Fight or Flight (You Don’t Get To Pick)

Interesting topic, I had an issue many years ago when my children were small, and I also got so enraged I went absolutely crazy on two muggers in NYC so badly that one of them was hospitalized, with a fractured skull afterwards, after I calmed down I was so sorry that my children had seen me in such a state, it took some time before my kids weren’t afraid of me, I never repeated that and I believe my fight response was triggered by the proximity of the danger to my children. Fortunately it never happened again it was many years ago and my daughter still remembers the incident fortunately my son does not.

I can certainly understand how believing your children were endangered would increase the odds of becoming dangerously enraged by a mugger or thief.

I’ve never faced that situation.

It's ironic, isn't it, that your desire to protect your kids ended up making them scared of you. I think that it was probably the fact suddenly, instead of being a big teddy bear for your kids you suddenly transformed into a violent papa bear right in front of them. The fact that violent side of you was buried inside, and more importantly, could suddenly show itself was certainly what was unsettling to them.

ATACdawg,

Exactly. My kids see me as eternally benevolent - at least from the standpoint of physical aggression. But they have seen me slice people up with pointed commentary. They seem to find that kind of aggressive behavior amusing.

Criminals in Jakarta are probably unarmed. It would be more dangerous to fight street criminals in Detroit, where everybody has a gun.

I"m lucky that I have never had to go thru that. But I'm thinking my reaction would be the same. I'll admit that I do have a temper when I feel threatened.

Agree that much is chemically based. I almost killed a guy in my early 20s with a choke hold in response to a similar situation. It took 3 pretty big guys to pull me off of the perpetrator.

Was confronted by three, drunk, assholes near a Lake Tahoe casino. One of them punched me. Clearly he had no power, no training, and no skill. I have training and was completely sober. Thought about teaching them some manners, but walked away. They would not be the problem, but I would bet there were video cameras around and even showing self defense, my fear was being tied up by the authorities for the evening, and I had a date with a pretty blond. Other factors included the possibility that my name would be public record and they might seek retaliation at a later date. Worse, that somebody had a weapon. (The guy who hit me was Latino and had gang tattoos on his bald head. The other two guys were White.) You just never know.

It wasn't worth the risk. I walked away and they did not pursue me.

I carry a fake wallet, decoy cell phone, and wear a cheap watch. If a drug-infected mugger wants it, it is all his. I was advised by a reformed armed robber that I should toss it all over his head and run the other way. With his prizes on the ground behind him, he is unlikely to pursue me and do me harm.

Tahoecruz,

It’s great advice and I agree with it.

It’s just a lot harder to follow that advice than I thought it would be.

The two guys that I encountered in Jakarta were apparently unarmed. But either or both of them could have been carrying a knife. I would have been hurt badly.

I was lucky to walk away just looking like an idiot because I wanted to catch a failed mugger and beat him up ... just because my hormones were momentarily out of control.

The only advice I’d give anyone in this situation is if you do decide to fight it must be with overwhelming violence, it’s probably better to just toss your valuables and run the other way, but if you do decide to fight back you cannot hold back at all, go for the eyes, first especially if there’s more than one and if there’s anything handy a garbage pail, a stick don’t hesitate at all, if you aren’t sure that you can get that violent, just give up your stuff, but if you go for it do not hesitate for a second or you’ll lose, more than your money.

I agree. Thankfully, I've never been in a situation like that, but if I ever am, unremitting violence will be my approach.

Unremitting violence is precisely what my hormones dictated. But there were two of them and only one of me. On the other hand, they were Indonesians and they tend to be smaller than your average Tejano. Perhaps most importantly, their hormones told them to run away from me.

If their hormones and instructed them to stand and fight and if they’d been armed, the story might have ended differently.

I have been in a few instances of such, but the one that sticks out in my mind dealt with my, at the time , 14 yr old daughter. I was call by my ex wife to Inform me that my 14 year old daughter as at a drug party with a bunch of 21 year old guys. I drone 120 miles per hour across St Louis roads at 10 pm to get to that damn party. When I got there, i knocked on the door. No answer. I then heard the garage door start to shut. I ran around the corner, dove under the shutting door. The door took my left shoe off. I saw three MEN standing in the doorway of the entrance of the house. I rand to them. They tried slamming the door shut. I was able to force my way in by knocking all three to the floor. As I entered the house, I turned the corner and saw 5 shadows begin to approach me as one of them said, “who the fuck are you?” As I was running, I replied, “I am your fucking NIGHTMARE!” I immediately did an open hand throat strike to attacker one which knocked him into the sliding glass door and made him hit the floor. He got up and ran out. Attacker number 2 swung and I ducked, slipping and falling on all fours. He the. Tried to punch me while I was down. I side thrust kicked him into the refrigerator and he went down. The third attacker tried to punch me as I stood up. I front kicked him out the sliding glass door onto the deck. He then decided to jump over the deck to escape me. It was dark. The deck was 17 feet up in the air. He landed on a tree stump and broke his hip. The fourth attacker threw a bullshit wild punch and missed. He then turned and ran. The fifth threw a punch that I blocked and grabbed. I then entangled his shirt, threw him down, drug him outside, threw him over my shoulder on to the lawn and asked where my daughter was. He said, “I don’t know!” I replied, “WRONG ANSWER!” And then stuck him with a ridge hand strike to the right temple. Immediately hush of blood. I asked him again where my daughter was. He gave same answer. I the. Hit him on the left temple with a left ridge hand strike. Immediate gush od blood. Third time, same answer. I picked him up and threw him over my shoulder, slammed him hard onto the ground. The neighbors then came out to “help me”. I told them that I needed no help from anybody. They told me to at least drag him into the hous before police arrive. Thus, I did. Two minutes later, 6 cops and 2 paramedics storm the house. I asked them who called them. They said that someone in your back yard called 911. i ran to the back to find the asshole who jumped the deck. I leaned over in his face and asked if he was ok. He told me “Fuck no! There is a mad man up there going berserk!” I replied, “I am that madman you piece of shit ! Now where is my daughter!!!???” He gave up a lead that resulted in my finding my daughter in the following 15 minutes.

The cops determined my actions as self defense. Three of my attackers went to the hospital. 2 got cut loose. Approximately (cop report) 18 men aged 18 to 21 years old fled that residence when I showed up.

5 years later, my daughter stated that in that St. Louis suburb, I apparently had a reputation amongst a certain crowd. That of a crazy man who will kill you iif you cross him. I am NOT that kind of person, but it certainly doesn’t hurt for assholes to think such.

I was worried for 2 years following that incident. Thought for sure that someone would sue me.

Good job!

^^I saw that movie I think Liam Neisam played you in that one ;)

^^^ I should sue him for rights to that.

^So I guess you have a very particular set of skills lol

Great story, I also was thinking Liam Neeson must have played you.

I've always been a fighter, I will back down to a point then I will become the aggressor. I've had my ass beat but not very often, so much of fighting is attitude and fear. Once you show no fear the other side often decides to back off

I got into a fight a couple months ago and I am 50 years old. A buddy of mines wife was cheating on him and he divorced her. The private detective had pictures of them together it was ugly. I paid the guy a visit and worked out some of my anger issues