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From: mom@sftri.UUCP (M.Modig)
Newsgroups: net.women
Subject: Crossing the street
Message-ID: <276@sftri.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 17-Dec-84 11:53:40 EST
Article-I.D.: sftri.276
Posted: Mon Dec 17 11:53:40 1984
Date-Received: Tue, 18-Dec-84 03:11:45 EST
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories, Summit N.J.
Lines: 49

A great deal of flak has been hitting the net because of the
suggestion that at night a man might cross the street to help alleviate
the fear of an approaching lone woman (a stranger, I presume, since
I would probably stop and say hi to a friend)

Well, I have to say that my initial reaction was one of anger.  I
don't consider myself a dangerous person, and I'm not on the FBI's
10 Most Wanted List.  But then, I got to thinking.  My situation is
probably a bit different from most people's because I'm not an
average-looking person. [Hint:  the two questions most often asked
of me by strangers when we get talking are: Do you play basketball?
and, Do you play football?] Plus, I like to walk around in a huge
down parka that makes me look even bigger, and, I guess, even more
threatening.  So I guess I would probably strike fear into the heart
of anyone approaching me on a dark street.  Actually, I don't
usually go out alone too much at night, and when I do, I don't see
too many women out walking around alone.

Anyway, the upshot of it is, I think this is a good idea, and one
worth trying.

Yeah, it's a bit of a hassle, but, like I said, I don't run into the
situation very much, so it's not really that big of a problem, and I
don't think it probably would be for most people.

I don't think anger is a good idea when you are out alone at night
(or even during the day).  I think it's better to look as confident
and business-like as you can in your walk, expression, etc.

And finally, I am alarmed at the idea of resisting your assailant. 
Just telling people to resist is no good.  Hysterically slapping an
attacker will probably only make him mad, and what you get in return
will likely be considerably more than just a slap.  A young woman
was attacked and killed a few weeks ago somewhere in New York City.
She said, before she died, that she shouldn't have resisted, that
her resistance only made her killer angry and the attack more
frenzied.  She died, NOT because she resisted, but because she
didn't know HOW to effectively resist an attacker and defend
herself.  An organised, practised resistance by a defender who keeps
their wits about them can effectively discourage an attacker.  So,
when you advise people to resist, advise them also that resistance
is only possible if you know how to resist and have proper
training; simple and effective self-defense techniques can be picked
up fairly easily, and just having some training and an agenda of
what your reactions should be if you are attacked can make all the
difference if you ever have to face an attacker.

Mark Modig
ihnp4!attunix!mom