Once upon a time, I had a sit-down with the infamous John Riddle to talk about situational awareness. In that talk, he suggested a drill that will make anybody who does it a less attractive target to most bad guys. I’ve mentioned it before in a few places, and you can see it in other sources, too:
Go out in public. Pretend you’re a bad guy. Look for people you, as a bad guy, would choose as your victim. Think about what the people you choose have in common with their body language, clothing, size, demeanor, and any other aspects…then stop doing those things.
It’s a great drill, but only part of the equation because it ignores the fact that different predators seek out different prey. In our interview, Rory Miller told me about ways this applies to self-defense, and we’ll get to that in a moment, but first…
Consider the Humble House Cat
This is what I mean when I say different predators seek out different prey. A host of studies have found that house cats are the deadliest hunters in the world, in terms of how often they kill, how many different species they kill, and how frequently they kill without eating their victims. Cats are incredibly dangerous predators…if you’re smaller than them. They’re no danger whatsoever to a human, or a dog, or even large birds and rodents. Raccoons and opossums can generally kick the crap out of them.
See also spiders, bears, mountain lions, and bats. Each are profoundly dangerous to some prey animals, and completely harmless to others. Or look at sharks. They’re the apex predator of the ocean, but mountain goats never have to spare them a thought.
Different predators go after different prey.
Now, Consider Ted Bundy
Generally, I think we should forget serial killers, spree shooters, terrorists, and other “people” of that ilk. Fame is part of what they want from what they do, and we shouldn’t give it to them. That said, sometimes we can learn from what they unintentionally teach us. For example, this photo array of some of Bundy’s victims.
Bundy killed somewhere between 20 and 30 women, and he killed most of them through an evil combination of preparation, cunning, and deceit. He was a very dangerous killer, but from the photos above you can see that he wasn’t dangerous to men, or to children, or even to women who didn’t fit a very specific physical profile.
Different predators have different victims.
Well Okay, So What?
The title of this blog post is “Think Like a Bad Guy”, and we started by mentioning a drill that puts you in that mind. Your next step is to think like the bad guys who might target you. Based on your size, shape, demeanor, location, and bearing, you are the preferred target of…somebody.
For example. I’m 200 pounds of aging jock with a lot of martial arts training, who dresses like I have about five bucks to spend on his wardrobe each month. Very, very few predators are going to look at me and say “Oh, boy! There’s lunch.” However, I am a solid target for three kinds of bad guys:
Aggressive panhandlers, who are confident I won’t just beat them up…and who think they can play on that alpha male pride bullshit to shame me into handing them a few bucks. Especially in front of kids or a woman (they don’t know if she’s a wife, girlfriend, or date), because I won’t want to look cheap.
Muggers when I’m traveling abroad, because Americans are impossibly wealthy from their perspective, and they know I’m not flying back into town to testify after my vacation is over.
Women in bars looking to roll a drunk (and their male accomplices), who think they can play on that aging part of “aging jock” and lead me astray with thoughts of “old man’s still got it.”
That’s about it. Sure, there are situations I could create or wander into that bring other predators out, but really those are the predators I need to worry about. Having identified them, I develop plans for each one.
When alone, I just don’t engage with aggressive panhandlers. No eye contact, keep moving. I’ve never had one touch me where the right eye contact didn’t end the interaction immediately.
As to my kids and aggressive panhandlers: I have a rule. If you’re trying, you get paid: sell flowers or oranges, play guitar, tell me a joke, wash my windows, whatever. If you’re trying, you get paid. If not, you don’t. My kids know my rule, so I’m never in fear that they’ll think I’m cheap or unempathetic in that situation.
I have a long list of safety practices I use when travelling. Stay tuned for a full post series, and probably a book, about them. But they start with a dummy wallet packed with low-denomination bills of local currency. In most places I like to go, even $10 worth seems like a full wallet. I hand it off and we all go about our business.
Getting tricked by a criminally-minded lass is off the table for me because when I’m married, I’m married. That’s it.
Now It’s Your Turn
Based on your size, gender, appearance, demeanor, ability, mobility, visible wealth, and all the other aspects that somebody can tell about you with a one-minute scan…who’s likely to target you? Who’s likely to target your kids?
Make a list, then come up with (or ask an expert about) the best ways to deal with each threat. This is some of the best thinking and learning you can do for your safety and the safety of your family.
About That Shark
I wanted to mention an important hint from that shark again. Mountain goats are probably delicious, and sharks would very likely eat them with great pleasure….but mountain goats don’t have to worry because they don’t go anywhere near the ocean.
One of the best lines of defense against any kind of bad guy/predator is to think about where those bad guys tend to be…then simply be someplace else.
Rory talks more about that specific aspect in our conversation, so check it out if you haven’t already.