cause you to bleed, to your toolbox is never a bad thing.
Yes, the victims in videos may or may not be the nicest folks in the world, but the truth is, they by action, lack of action, right decision, wrong decision, or having their head up their ass contributed in some way to the situation they wound up in. It is not "insensitive" or "mean" to point it out. It is reality, it happened, and if it is on the interwebz it is fair game for people to critique it as long as it is done constructively.
Another thing we can learn from interwebz videos is how bystanders to an incident are likely to act. Diffusion of responsibility is the norm. Yep...most people will choose to "not get involved" for whatever reason or justification they can come up with. Kitty Genovese, who was murdered in front of over 38 witnesses, over a duration of thirty five minutes, in THREE separate attacks is a prime example of this. Think about that. One depraved murderer, taking over half an hour to murder her in three separate attacks and not one of them did anything.
"Oooga booga booga! I'm tacticool and I'd engage like an operator operating operationally and ooga booga booga...I'd deliver precision shots from my Mark One Tactical forty six caliber wonder weapon, and ooga booga booga!" - Cool. I hope you would...but the reality in most of these videos, and in my professional experience, demonstrates that you will look away and try to be invisible.
We can also learn, from the discussion thread, what the more reasonable or experienced members think. It can add a perspective that you may not have seen, or thought of. That too can be a freebie. Contrariwise, we can also learn just how inept or ignorant some members are by their snarky drive by comments. It's a two way street.
We can also learn how things are done in other parts of the country. We may not always be on our home turf where we are all "experts and legal scholars". Freebie.
So yes, there are a lot of things we can learn from interwebz videos. Some good. Some bad. But it takes an open mind and the rare ability to apply common sense, logic, and reason to what you're seeing.
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