The Power to Protect

Where I'm from, having to protect yourself from physical violence when I go out at the weekends is becoming a regular occurrence. Kids, Teens and young adults are becoming more and more aggressive. All you have to do is look at them, and all of sudden they're on you, acting up like you've just spat on them or something. I almost got in a brawl with someone because I wouldn't give them a cigarette . . . I don't even smoke, I had no cigarettes. But they wouldn't take no for an answer, following me up and down the street.
There's a profound lack of respect; they seem to think they deserve respect instantly but do not show it themselves.
To be fair, alcohol is usually involved, but there does seem to be a distinct downfall of the 'happy drunk'. Most are just aggressive angry drunks these days. But this is a whole different subject, just fancied a bit of a rant.

Maybe I'm just getting to old to go up town.

Seraph Arel wrote: Maybe I'm just getting to old to go up town.

I dig it... I had to stop bartending for the same reason...

I was 40, and the level of disrespect was so bad, I came around the bar to whoop someone... Decided I was too old... lol...

Seraph Arel wrote: Where I'm from, having to protect yourself from physical violence when I go out at the weekends is becoming a regular occurrence.

I have to say...your city is a scary place. It feels rather hostile even in the daytime...but not everywhere is like that. The only time I've ever felt really physically threatened was walking in an underpass in Bristol, and someone I was with was stupid enough to mutter derogatory things about a rough-looking guy, who caught what he said and threatened to stab us. And I believed him and got out of there as quickly as I could!

When you say having to 'protect yourself from physical violence' is a regular occurrence - do you actually have to though? Or do you have to protect yourself from the threat of physical violence? It's pretty unusual for someone to be regularly set upon with no provocation...

Mainly from the threat. There are a lot of gobshites around who are all mouth and no trousers. When I've been brave (or stupid) enough to confront their threats, they're suddenly all chummy and want to be friends, but there doesn't seem to have been a month gone by this year where it's been myself or one of friends that has had to fend of a physical assault.
My mate Oly has been so unfortunate that he's been beaten up and mugged on his Birthday, three times out of past four years. :ohmy:
Gloucester is going down hill in my opinion.

As many have already stated. This is really a situational topic.

I have stepped in many times and intervened to protect someone in many situations. Sometimes it was not the wisest decision I made, or safest for myself, though I felt it was the morally right thing to do. There are times when you could involve yourself and now there are two victims.

Having the Power, does not always mean you should use your power to interfere in other affairs.

Being in the military, I know there are global situations that we have the power to interfere in, but should we? It amazes me at the atrocities that are occurring around the globe that the powers turn blind eyes to, and then they get heavily involved in internal struggles that did not need to be involved in.

I am currently reading a book called "How do you kill 11,000,000 people?" by Andy Andrews that has some great insight.

Bottom line is if you decide to step in to assist in any conflict resolution, be aware it could easily degenerate into something physical that you may not be prepared for. Speaking from experience, I have thought I was powerful enough, having studied many styles of martial training and real combat experience, and I stepped into a situation and was not looking at the entire scope of the situation and became part of the problem, some very hard lessons from my youth.

Find the balance, know your limits, know the resources available to assist you in the resolution of the situation, get help if needed. Whether we are talking, physical, emotional, psychological, political, or whatever situation you feel is not right, there are avenues to provide assistance.

Making it a duty though, takes away from our freedom of choice. A moral choice that is forced on a society is not morally correct. In the end, you have to live with the choice you made, knowing something is wrong and being afraid to act, or being apathetic to the situation, is tough to live with.

I get that. I do. But, in that case, you wouldn't have the power to protect, would you? If you truly had the power to protect, then you would be able to interfere without a problem, yeah?

I mean, of course, there is no real way to measure that like you said. In that case, it becomes a hypothetical.

And, as for the "Power to interfere". I'm not sure about it. I think that if I could stop violence, I would, no matter if it was the "right or wrong" thing. Maybe I'm flawed there. But, that's how I see it.