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May I ask: where and when did you grow up? Thanks. I grew up not too far from south-central Los Angeles, California, in the 1970s and early 1980s, and was sho

May I ask: where and when did you grow up? Thanks. I grew up not too far from south-central Los Angeles, California, in the 1970s and early 1980s, and was shot at on two occasions by gangs. Raised by my grandparents, I was a full 'free-range' child. Thanks for your reply.

GreeniFi 8y ago
Southern Africa (although not South Africa). Just before the end of apartheid, everyone was gearing up for a fight and everyone was pretty angry. Two men talked the region off a precipice, Nelson Mandela, literally a prince of peace (he was a prince). And secondly Desmond Tutu. And maybe the humanity of young men like those we encountered, who could just as well shot us. It happened elsewhere and at other times.
- andrei_says_ 8y ago
  Also consider the isolation present in the western world. It is a huge factor but kind of invisible because we swim in it.
- rconti 8y ago
  It's also possible the impact (however small) of free range children such as yourself, helped the militia men you encountered find their own humanity.
  - GreeniFi 8y ago
    Thank you for pointing that out. It could also have been their free-range childhoods. These soldiers would not have been press-ganged. I’ve read that elsewhere in Africa, child soldiers are forced by older soldiers to commit atrocities together (rape etc) in order to form a sort of perverse bond or espirit de corps which is otherwise not present when you’re forced to be there.
- wonderwonder 8y ago
  I knew you were going to say South / Southern Africa before I even read your answer. Just the way you described the scenario told me where you were from. Glad everything turned out well for you.
  - ido 8y ago
    I assumed former Yugoslavia in the 90s.
jacobush 8y ago
Do you got the impression they were out to get you, or were you caught in cross fire, or was it more of a "get the fuck away" kind of shooting? Just curious on someone who was there to live it. I just viewed it through the lens of MacGyver episodes from a great distance. :-)
- Diederich 8y ago
  One was a pretty typical (for the time) drive by; someone in my after school youth group wore enough of the wrong color of clothing to catch the eye of the 'other' gang. We just had Saturday game night, and so were walking to Taco Bell for our unofficial after games social. As we stood at a corner waiting for a crosswalk to turn green, two or three gangbangers in a passing car opened fire with fully automatic machine pistols. I don't talk about the results. Another time I was hanging out near a chain link fence chatting with a couple of friends when some other guys came by on the other side, talking shit. We talked some shit back, and they threatened to come back with a shotgun. We blew them off, ignored them and continued with our chat. Well, one of them did indeed come back with a shotgun. Fortunately the weapon was loaded with bird shot, so we were only slightly injured. An 'amusing' story: My grandpa, who raised me, along with my grandma, listened almost nightly to the police frequencies. We heard a helicopter circling above one night (a not uncommon thing), and the cops were talking about chasing an armed suspect on foot. The 'copter was circling one street over. It's easy to tell because their floodlight constantly points to whatever the action point is below. Suddenly, from outside, we heard a fully automatic rifle fire a long burst. Seconds later, the 'copter reported that they were taking fire, and so were forced to orbit at a higher altitude. Crime in Southern California in the 1980s was no fucking joke. When my grandpa passed in 2003 (grandma in 2000), my dad sold that 850 square foot house for something $500k.
  - solotronics 8y ago
    I grew up somewhere where many law abiding citizens carry pistols in public. What is your opinion on arming oneself for defense?
    - 8y ago

GreeniFi 8y ago

Southern Africa (although not South Africa). Just before the end of apartheid, everyone was gearing up for a fight and everyone was pretty angry. Two men talked the region off a precipice, Nelson Mandela, literally a prince of peace (he was a prince). And secondly Desmond Tutu. And maybe the humanity of young men like those we encountered, who could just as well shot us. It happened elsewhere and at other times.

andrei_says_ 8y ago
Also consider the isolation present in the western world. It is a huge factor but kind of invisible because we swim in it.
rconti 8y ago
It's also possible the impact (however small) of free range children such as yourself, helped the militia men you encountered find their own humanity.
- GreeniFi 8y ago
  Thank you for pointing that out. It could also have been their free-range childhoods. These soldiers would not have been press-ganged. I’ve read that elsewhere in Africa, child soldiers are forced by older soldiers to commit atrocities together (rape etc) in order to form a sort of perverse bond or espirit de corps which is otherwise not present when you’re forced to be there.
wonderwonder 8y ago
I knew you were going to say South / Southern Africa before I even read your answer. Just the way you described the scenario told me where you were from. Glad everything turned out well for you.
- ido 8y ago
  I assumed former Yugoslavia in the 90s.

jacobush 8y ago

Do you got the impression they were out to get you, or were you caught in cross fire, or was it more of a "get the fuck away" kind of shooting? Just curious on someone who was there to live it. I just viewed it through the lens of MacGyver episodes from a great distance. :-)

Diederich 8y ago
One was a pretty typical (for the time) drive by; someone in my after school youth group wore enough of the wrong color of clothing to catch the eye of the 'other' gang. We just had Saturday game night, and so were walking to Taco Bell for our unofficial after games social. As we stood at a corner waiting for a crosswalk to turn green, two or three gangbangers in a passing car opened fire with fully automatic machine pistols. I don't talk about the results. Another time I was hanging out near a chain link fence chatting with a couple of friends when some other guys came by on the other side, talking shit. We talked some shit back, and they threatened to come back with a shotgun. We blew them off, ignored them and continued with our chat. Well, one of them did indeed come back with a shotgun. Fortunately the weapon was loaded with bird shot, so we were only slightly injured. An 'amusing' story: My grandpa, who raised me, along with my grandma, listened almost nightly to the police frequencies. We heard a helicopter circling above one night (a not uncommon thing), and the cops were talking about chasing an armed suspect on foot. The 'copter was circling one street over. It's easy to tell because their floodlight constantly points to whatever the action point is below. Suddenly, from outside, we heard a fully automatic rifle fire a long burst. Seconds later, the 'copter reported that they were taking fire, and so were forced to orbit at a higher altitude. Crime in Southern California in the 1980s was no fucking joke. When my grandpa passed in 2003 (grandma in 2000), my dad sold that 850 square foot house for something $500k.
- solotronics 8y ago
  I grew up somewhere where many law abiding citizens carry pistols in public. What is your opinion on arming oneself for defense?
  - 8y ago