You know you’re paranoid when a healthy level of situational awareness is no longer healthy.
When you’re polite, professional, and have a plan to kill everyone you meet.
…when you realise most such funnels of death are located in mandated “Murder and Killing Implement Free Zones.”
They are! Really. The government gives you its absolute assurance on this. Completely Guaranteed! We just assume no liability on it if something does happen…
“Oh I only have two direction I have to keep an eye on.”
Oh, I would only have one way to flee danger, and have no cover (nor concealment) if someone were to start shooting.
That looks like a airport to me. I supposed 1 way to run is better than being on a plane with no where to run.
It’s Logan Airport in Boston.
Ah, well. It beats a dark alley in S. Central LA in the middle of the night.
You work in a gun free zone and know the quickest way out, the best hiding places and have a mental list where all the best makeshift weapons are.
I kinda wish the only way in, wasn’t the only way out.
A coworker a week or so ago, was hounded for having a single round of .40 S&W on his desk. Mind you, our office is very much away of us being the gun guys. We’ve taken our coworkers out to the range and we’ve gone to the range many times together after work. I laughed at the fact they wigged out over a single bullet on his desk. Not a huge deal IMO, as without a gun it’s just a tube with powder and a lid. He said he had it in his pocket from the range or when he was cleaning out his car, I dont recall how it got there, but it was there for maybe a few months before anyone said anything. The whole Aurora thing kinda got some people worked up around here. Checking employee handbooks and HR regs or whatever over a single bullet. “No Weapons Allowed” – Funny too because a bullet isn’t a weapon. *whatever*
Sadly, the building we work in, and where our offices are located, the main entranceis also the exit into the buildings hallway.
You know you are situationally aware when you can realistically judge differences in risk and context so that you may dedicate your finite energy as effectively as possible.
When you open a door and stand on the same side as the knob so that its harder to get covered by a gun snaking out of a cracked door.
When your approach to a mall or department store is equal parts lateral and longinal instead of walking in a pair of straight line so as to take advantage of cover offered by cars.
When you’re at a big party and you weigh the second floor balcony as a viable exit for a fire but a cheap way to get a bullet in the back for escaping a shooter.
You know you are situationally aware when you notice others printing, when you find yourself always sitting facing the door with your back to the wall, and when you have a contingency plan for attack from every angle.
jeebus, i think i need to get a little more paranoid.
You are nervous because your only line of retreat is out a second story windows!
When im riding the blue line… period
Uh, don’t forget the Red Line. I had to ride that a lot for several years. Luckily I never had to go south of Chinatown. Us OFWGs stick out like a sore thumb past there. . .Heck, I even get nervous on the Purple and Brown lines anymore-which is why I don’t live there now.
What is south of China town on the red line that a white guy would even want to go to? Comiskee/US Cellular field is all I can think of.
The purple isnt that bad. Most of the bad parts of Evanston (Church & Dodge area near the high school) dont have L stops. The only real bad stop is Howard, and I live about 6 blocks away from it. If you’re tall and look pissed off people leave you alone.
Well you have allowed me to narrow down your location. Keep looking over your shoulder. (Former resident of 1412 W. Jarvis.)
When I visit now I use the Howard station a lot, so I definitely agree being tall, looking pissed off, and walking at a good clip makes a difference. I used to use the Clark/Division station when I lived there. Tried to maintain good SA, and never had a problem. But, there was that incident a few months back when a couple of Guardian Angels got cut up when they were trying to catch an Apple picker.
Agreed, the Purple isn’t bad-it’s just my gradually increasing paranoia with age. . .
I just found out that in the year 2015 it will be exactly 666 years since the height of The Black Death plague which wiped out 50% of Europe’s population, just saying.
thanks a lot. now i gotta get my black death booster shot.
Black death isn’t such a big deal now that we have antibiotics. Or it wouldn’t be, if people didn’t inappropriately use antibiotics when they shouldn’t (i.e. when they have viral infections), thus helping to breed antibiotic resistant bacteria. Bacteria which can then pass that resistance laterally, undermining one of humanity’s great achievements.
When you finish reading all 33 responses and realize you’ve done every single one of those things.
When you reflexively scan a crowd as you enter a room, looking for anything out of context.
When you position yourself in the room so you can perform that same scan on people coming and going.
When you walk up to a crosswalk, and you look both ways and behind you before crossing.
… you’ve built a mental plan for what you’ll do to stay alive if an active shooter enters you place of employment… And it doesn’t involve herding to the exit with your co-workers.
.. or verbally discussed the plan with the two or three other ‘like thinkers’ that you work with and have a strategy worked out.
Saw a dude wearing a duster at ah kids play zone place this weekend. In 90 degree heat. Let the g/f know, grabbed the kids and left. He didn’t leave my sight. Glock 26 on my hip.
when you greet people at church and you memorize license plate numbers and size them up physically in case you to have to engage in hand to hand with them
When you scourer the Internet for help in thinking outside-the-box of the usual threat profiles to improve your situational awareness for the unexpected dangers out there.
‘Iran trains 3000 female ninjas as potential assassins’
Too bad americans attended the Indiana Jones school of sword fighting. =)
To be fair, Indy DID win that fight…
That was sort if the point. 😛
when you show your friends fishing pictures on your phone, you have to flip past 13 photos of recent maintenance vehicles license plates in your neighborhood.
When you are sitting at the DMV and you make eye contact with a couple others that have their back to the wall and are scanning as you are, thinking to yourself…”Are they a threat or an asset?”
This was me two weeks ago.
When you pick a few people out of the crowd and plan what you would do if those specific people snapped and started shooting right then.
When you walk to your car with a key sticking out of your fist to use as a weapon if need be.
welcome to jersey sir
When you grab an extra slice of cake from the dessert bar at the “all you can eat” buffett when you see a couple of 4oo pounders come through the door (and you see them coming because your back was facing the wall).
+1
+ice cream
When you ask the waiter for a different table so are strategically better positioned should a threat come through the front door.
I do that every time it’s like they are trying to get me killed
You stop to use urinals to piss because how vunerable is the situation.
At night in a parking lot you walk a WIDE circle around your vehicle before approaching to enter it. (This is also useful because you can glance at all 4 tires to make sure they are properly inflated )
Plate glass store fronts make great mirrors for checking behind you and to the opposite side without being noticed looking.
You know you’re situationally aware when the only bulge on a beautiful woman that you actually notice is her concealed handgun.
Never will I be THAT situationally aware!
That sounds like age catching up with you.
When you hesitate a few seconds to be sure people are indeed coming out of the business you are about to enter. (Folks usually can’t leave if there is a robbery in progress)
When you check the drivers of cars idling in front of any business (getaway driver?)
When you write down license numbers of cars/trucks just because they look out of place.
When you keep a mental log of who is getting drunk and loud at a party, and choose to leave before the brawl breaks out.
When you try to explain to your adult children all of the above points including all the other posts in this thread are important for them to learn.
You can’t get any more situationally aware than these guys:
You know you’re paranoid when a healthy level of situational awareness is no longer healthy.
When you’re polite, professional, and have a plan to kill everyone you meet.
…when you realise most such funnels of death are located in mandated “Murder and Killing Implement Free Zones.”
They are! Really. The government gives you its absolute assurance on this. Completely Guaranteed! We just assume no liability on it if something does happen…
“Oh I only have two direction I have to keep an eye on.”
Oh, I would only have one way to flee danger, and have no cover (nor concealment) if someone were to start shooting.
That looks like a airport to me. I supposed 1 way to run is better than being on a plane with no where to run.
It’s Logan Airport in Boston.
Ah, well. It beats a dark alley in S. Central LA in the middle of the night.
You work in a gun free zone and know the quickest way out, the best hiding places and have a mental list where all the best makeshift weapons are.
I kinda wish the only way in, wasn’t the only way out.
A coworker a week or so ago, was hounded for having a single round of .40 S&W on his desk. Mind you, our office is very much away of us being the gun guys. We’ve taken our coworkers out to the range and we’ve gone to the range many times together after work. I laughed at the fact they wigged out over a single bullet on his desk. Not a huge deal IMO, as without a gun it’s just a tube with powder and a lid. He said he had it in his pocket from the range or when he was cleaning out his car, I dont recall how it got there, but it was there for maybe a few months before anyone said anything. The whole Aurora thing kinda got some people worked up around here. Checking employee handbooks and HR regs or whatever over a single bullet. “No Weapons Allowed” – Funny too because a bullet isn’t a weapon. *whatever*
Sadly, the building we work in, and where our offices are located, the main entranceis also the exit into the buildings hallway.
You know you are situationally aware when you can realistically judge differences in risk and context so that you may dedicate your finite energy as effectively as possible.
When you open a door and stand on the same side as the knob so that its harder to get covered by a gun snaking out of a cracked door.
When your approach to a mall or department store is equal parts lateral and longinal instead of walking in a pair of straight line so as to take advantage of cover offered by cars.
When you’re at a big party and you weigh the second floor balcony as a viable exit for a fire but a cheap way to get a bullet in the back for escaping a shooter.
You know you are situationally aware when you notice others printing, when you find yourself always sitting facing the door with your back to the wall, and when you have a contingency plan for attack from every angle.
jeebus, i think i need to get a little more paranoid.
You are nervous because your only line of retreat is out a second story windows!
When im riding the blue line… period
Uh, don’t forget the Red Line. I had to ride that a lot for several years. Luckily I never had to go south of Chinatown. Us OFWGs stick out like a sore thumb past there. . .Heck, I even get nervous on the Purple and Brown lines anymore-which is why I don’t live there now.
What is south of China town on the red line that a white guy would even want to go to? Comiskee/US Cellular field is all I can think of.
The purple isnt that bad. Most of the bad parts of Evanston (Church & Dodge area near the high school) dont have L stops. The only real bad stop is Howard, and I live about 6 blocks away from it. If you’re tall and look pissed off people leave you alone.
Well you have allowed me to narrow down your location. Keep looking over your shoulder. (Former resident of 1412 W. Jarvis.)
When I visit now I use the Howard station a lot, so I definitely agree being tall, looking pissed off, and walking at a good clip makes a difference. I used to use the Clark/Division station when I lived there. Tried to maintain good SA, and never had a problem. But, there was that incident a few months back when a couple of Guardian Angels got cut up when they were trying to catch an Apple picker.
Agreed, the Purple isn’t bad-it’s just my gradually increasing paranoia with age. . .
I just found out that in the year 2015 it will be exactly 666 years since the height of The Black Death plague which wiped out 50% of Europe’s population, just saying.
thanks a lot. now i gotta get my black death booster shot.
Black death isn’t such a big deal now that we have antibiotics. Or it wouldn’t be, if people didn’t inappropriately use antibiotics when they shouldn’t (i.e. when they have viral infections), thus helping to breed antibiotic resistant bacteria. Bacteria which can then pass that resistance laterally, undermining one of humanity’s great achievements.
When you finish reading all 33 responses and realize you’ve done every single one of those things.
When you reflexively scan a crowd as you enter a room, looking for anything out of context.
When you position yourself in the room so you can perform that same scan on people coming and going.
When you walk up to a crosswalk, and you look both ways and behind you before crossing.
… you’ve built a mental plan for what you’ll do to stay alive if an active shooter enters you place of employment… And it doesn’t involve herding to the exit with your co-workers.
.. or verbally discussed the plan with the two or three other ‘like thinkers’ that you work with and have a strategy worked out.
Saw a dude wearing a duster at ah kids play zone place this weekend. In 90 degree heat. Let the g/f know, grabbed the kids and left. He didn’t leave my sight. Glock 26 on my hip.
when you greet people at church and you memorize license plate numbers and size them up physically in case you to have to engage in hand to hand with them
When you scourer the Internet for help in thinking outside-the-box of the usual threat profiles to improve your situational awareness for the unexpected dangers out there.
‘Iran trains 3000 female ninjas as potential assassins’
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iran/9090658/Iran-trains-female-ninjas-as-potential-assassins.html
Too bad americans attended the Indiana Jones school of sword fighting. =)
To be fair, Indy DID win that fight…
That was sort if the point. 😛
when you show your friends fishing pictures on your phone, you have to flip past 13 photos of recent maintenance vehicles license plates in your neighborhood.
When you are sitting at the DMV and you make eye contact with a couple others that have their back to the wall and are scanning as you are, thinking to yourself…”Are they a threat or an asset?”
This was me two weeks ago.
When you pick a few people out of the crowd and plan what you would do if those specific people snapped and started shooting right then.
When you walk to your car with a key sticking out of your fist to use as a weapon if need be.
welcome to jersey sir
When you grab an extra slice of cake from the dessert bar at the “all you can eat” buffett when you see a couple of 4oo pounders come through the door (and you see them coming because your back was facing the wall).
+1
+ice cream
When you ask the waiter for a different table so are strategically better positioned should a threat come through the front door.
I do that every time it’s like they are trying to get me killed
You stop to use urinals to piss because how vunerable is the situation.
At night in a parking lot you walk a WIDE circle around your vehicle before approaching to enter it. (This is also useful because you can glance at all 4 tires to make sure they are properly inflated )
Plate glass store fronts make great mirrors for checking behind you and to the opposite side without being noticed looking.
You know you’re situationally aware when the only bulge on a beautiful woman that you actually notice is her concealed handgun.
Never will I be THAT situationally aware!
That sounds like age catching up with you.
When you hesitate a few seconds to be sure people are indeed coming out of the business you are about to enter. (Folks usually can’t leave if there is a robbery in progress)
When you check the drivers of cars idling in front of any business (getaway driver?)
When you write down license numbers of cars/trucks just because they look out of place.
When you keep a mental log of who is getting drunk and loud at a party, and choose to leave before the brawl breaks out.
When you try to explain to your adult children all of the above points including all the other posts in this thread are important for them to learn.
You can’t get any more situationally aware than these guys:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6tB8Lf7YoU
(not only do they have big guns, they’re strapped into them and the fly them around!)
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