From: mhirsch@atomic.princeton.edu (Michael Hirsch)
Newsgroups: rec.martial-arts
Subject: Re: Model Mugging (long)
Date: 29 Sep 92 21:38:48 GMT
Article-I.D.: atomic.MHIRSCH.92Sep29163848
	<1992Sep28.175244.8634@srg.srg.af.mil>
	<1992Sep29.193839.29019@ucsu.Colorado.EDU>
Organization: Princeton University Department of Computer Science
Originator: news@nimaster

>>>>> On Tue, 29 Sep 1992 19:38:39 GMT, fcrary@ucsu.Colorado.EDU (Frank Crary) said:

FC> Since I'm the one who started this philosophical tangent, I guess I
FC> should clear up what I meant about violence being a "normal" part
FC> of life. I did _not_ mean it was, necessarily, a _frequent_ event,
FC> just that it was part of the way the world works and violent 
FC> confrontations occasionally occur. As a analogy, earthquakes (or the
FC> risk of earthquakes) are a normal part of life in California. Even though
FC> major ones are extremely rare, no one goes around afterwards saying
FC> things like "I never though something like this would happen to me."

It's clear you aren't from California.  That is what probably 90% of
the people I know _do_ go around saying.  The really clever ones say
"I knew this would happen, but I didn't really think it would happen,"
whatever that means.

FC> (Except possibly for complete idiots.)

90% seems like a high number for complete idiots.

FC> Similarly, violent confrontations are rare (judging by my and my
FC> friend's experiences, I'd say someone in the East Bay would wind
FC> up in such a situation only once every two or three years.)

Far less, I would say.  I've lived in the East Bay for about 20 of my
30 years and not had a violent confrontation except in elementary
school.  Maybe in Fresno...  ;-)

FC> However, I don't consider the infrequency or the "unfairness" of
FC> this to be a ration excuse to pretend such situations won't
FC> happen.

No, but it is a reason to decide to ignore them.  I think it is quite
rational to say "I would rather get mugged once every 3 years than
spend 6 hours a week learning to defend myself."  If I didn't get
something out of MA other than self-defense, I wouldn't do it.  And
for years, I didn't.  I don't think I was wasting my life before then.

Who was it who said (on this newsgroup) "Studying martial arts all
your life for self defense is like becoming a lawyer just in case
someone sues you"?  (Yes, I know the analogy is not perfect.)

I know people who refuse to lock their bike because they would rather
have it stolen occasionally than have to lock it all the time.  They
aren't denying the reality of bike thieves, they are denying that it
is essential to change their life to accommodate the thieves.

I think people who say that they would rather not learn to fight
because they think fighting is wrong are making a perfectly good
decision, just not the one I am making.  They have chosen between two
evils, and decided that being relatively defenseless is better than
living a life in a manner they oppose.  It seems to me that they
should be admired for the depth of their feeling rather than
castigated for their stubborness.
--


Michael D. Hirsch		mhirsch@cs.princeton.edu    
Computer Science Department	Voice: (609) 258-1751       
Princeton NJ, 08544		FAX:   (609) 258-1771       
Newsgroups: rec.martial-arts