4 ms·

Those with a lot of introspection can do this, and it can be a benefit to yourself and others when used correctly. In my opinion, you were dumb for doing that,

Those with a lot of introspection can do this, and it can be a benefit to yourself and others when used correctly. In my opinion, you were dumb for doing that, but I can't say I haven't done something similar. Given my experience, I wouldn't do this again. My experience involved a crazed homeowner in their 40s shooting at me standing on the public sidewalk for taking pictures of the neighborhood for a realtor, this was around 2009. They thought I worked for their mortgage lender who was foreclosing. The wood fence took most of the damage, but there were kids playing in the paved cul-de-sac right behind where I was standing. No serious injuries, thankfully, and the police confiscated the firearm. I didn't press charges, because I empathized as my family had people who lost their entire retirements in the fallout from the market and that was real fresh. I would press charges today having had that experience (and others). Very few people change themselves unless they are forced to through isolated introspection or negative circumstance. Being young, or stupid, or a victim, isn't a defensible justification. Its letting them off the hook for their actions without consequence.

ChrisMarshallNY 2y ago
I would press charges, too. Shooting is a lot different from stealing. I might not let people off the hook, because I think it might change them, but it might change someone else who saw it happen, or, maybe, a family member that depends on them. This goes doubly true, these days, with everything being live-streamed. I get a little nauseous, though, at some of the staged crap, out there.
- trod1234 2y ago
  It is different from stealing, but crimes can escalate quickly and without warning. What people don't realize is when these type of things happen, if you haven't experienced it before, its surreal, and it can take a moment to realize, recognize and react. Even after the fact, with close calls there's a lot of processing and grappling with your own mortality. All you really see in the moment is a white, old rundown wood fence that suddenly becomes a cloud of flying splinters and wood chips. It is very different from how its portrayed in the media. I'm now a big believer that proper firearm safety and handling training should be mandatory for everyone by 18. You recognize the sounds, you see the effect, you can react much quicker with the experience imparted by training than without. I totally agree about the staged stuff. Anything like that muddies the reality.
tombert 2y ago
It's certainly violating and I was pretty upset to have my phone stolen, but there's always a risk of someone fucking you over for doing nearly anything. I said it in a sibling response; I don't lose sleep for doing something that I genuinely thought was right. I might be a bit more cautious now, but I cannot imagine a scenario where, if a 17 year old said he needed to call his mom, that I don't try and help somehow, though I'd probably point him to the nearest police station nowadays (it's NYC, they're everywhere). Things would definitely be different if it were an armed robbery, however. The reason I didn't feel the need to press charges is because I genuinely don't think I was ever in any "danger". As far as I'm aware, the kid wasn't armed, outside of a light shove that was clearly not meant to hurt me, there wasn't even physical contact, so I think it was just some idiot teenager who snatched a phone. If they had had a gun or a knife or physically assaulted me, I would probably have pressed charges, since that's a more-direct public safety issue at hand there.

ChrisMarshallNY 2y ago

I would press charges, too. Shooting is a lot different from stealing. I might not let people off the hook, because I think it might change them, but it might change someone else who saw it happen, or, maybe, a family member that depends on them. This goes doubly true, these days, with everything being live-streamed. I get a little nauseous, though, at some of the staged crap, out there.

trod1234 2y ago
It is different from stealing, but crimes can escalate quickly and without warning. What people don't realize is when these type of things happen, if you haven't experienced it before, its surreal, and it can take a moment to realize, recognize and react. Even after the fact, with close calls there's a lot of processing and grappling with your own mortality. All you really see in the moment is a white, old rundown wood fence that suddenly becomes a cloud of flying splinters and wood chips. It is very different from how its portrayed in the media. I'm now a big believer that proper firearm safety and handling training should be mandatory for everyone by 18. You recognize the sounds, you see the effect, you can react much quicker with the experience imparted by training than without. I totally agree about the staged stuff. Anything like that muddies the reality.

tombert 2y ago

It's certainly violating and I was pretty upset to have my phone stolen, but there's always a risk of someone fucking you over for doing nearly anything. I said it in a sibling response; I don't lose sleep for doing something that I genuinely thought was right. I might be a bit more cautious now, but I cannot imagine a scenario where, if a 17 year old said he needed to call his mom, that I don't try and help somehow, though I'd probably point him to the nearest police station nowadays (it's NYC, they're everywhere). Things would definitely be different if it were an armed robbery, however. The reason I didn't feel the need to press charges is because I genuinely don't think I was ever in any "danger". As far as I'm aware, the kid wasn't armed, outside of a light shove that was clearly not meant to hurt me, there wasn't even physical contact, so I think it was just some idiot teenager who snatched a phone. If they had had a gun or a knife or physically assaulted me, I would probably have pressed charges, since that's a more-direct public safety issue at hand there.