hal@finney.org wrote:
>
> It's interesting that the bad guys would find it more believable that you
> would use the stick and in some ways be more intimidated by that weapon.
> It makes sense though, because the gun is a much more binary weapon
> (life or death) and doesn't allow for the degree of control that a stick
> or club would.
My friend and coworker Aleta Jackson once woke to discover that three
people had broken into her apartment in the wee hours of the morning,
and she grabbed one of the two weapons by her bed before responding.
For reasons she's still not sure of, she chose the sword instead of the
M-1 (she's a member of the Society for Creative Anachronism). The
burglars were instantly cooperative and submissive, and were positively
*glad* when the police arrived in the fullness of time to arrest them.
Laser sights on a handgun tend to make it a better persuader- seeing the
spot on one's groin makes even the most aggressive attacker think twice,
by making the promise "I will maim you" instead of "I will kill you,"
introducing a shade of gray into the life or death equation. The
maiming potential of a sword is what gives it its psychological power,
but Aleta was fortunate the perps did not have firearms.
-- Doug Jones Rocket Plumber, XCOR Aerospace http://www.xcor-aerospace.com
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Mon Oct 02 2000 - 17:38:51 MDT