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I honestly don't think it's limited to IT workers. Some people just aren't confrontational people and would rather make an easy life for themselves. Plus, you

I honestly don't think it's limited to IT workers. Some people just aren't confrontational people and would rather make an easy life for themselves. Plus, you have to only consider the repercussions of being confrontational in certain situations.

tedks 11y ago
That said, predators of all types usually spend time selecting their prey.
- venomsnake 11y ago
  Sadly the only way to deal with predators is to prey on them.
  - LordKano 11y ago
    A metaphor that I am fond of is that there are Wolves, Sheep and Sheepdogs. Wolves avoid Sheepdogs. Even thought the Wolf is stronger than the Sheepdog; even though the Wolf will most likely prevail in the end; it's easier for the Wolf to just go and find unguarded Sheep because sometimes the Sheepdog wins.
    - venomsnake 11y ago
      >Even thought the Wolf is stronger than the Sheepdog;even though the Wolf will most likely prevail in the end; It is not, it won't https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Asian_Shepherd_Dog https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Asian_Shepherd_Dog I have seen these guys in action.
      - LordKano 11y ago
        As the saying goes, there is an exception to every rule. I was thinking more along these lines. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Komondor https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Komondor
        mhurron 11y ago
        You think that dog can't handle a wolf? That it can't do one of the things it was bred for? A livestock guard dog that can't hold its own against a wolf would be a very bad guard dog.
        LordKano 11y ago
        His function isn't necessarily to defeat the wolf. If he can discourage it or delay it long enough for the shepherd to come, he has done his job.
        jrochkind1 11y ago
        Well, that very wikipedia says: > An athletic dog, the Komondor is fast and powerful and will leap at a predator to drive it off or knock it down. It can be used successfully to guard sheep against wolves or bears. I dunno. Further googling: > Bred to drive away predators, not hunt them, the powerful Komondor will try to kill any animal that foolishly chooses to fight back. http://www.dogchannel.com/dog-breeds/dog-breed-profiles/inactive-dog-breeds-profiles/article_3651.aspx http://www.dogchannel.com/dog-breeds/dog-breed-profiles/inac... I dunno. It seems they kill coyotes not too infrequently, but it doesn't seem like wolves usually stick around long enough to kill or be killed by a Komondor, indeed. Wolves don't generally choose to fight animals that can fight back, which I guess is the message of the original aphorism. But if the wolf stayed to fight, the Komondor would fight it to the death one way or another, and their ridiculous looking coat is apparently actually pretty good defense against predator's teeth, and they've got very powerful jaws. At any rate, it's clear the Komondor is a fearsome fighter, despite looking like a stuffed animal to us, heh. And it doesn't protect the herd merely by sounding the alarm, but by being powerful enough to defend against wolves, for sure. Wait, what's this thread about again?
        pyre 11y ago
        > Wolves don't generally choose to fight animals that can fight back ... but Liam Neeson! (for those that don't get it: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1601913 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1601913 )
      - jacquesm 11y ago
        And these... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anatolian_Shepherd https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anatolian_Shepherd I know someone that has four of them. Conversations in the room with the dogs present tend to be very friendly ;)
    - Lawtonfogle 11y ago
      What I always see left out of this metaphor is mention that a sheepdog feeds on a daily allotment of mutton.
    - digi_owl 11y ago
      This always gets me thinking about a documentary on the Falklands War that i watched, where at one point they were talking to soldiers that were on the ground on the islands. One of them mentioned that there was 3 kinds of soldiers. First was the one that would refuse to leave his foxhole once the shooting started. Second was the kind that would storm the enemy at every chance. Third would also storm, but only if it meant that his probable death could save the life of his fellow soldiers (and/or civilians). His final remark was that the British army needed less of the first two and more of the third.
  - tedks 11y ago
    This is a nice witticism but I'm afraid it's not very connected to reality.
venomsnake 11y ago
Good people are easy to intimidate. Being raised in eastern Europe I have seen it a lot. I haven't had problems though - those kinds of people sense I am with the lawful evil alignment.
- Swizec 11y ago
  "Demons run when a good man goes to war"

tedks 11y ago

That said, predators of all types usually spend time selecting their prey.

venomsnake 11y ago
Sadly the only way to deal with predators is to prey on them.
- LordKano 11y ago
  A metaphor that I am fond of is that there are Wolves, Sheep and Sheepdogs. Wolves avoid Sheepdogs. Even thought the Wolf is stronger than the Sheepdog; even though the Wolf will most likely prevail in the end; it's easier for the Wolf to just go and find unguarded Sheep because sometimes the Sheepdog wins.
  - venomsnake 11y ago
    >Even thought the Wolf is stronger than the Sheepdog;even though the Wolf will most likely prevail in the end; It is not, it won't https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Asian_Shepherd_Dog https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Asian_Shepherd_Dog I have seen these guys in action.
    - LordKano 11y ago
      As the saying goes, there is an exception to every rule. I was thinking more along these lines. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Komondor https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Komondor
      - mhurron 11y ago
        You think that dog can't handle a wolf? That it can't do one of the things it was bred for? A livestock guard dog that can't hold its own against a wolf would be a very bad guard dog.
        LordKano 11y ago
        His function isn't necessarily to defeat the wolf. If he can discourage it or delay it long enough for the shepherd to come, he has done his job.
        jrochkind1 11y ago
        Well, that very wikipedia says: > An athletic dog, the Komondor is fast and powerful and will leap at a predator to drive it off or knock it down. It can be used successfully to guard sheep against wolves or bears. I dunno. Further googling: > Bred to drive away predators, not hunt them, the powerful Komondor will try to kill any animal that foolishly chooses to fight back. http://www.dogchannel.com/dog-breeds/dog-breed-profiles/inactive-dog-breeds-profiles/article_3651.aspx http://www.dogchannel.com/dog-breeds/dog-breed-profiles/inac... I dunno. It seems they kill coyotes not too infrequently, but it doesn't seem like wolves usually stick around long enough to kill or be killed by a Komondor, indeed. Wolves don't generally choose to fight animals that can fight back, which I guess is the message of the original aphorism. But if the wolf stayed to fight, the Komondor would fight it to the death one way or another, and their ridiculous looking coat is apparently actually pretty good defense against predator's teeth, and they've got very powerful jaws. At any rate, it's clear the Komondor is a fearsome fighter, despite looking like a stuffed animal to us, heh. And it doesn't protect the herd merely by sounding the alarm, but by being powerful enough to defend against wolves, for sure. Wait, what's this thread about again?
        pyre 11y ago
        > Wolves don't generally choose to fight animals that can fight back ... but Liam Neeson! (for those that don't get it: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1601913 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1601913 )
    - jacquesm 11y ago
      And these... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anatolian_Shepherd https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anatolian_Shepherd I know someone that has four of them. Conversations in the room with the dogs present tend to be very friendly ;)
  - Lawtonfogle 11y ago
    What I always see left out of this metaphor is mention that a sheepdog feeds on a daily allotment of mutton.
  - digi_owl 11y ago
    This always gets me thinking about a documentary on the Falklands War that i watched, where at one point they were talking to soldiers that were on the ground on the islands. One of them mentioned that there was 3 kinds of soldiers. First was the one that would refuse to leave his foxhole once the shooting started. Second was the kind that would storm the enemy at every chance. Third would also storm, but only if it meant that his probable death could save the life of his fellow soldiers (and/or civilians). His final remark was that the British army needed less of the first two and more of the third.
- tedks 11y ago
  This is a nice witticism but I'm afraid it's not very connected to reality.

venomsnake 11y ago

Good people are easy to intimidate. Being raised in eastern Europe I have seen it a lot. I haven't had problems though - those kinds of people sense I am with the lawful evil alignment.

Swizec 11y ago
"Demons run when a good man goes to war"