imported post
OK, ixtow,
I apologize. Now I know where you're coming from, it's clear that we are on COMPLETELY different sheets of music. If maybe you'd explained that you live in a battle zone before hand, and the city in which you live was so devoid of law and order that a reasonable person couldn't expect to make it through a day without being victimized, I might not have come down so hard on your OP. It must suck to be living in a place like that.
I'm a little unsure about your assessment of my post though. I can't, for the life of me, find one reference to penis size in any of my posts, or any "Brady-esque" references, or anything that's really "politically correct". I've kept a relatively civil, rational tone with my posts, and you've met them all with name-calling, ad-hominem attacks, and presumptions about my experience, training, and personal beliefs.
And yet, you say over and over again how you don't OC to intimidate, and then, in the same paragraph, you say you do it EXACTLY for intimidation of BGs. It's either one or the other. I think we ALL know and agree that the primary purpose of OC is, in fact, to intimidate and deter BGs from seeing us as "easy prey". You can at least own that, rather than denying it, and then blaming people who aren't comfortable with guns for feeling put out when they see on on your hip.
I'm not trying to argue the tactical advantages of OC vs. CC. I think we can agree that OC has the clear tactical advantage in a real-world defense situation, and that it does, in fact, have some significant deterrent effect as well.
What I AM arguing is the sociological, intellectual, and psychological tactics of educating the public and trying to get them over to our way of thinking. We're not going to do that by regaling them with tales of terror and bravery. We're going to do it by appealing to their sense of human decency, their belief in basic human rights, and their inherent sense of what is right and wrong. And I'm just saying that it's a LOT harder to do that when you are wearing something on your hip that, to them, is a symbol of fear and evil. That mindset is wrong, we can at least agree on that. But breaking through that brainwashing is going to be a lot harder when they are eyeballing your gun. That's all I'm saying.
The public has been fed a steady diet of fear and negative propaganda regarding guns for decades. Many of them believe the lies. Appealing to their logic, their belief in human rights, and their beliefs that all law-abiding people have a natural right to defend themselves is our best tactic, in my opinion.
I'm going to stop. Although we probably agree on the combat tactical advantages of OC, we obviously disagree on the grounds of tactics for the movement from a political, sociological, and psychological stance.
You obviously need to OC, because your environment is, from your reports, fairly dangerous and full of insane predators. That sucks, and I feel bad for you if that is the case. If your environment is that dangerous, then I FULLY support your right to OC, because it's not merely a matter of "activism", it's a matter of survival. Your reasons for OC are a LOT more practical than a lot of the folks on this forum. You've got a tough row to hoe, and I don't envy you that.
But for those of us who live in places that are relatively peaceful and orderly, OC isn't a matter of survival. It's a choice, and it's an outward statement of our belief in certain legal, moral, and civil rights.
Your main antagonists are, from your report, mainly insane criminals, thugs, and BGs. Again, I don't envy you that. There but for the grace of God go I.
My main antagonists (when I'm not at work), where I currently live, are generally going to be uninformed LEO's and hysterical soccer moms. I carry because I work the "graveyard shift" as a night auditor in a hotel on the edge of a "dicey" neighborhood. We've had some pretty dangerous episodes in the last few months--on our property, and in the adjacent neighborhoods. My employer doesn't want me to OC while on the clock, but doesn't have a problem with me CC. I'd rather have my Para "tucked" than not at all, so that's why I CC at work. I hope I never have to pull my firearm, but I've got no problem--mentally, ethically, or morally--with using it if I must, because I want to come home every morning in the same condition I left home in. I love my family too much to be a victim.
I CC when I'm out on the town because I have had death threats from some of the "lower-case G's" that used to frequent the bar that we had in the hotel (until it was shut down last month because they lost their liquor license because of violations). My daily routine takes me through and to that same neighborhood, and this is a REALLY small city, so, again, I'd rather have the Para "tucked" than not at all.
This is a relatively peaceful town. Most of the folks that live here are quiet, polite, and genteel. There are a few bad apples, just like any small city. It's pretty well known, among the people I have regular dealings with, that I have a CHP, and am almost always armed. Even those thug types probably know--this is a small city and word gets around pretty quickly down here. Personally, I don't think, in my situation, that it's worth the potential headache to OC all the time. I live outside the city limits, in a very nice neighborhood, and know all my neighbors. In almost ALL of my daily life, I am pretty safe. But I understand that BGs can come at any time, and so I carry, because I own my responsibility for my own safety and that of my family.
It sounds like you are in a very different situation. I don't envy you that. I'm not arguing that YOU, in what has now been revealed as a VERY dangerous environment, should not OC. What I'm postulating is that in places where people are NOT in fear for their lives and safety every minute of the day, OC seems to be more about making a political statement than serving a practical purpose, and I don't know that OC, in those situations, is the best way to serve our goals.
Let's just agree that we disagree on this. You are talking about practical, tactical issues in what appears to be a shit-hole of a city. I'm talking about political and sociological tactics. These are two entirely different issues, and although you seem to think we are at complete odds, I think that we actually agree on a LOT more points than we disagree on. I'm sorry you can't see that. I think that the OC movement would be much better served if the "street tactical" and "social engineering" folks could have a civil conversation and join forces, rather than the "tactical" folks thinking anyone who doesn't OC 24/7 is a wuss, and accusing them of being "closet Brady-ites"
But I'm tired of explaining myself, and I'm tired of you making all sorts of accusations and presumptions about where I'm coming from or what my abilities are.
So, I guess, you win. Once again, you've intimidated someone, and stopped them from engaging you. It's just that this time, the person you've intimidated into walking away was actually on your side at the root level. A Pyrrhic victory at best...
You think I'm a slick talker who is trying to chatter my way into changing the world. And I think you are a confrontational cowboy, and the kind of person who will eventually do something that sets our movement back 20 years. I doubt we'll ever have a meeting of the minds on the social or psychological tactics with regards to OC activism, because apparently we live and move in VERY different worlds.
This is a big country, and most of it is pretty peaceful. I hope someday you find a nicer place to live, and have a much more peaceful existence...