Poll: Do you feel you would be able to use force to defend yourself or others?

I don't consider myself a violent person by any stretch of the imagination, but I would have zero problem busting a cap in the ass of anyone threatening me or my loved ones..

Agreed. I would try every way to defuse a situation, or to warn or threaten an attacker away (most crimes stopped by armed citizens are stopped by the mere presentation of a firearm, very rarely does a defender ever have to actually fire on the attacker), but if it is an immediate threat of bodily harm or death to myself or any of my loved ones, if that person is within 15 yards of me, they are dead.

Heck, even if someone were a stranger, I would act to save their life if the situation called for it. Ain't nobody going to kill another person in my presence if I have the ability and opportunity to stop them.

where's the 'i wouldn't dare, 'cause i'm a total wimp' option? ;)

damn! beaten to it! :P

I think MLE has the first post because she wrote it out hours before anyone else did!

I've often thought about it. Like, if someone was threatening to hurt me, holding a knife to my throat or whatever, I'd probably lash out at them and try to overpower them. Because I'd rather be dead or free than be hurt. I know that sounds weird and stupid. But I'm not afraid of death. I'm afraid of pain.

And when it comes to defending others...I don't know. But when I think about it, my adrenaline kind of races and I think: You hurt someone I love and you die.

I don't know if I really mean that. But I think if someone went after my Paul or my cats or even friends, I would go quite insane and try to severely mess them up.

Fun bit of trivia: Women are the more aggressive of the two genders when it comes to defense.

Funny joke as kinda unscientific proof: Want to see which one is more aggressive? Go up to a guy and go up to a woman separately. Call both fat. See which one slaps you. :)

would have liked to when I got mugged.� Otherwise not into violence.� Just would like my notebook and lipgloss and cell phone back.� Notebook had some great poems in it.� First in ages that were not about boys......

All in all violence i not good but if it can work in some cases it is.� If they are armed though just give in.� That is what�I say.� Would love to bust a move Charlie's Angels style tho'

or matrix-stylee. with all those elronds. yup. :D

I think I'm partial to Buffy-style. :)

or aragornwithurukhai!-stylee. :D

Or there's always Samwise Gamgee with a frying pan style. :)

hee! :D

or even harry and draco bitchfight-with-wands style. now *that* would be COOL. :D

(note to self: figure out how to do magic so i can make attackers burp slugs.)

I was raised in a pretty seriously anti-violence environment, and I'd like to be able to say that I absolutely know that I would not use force ever, but honestly I have no idea what I would do in a real situation where someone I love was threatened. I really don't know what I'd do. I don't know if I'd be able to live up to my ideals or keep my cool. I'd even like to be able to say that I know for sure that I would exhaust all other non-violent means that I could think of before I reacted with violence, but I can't even be sure of that. I am a deeply flawed human with extremely strong emotions... I just don't know.

As a kid I had no problem with this question... I was a very nerdy and really strange child, and was repeatedly threatened with violence at school. In those situations, not fighting back was a real asset. No bully where I grew up knew what to do with a kid who wouldn't fight back, and I can't think of an instance when they didn't end up just walking away in frustration, leaving me unharmed. I think it actually humiliated them to have me just standing there, staring them in the eye, saying I wouldn't fight them. The real world is a lot more complicated, though, and just as I can't be sure what other people would do, I also can't be so sure what I would do... and it is a very different thing if it is someone I love is being threatened as well. I just don't know.

/confusing ramble

So, mother and daughter make up the 2 "don't know" votes at this point.

Looks that way. :) Glad I come by it honestly. Hee.

I just added my own "don't know" vote...I don't oppose violence in self-defense on principle...I'm just not sure if I'd be able to do it.� I'm a bit of a wuss and can't imagine myself deliberately hurting someone, even though I know there are situations where I think it would be justified...so...I don't know.

That's not the story your icon tells. ;)

yeah I was thinking the same thing! hee hee

Yes well, people's online representations of themselves aren't always true to real life.

And, actually, the reason I like that picture is because it cracks me up...I didn't realize I was capable of looking so evil.� :)

Well I was just joking, but yes that is absolutely true. :)

And you do look pretty evil. Hee.

kidding I was as well.

okay... I was raised to be non-violent, by hippie parents who love 10 grain organic bread making contests, then as I grew up my father became.... who he is now. who my father is now is a polar oposite to what he was then. this about-face was confusing to me growing up... the message was that your convictions go out the window when you are hardened by life and become bitter. sometimes I think I was born hardened. anyway I was thinking so what happens if life does this to me? whats the point of belief and convictions if life twists them into something that your former self would have abhored? I'm afraid of becoming bitter and horrible... dude I'm off point here.

so basicly I'm all with the non-violent aproach, but as most of you know, if I have to I usually can throw a good right hook. this is not to say that I've punched all of you, which is kind of what it sounded like. I dunno... I just have found myself in more than a few threatening situations and I know that its in me to defend myself however I can.

with my friends I'm fiercely protective. dont fuck with my peeps yo. I haven't been in the situation to need to defend a friend like that though so I dunno... hopefully I wont have to find out.

dude, ramble.

i'd have no moral problem with it, but dude, i am very weak.

the times i was assaulted i just ran like hell. but hey.... it worked.

When people say they are anti-violence, exactly what definition of violence are they using? I don't view force used in self defense and only used to the extent to stop the immediate threat of serious bodily harm or death to be "violence". Indeed, the primary definition of violence is "1. Physical force exerted for the purpose of violating, damaging, or abusing: "

Force, in any form, is only moral and right when it is used in self-defense (i.e. not initiated) and then only against those who initiated the use of force in the first place.

I could use force without a problem to defend my kitties or others that I love, but I'm not sure I could use force to defend myself. If I am threatened with physical violence, I tend to freeze.

that's a random question - or did someone listen to Michigan Militia one too many times?!!!��

Of course I would use the Force to defend myself! Sounds like a good solution to me.

Er.... heh. Yeah.

Okay, that cracked me up. :)

hehehe, me too :D

When I read the question, I read "would you use the Force", so, I had to say something.... ;)

I agree...� and I don't feel that I'm strong enough yet in the Old Ways to properly defend anyone with the old mind trick "these are not the victims you are looking for"

I consider myself a pacifist but have a really short temper. So, I dunno, I'd like to think not, but it's never really happened.

Never hit first...�but hit back, and hit hard.� Nobody will EVER harm me or mine and get away unscathed.�

I have always (so far) been able to talk my way out of situations. If my safety is the only concern I will backdown or run if I have to. If I have to put myself in the middle to protect someone I can and will. Even�a person�in a drunken rage can be calmed down if things have not gotten too far. Helps if there are overwhelming odds backing you up of course ;-)

I have no problem breaking a nose or cracking a skull if I have to.

After everything else fails, a knee up into the balls, a right jab followed by a left hook, pulling the attacker's head onto a hard object by his hair, or whatever other disabling action might present itself at a desperate moment, will have to do as a last resort. Win or loose, the act of using force is traumatic, so I try to evade it until I, or whoever else is threatened, is cornered.

Except for muggings or some psycho taking aim at you, defusing the situation by talking things out or retreating in whatever way you can, is bound to be successful.

As for the difference between "force" and "violence," there is always someone being violent and someone else resisting it using force, but why do we need departments of defence when there are no departments of war any more? This question gets a bit more complicated when asked on a person to person level.

I'll get out of your way now.