I
consider myself to be something of a consumer advocate when it comes to
the internet. There is so much misinformation floating out there on the
cybernet that it’s ridiculous. In a PREVIOUS ARTICLE I
revealed the greatest self-defense tools of all time, and also let
readers in on what I personally used to defend myself and my flock.
Now
I’m going to show you the WORST self-defense tools and methods of all
time (many of which are said to be “the best” by various internet
sources). Just remember, when you need to know who and what to trust,
you can always count on me, The Baron, to set the record straight.
Now, let’s bust these lies down to size!
I
consider myself to be something of a consumer advocate when it comes to
the internet. There is so much misinformation floating out there on the
cybernet that it’s ridiculous. In a PREVIOUS ARTICLE I
revealed the greatest self-defense tools of all time, and also let
readers in on what I personally used to defend myself and my flock.
Now
I’m going to show you the WORST self-defense tools and methods of all
time (many of which are said to be “the best” by various internet
sources). Just remember, when you need to know who and what to trust,
you can always count on me, The Baron, to set the record straight.
Now, let’s bust these lies down to size!
Flashlight
Gone
are the days of lugging around a torch or heavy maglite. These days
there is electric light nearly everywhere you go, so a flashlight is as
unnecessary as they come. The good ones are FAR too heavy, and even if
the lights do manage to go out (not going to happen), you can still see
by the light of the midnight moon or simply wait for your eyes to
adjust. It’s orca’s razor: The simplest solution is always the best.
And
anyway, shining around a flashlight in a combat situation is a good way
to get yourself killed. Nice job showing the enemy exactly where you
are, IDIOT.
Pepper Spray
Uh, OK, maybe an old
woman might carry this in her purse because she saw it on an episode of
Oprah, but really pepper spray isn’t going to do anything but anger
your attacker, thus increasing his strength. Do you really believe a
killer is going to back off simply because you’ve made his eyes water?
Please.
Also what happens if your attacker…
- Ducks under the spray
- Closes his eyes
- Is wearing a gas mask or welding goggles
- Is immune to pepper (many people are)
- Is allergic to pepper and dies (hope you like prison!)
- Is already blind (not going to do much is it?)
So
as you can see, pepper spray leaves a lot to be desired. Spend that
seven dollars on a few hours of marital arts training instead.
Cellphone
Now
before you get all indignified, I’m not saying cellphones are useless.
Obviously they are not. What I’m saying is that cellphones are useless
AS SELF-DEFENSE TOOLS.
I’ve seen plenty of so-called
“experts” telling people to always have a phone with you to call the
police during a self-defense emergency. This really burns me up inside.
Have these people ever TRIED to call the police? If you can even get
through to 911 I would be shocked. Then it takes a minimum of 15-30
minutes before the police even arrive at the scene. By then you
wifey-poo will be dead, or worse! NEVER trust the cops. Trust your
skills.
And on a lighter note, even hitting with or
throwing the phone at people no longer works. Back in the good old days
when cellphones first came out you’d have a better time taking someone
out with one. They were brick-heavy, and also came with a large
briefcase you could clunk someone in the head with. Not so anymore. I’d
be surprised if you could crush a bumbles bee with a modern cellphone.
Bonus Protips!
Of
course I would be doing a grave misservice to my readers if I were not
to include some actual GOOD self-defense tips, so here are a few of my
favoritos.
Keep In Shape
Staying in shape can be tough,
but it’s important to realize how important fitness is in survival
situations. It can mean the difference between dodging an attackers
shriken and getting one planted square in your forehead, so yeah, I’d
say you should keep in shape. My own personal regimen of 5
Squat-Thrusts, 10 Military Style Pushups, 12 Jumping Jacks, and 26 air
punches in front of the TV each morning seems to do the trick nicely
(which is to say, I’ve caught the ladies I encounter around town
catching an eyeful of me from time to time, if you catch my drift).
Learn to Parktour
This
may seem like a pretty out-of-this world tip, but let me tell you,
Parktouring has gotten me out of more than a few scrapes and tussles in
my time. But first, for those of you who are unaware, Parktouring is
the the ability to climb, jump, and leap around normal everyday
environments (such as stairs, parking ramps, and vending machines).
Personally I am a highly proficient parktourer (self-taught, natch) and
can pretty much get anywhere I want, no matter what sort of obstacles
are put in my path.
So my advice to all you self-defense
wannabes out there is “Learn Parktouring”. Just imagine being able to
shimmy up a light pole, dash across the power lines, and jump to a
nearby roof when confronted by a knife-wielding attacker, and you’ll
see how this could be a useful skill!
Stick To The Shadows
We’ve
all seen this so-called “safety” advice: Stick to well lit areas.
Bullpoop. Consider this pick-your-own-adventure situation: You are a
woman walking home from work one night. You have two choices of ways to
take, CHOOSE WISELY:
1. Well-Lit Street
You look down this street and see plenty of lights, although it looks deserted. However, it IS very well lit.
2. Dark Street
You
can’t see anything down this street. It’s pitch black. Even though you
are afraid of the dark, you think you should be able to make it down if
you go slowly.
RESULTS
Alright, now here is what happened to you (WARNING this is not for kids as it can get pretty graphic).
1. Well-Lit Street
You
start heading down the well-lit street. You are halfway down when all
of a sudden you realize why the street had so many lights: It’s the Red
Light District! Unfortunately you just hadn’t noticed what color the
lights were when you looked down the street because you had orange
sunglasses on. There is no turning back now though, so you move
forward, back to the wall. All of a sudden, as you pass by a sex shop,
the owner leaps out and grabs you! “Oh no! You yell, “Help help!” but
nobody hears you. The man pulls you inside the sex shop and you get
killed.
2. Dark Street
You creep down the dark street,
cloaked in a cloak of shadows. You are a cat. You are a ninja, and
nobody can see you. Halfway down you hear the unmistakable sound of
footsteps.
You can tell from listening to them that they are the
footsteps of a murderer. Luckily since it is so dark he doesn’t even
see you and walks by. You arrive home safe and kiss and hug your
husband and three kids goodnight.
This example might
seem pretty extreme to some of you, but let me insure you, both cases
are 100% TRUE and have happened to people I know in real life. The
bottom line is this: LIGHT CAN BE YOUR ENEMY. So if given the choice
between a dimly-lit stairwell and a brand new elevator, choose the
stairs every time. Take a lesson from ninjitsu: If your attacker cannot
see you, he cannot hit you. If only such things were taught in American
schools more dead kids might be alive today…
Thank
you very much for taking the time to educate yourselves on this
subject, and if you have any questions, comments, or kudos for me, feel
free to CONTACT ME.
Stay frosted out there folks!