Numerous readers have asked me to go into more detail about ‘keeping my head on a swivel’ in ‘Indian country’ to avoid predatory encounters and have also wondered about avoiding confrontations in ‘Dodge,’ that might escalate into purposeless fights.
The base problem is that whereas in the Old West there was a clear demarcation between Dodge and Indian Country, there is no such definition in the urban environment. For instance, on the bus I am in Dodge, a policed coach with government recording devices abundant and in plain sight. And, in most cases, as soon as I get off the bus I am in Indian Country, surrounded by propertiless humanity of the lowest order.
The absence of ownership, of being tied to a house, a vehicle, a law suit-friendly portfolio, or a garnish-ready wage, all makes a person more belligerent than they would otherwise be. The liberal slave masters have made of their urban slaves a ready force of aggressors. For they have tasted of abundance beyond the dreams of most working class people for two weeks of every month, and have also been deprived of a regular income, with monthly income distributions insuring times of want through the very lack of disciplined self-sufficiency denied the slave on the dole. Since a person raised on the welfare plantation is put in a position that weakens impulse control, inculcates a sense of entitlement only rivaled by medieval nobility, and at the same time denies property, he is uniquely prone to violent action of both the predatory and social variety.
Therefore, unlike the savage Indian who had excellent impulse control, the savage urbanite is likely to engage in escalated anger-based combat due to perceived insults to his entitled status, making him a dueling or brawling risk on the order of a medieval knight. At the same time, his condition of moral want and social isolation make him a predatory threat due to his purposeful alienation at the hands of his duplicitous slave master. In one person the hoodrat represents the risk of being hunted by an aboriginal savage in his native habitat, and of running afoul of the belligerent medieval dimwit on the road to his drawbridge.
The eye and body language discipline I suggest below is adapted to avoiding senseless confrontations born of misunderstanding as well as evading the predatory attention of hoodrats on the prowl.
Overall, since the Baltimore Riots and Purge, pedestrians have increased their awareness and courtesy levels by about ten times. Virtually every youth is now leery of me and gives me space when they see I am alert to their movement. Virtually every adult man now seeks casual eye contact and says a passing greeting upon observing I am vigilant. This is the type of ‘polite society’ that is generated by dangerous times. These men are alliance building. These hoodrats are now conscious that the police no longer patrol aggressively and will not be there to arrest me for defending myself. When your community goes the way of Detroit, Camden and Baltimore expect similar changes in behavior, which are largely for the better.
Open Country
Open country is defined as an environment where there is no one within hearing distance of the conversational tone. The faster your walking pace is the less likely you will be approached for good or ill.
When in open country do not fall prey to the temptation to look back over your shoulder, as did the man in the monkey suit in the famous sasquatch film. This is not harmful at long range but develops a fatal habit.
While at distance maintain close eye discipline as described in the next section. Break out of this by turning 360 degrees without stopping—but slowing—observing all angels of approach. This elongated pirouette affords maximum long range visibility and advertises to any who are scouting for victims from afar that you are alert—to a politically incorrect degree. This is important, as many criminals select white people for violent crimes as in white society vigilance is regarded as rude and silly. Proving you are not the typical stupid white person takes you off of many a menu.
The other method is to swerve diagonally, either cutting back and forth on your immediate path [sidewalk] or crossing the street, so that your standard close eye discipline will serve you at longer range. This is preferred in broken terrain, where vacant lots are broken by congested areas, for instance. Note that such vigilance will attract pigs, as this is seen as criminal behavior suggestive of guilt.
Close Eye Discipline
Do not stand rod straight, but slouch a little, rolling your shoulders like a boxer. This protects your chin and is also a subconscious aggression cue. Never ever throw your shoulders back in the manner of the confident 1950s cartoon villain and of numerous athletic descriptions. This exposes your heart, gut and throat, and is a positive marker for anyone looking for a confrontation.
Develop a belt and pocket check habit, patting each area where you carry valuables, weapons, or could be. Nervous habits repel predators. And this habit could remind you that you dropped your ink pen, or that you wallet is riding up out of the pocket. I do a chest check with my inactive hand every time I reach for anything at work, outside, etc. This is like the MMA high guard but for knife fighting, where I establish that home base for my empty hand places the forearm over my heart and my hand at the base of my throat, with the elbow shielding the heart and lung from the side. Do this and experienced hunters know what you are and new predators get nervous about you, not understanding why.
Never look over your shoulder. This exposes your throat and chin for the kill and the KO. There is nothing you can do about the back of the head but lower it a little.
Your head should hang slightly down with the chin tucked. It should move every time you step, swiveling from breast to collarbone as you look at the ground three to five paces out. This puts your six o’clock in your extreme peripheral vision and oblique confrontational approaches in your line of sight and any lateral threats in your peripheral vision.
This keeps your neck warm which reduces KOs from surprise attacks. Your chin is denied, as is the flat side of your head, making it likely that strikes hit your sloped dome.
There is no need to make eye-contact until a verbal threat which you expect to have to respond to has been made. With verbally initiated confrontations or set ups eye contact can help predict enemy action and even be used to paralyze the little ape with fear. Keeping an eye on the hips and hands and elbows is really all that is necessary.
Do not engage verbally in response to any threat, ever.
Nod respectfully when you suspect a respectful greeting or a grudging truce nod.
Use street lights that cast shadows for tracking your rear, as well at the sun when it is low in the sky. If you are walking into the sun with your head down and must turn to defend yourself, the sun is in their eyes.
Any time a person expresses movement in your direction, aggressive body language, or verbalization, immediately do a full swivel as you turn slightly to catch any possible accomplice of theirs. Treat everyone as an attacker until they prove otherwise.
This is a very simple discipline.
When whether permits the wearing of outer garments pocket your hands on something, like a pen, keys, rock, lacrosse ball, bottle, etc.
When walking empty handed, scan constantly for effective ground litter, including garden stones, broken curbs, rocks, bricks, sticks, nails, bottles. On regular walks I prefer trash-lined areas where I have a mental map of the litter. In nice residential areas lawns and gardens provide plenty of stone. I did once turn on a man I was convinced was following me. I first picked up a rusty 10 penny nail out of the gutter, then stepped to him as he walked around, grabbed his jacket with one hand and pressed the nail to his throat with the other. He was completely innocent and I felt like an ass, but those were rough times.
It is a constant test of alertness to walk like this with the effectiveness increased by your pace, as you provide less time for enemy calculations.
Most people, including most martial artists, place too little stock in habits, assuming that they will have a chance to decide on the course of action. Look, as alert as I am, I expect to get blindsided. That’s why I walk in a posture that is conducive to surviving a first strike, and which also projects a cagey mindset that discourage most such attacks.
As far as avoiding mindless confrontations, never speaking helps, and making only brief and respectful eye-contact at once puts up barriers to punks and builds bridges with real men. When the afro-juice hits the fan in Harm City again, or in your node of the Angry Entitlement Matrix men out there on the street faced with gangs of purgers want to be able to band together with a man who seems prepared.
When the Boned Zone expands to engulf your home town, be that man.
James, interesting read, the Angry Entitlement Matrix, looked that one up, I don't know who the guy interviewed but I wished he would have came into my space, I've never felt Entitled in my life, working two jobs for 30 yrs gave me little time to worry about someone taking my job. Ok Mister Kimmel here goes, I started out in a lead and silver mine working the bull gang, total shit work, called the goon spoon routine, smart enough thanks to high school shop class to move up to machinist. The mine closed down because cheaper to have some poor bastard elswhere do it for almost free, you know overseas. Ok thanks again to my rural upbringing moved to the construction trade, this is seasonal in my area unless you are a polar bear, moved on to guiding rich people to kill some poor dumb animal so they could feel good about themselves when they went home to their wives and girlfriends. This is seasonal also, worked 6 days a week running a feed store, supplying dairy cows, cattle, sheep, pigs, with food. Working at night afterwards to supplement extra cash for family. This included hauling hay, yes you can haul hay at night, skinning mink, real shitty job by the way, used my vacation every year to guide for my friend, 3 weeks of catering to whiny manginas, bailing shavings at the sawmill, small landscaping business on the side my wife helped me with this one. The feed store shutdown I was the general manager by then, big Agra you know them corporate, greedy never can fill the void in their heart money fucks. ran the small farmer out of business. Ok so they sold their land to big development firms who moved in almost over night, so somehow I found a job with a utility company because you know rich people can't shit in a bucket, we built the infrastructure to provide services for the new homes filling our once placid, green forested hillsides, wild flowers growing, the smell of fresh cut hay, above all quiet life, with raging, needy ignorant suburbanites,still getting used to these people by the way, I ranted enough my sights are on the white dudes not minority's some who are very honest, have great family's work like we redneck mules. No my beef is with the raping I'm taking to feed the lazy white, brown, black, yellow whatever color you like, and the people who continue to hoodwink these poor dumb humans. We need to find a way to educate, teach, innovate, I have no idea how to do this, I think we are screwed. Entitled, no way, just wore out. James if you post this help me out with the structure. My writing skills are repugnant. Thanks James your friend Ishmael.
Ishmael,
I, in my arrogance, thought that I invented the term Angry Entitlement Matrix this very week.
I have no idea who this Kimmel twerp is.
Thanks for the heads up—I shall search him out.