Fight like a .... coward?

[SilentCom]

In America the robber would have been shot. What? I'm just saying... shit gets bad over here...

Actually you did the right thing. If someone is trying to rob you, it's best not to get violent especially if you aren't armed. For all you know, the robber might have been armed.

 

[Kungfu_Teddybear]

In your situation if I knew the guy had no weapon, I'd think about kicking him in the balls and biking off as fast as I could. But as I've never been robbed and have no idea what it feels like it would only be something I'd consider, whether or not I'd do it is another matter. If he had a weapon however, a tenner isn't really worth me risking my life over.

 

[TonyVonTonyus]

This is the type of thing I was talking about.

If six men with knives jumped you and you tried to fight back, they'd probably have accidentally stabbed you in the confusions, even if they didn't mean to.

What you just wrote was complete BS.

You've probably never had a real fight in your entire life. You certainly don't sound like someone who has.

Did I say they ATTACKED me with knives? I said they HAD knives. People don't just jump out of the woodwork and attack you. They surrounded me, took out their knives and said give me your money. I could have left with a knife wound, beaten up or dead inside. I provoked them by saying "it takes 6 of you with knives to beat me? Fight like men, in which they kicked my ass. If you wish to contest it, speak against my scars, speak against the fact I lost some vision in one of my eyes, speak against the fact that I'm still angry and if I ever find them I give them a bit more than scars.

 

[MasterOfWorlds]

Honestly, if someone just wanted some cash and didn't take anything else, I'd let them have it and probably wouldn't feel all that bad about it.

Now, if I got threatened, I'd resist. If they pulled a knife, I'd probably still resist. If they pulled a gun, I'd give them the money.

It's just part of who I am. Of course, I've never been robbed, so this is all speculation as to how I'd act. I'm pretty sure that I could take a knife from someone, because I've done it before. Empty handed, I'm pretty good too. If it was more than one guy...maybe not. I might be able to take two guys that were smaller build than me, but more than that, I'd just give them the money.

 

[Carbonyl]

Ten pounds? Not really worth it. But if needed, I'm pretty sure I am willing to bite someone trying to jump me. People get kind of freaked out by biting. Time enough to run off.

 

[Mrrrgggrlllrrrg]

Well when you're on a bike, cant tell if they're armed, and all they want to do is rob you not kill you then the best course of action is to give up your stuff and get a real good look at them. I'd say not losing your phone, cards, or bike means you came out a head albeit 10 pounds lighter. Now laugh, best medicine right now is to laugh.


I've almost been car jacked, they didnt succeed. I open carry so I don't think punks want to go after me.

 

[BiscuitTrouser]

I was robbed once. Six men with knives jumped me and I still fought...i got my ass kicked but I still fought, why? Because I'd rather go through life knowing I fought and failed than wondering if I could have won. Also I'd rather die than run ( and yes, I know someone is eventually going to say "your an idiot because so and so" or something to that effect, well...good for you for believing that, I believe there is a special circle of hell reserved for cowards.(there's a difference between being scared and being a coward. Being scared is when someone holds a gun to you and asks to give him your money. Being a coward is that same guy without a gun who asks you to give him all your money, prompting you to comply and run))

Being a coward is watching someone suffer and doing nothing. Being intelligent is doing what others view as wrong but you decide solidly as right and standing by your option no matter what. You think i belong in a special circle of hell. I think you are a bit of an idiot and i doubt what you said actually happened to be honest. Id defend someone else in that situation in a pinch. But today i decided that my 10 quid was worth it not to find out what would have happened if id fought. I stand by my choice. Im not ashamed actually. Your random (dare i call it rather hate filled) rant has actually forced me to stand by what i did and go "Yeah, it might not be the most glorious but it was my fucking view of whats right and wrong, so i did it. Screw you to anyone that thinks otherwise, id do it again if i had another go"

You lost vision in an eye?! Jesus man. I mean hell im not gonna say you are an idiot. You did what you thought was right and you stand by it. I respect that. But personally my views tell me what i did was right and what you did was wrong. Id rather be me than you mate. Im 10 quid down. Youre down an eye.

 

[Craorach]

This is the type of thing I was talking about.

If six men with knives jumped you and you tried to fight back, they'd probably have accidentally stabbed you in the confusions, even if they didn't mean to.

What you just wrote was complete BS.

You've probably never had a real fight in your entire life. You certainly don't sound like someone who has.

Did I say they ATTACKED me with knives? I said they HAD knives. People don't just jump out of the woodwork and attack you. They surrounded me, took out their knives and said give me your money. I could have left with a knife wound, beaten up or dead inside. I provoked them by saying "it takes 6 of you with knives to beat me? Fight like men, in which they kicked my ass. If you wish to contest it, speak against my scars, speak against the fact I lost some vision in one of my eyes, speak against the fact that I'm still angry and if I ever find them I give them a bit more than scars.

There is a line between brave and stupid.

You crossed that line, and are encouraging others to do so.. you are exceptionally lucky that you left with your life.. over stuff.

 

[Baby Tea]

Ive seen this websites responses a few times "Id fight 40 men with krav maga and live to tell the tale as a true ninja" in regard to pretty much any scenario such as mine.

Those people are retarded.

I took Krav Maga, and even my instructors (Who were the most bad-ass people I've ever met) tell you to get out of there ASAP. Proper self defense isn't kicking the shit out of a ton of guys. It's about surviving. It's about making it out of there with as little damage done to you as possible. If the guy just wanted 10 pounds, then you got off easy.

The bottom line is you aren't a coward.

You might be a coward if, during this altercation, he attacked you and you literally just curled up and didn't try to do anything to protect yourself. THAT is cowardly. But the guy was bigger then you, he had position over you (You on/holding your bike), and you didn't know what weapons he may or may not have had. And all you lost was 10 pounds! People have been killed for far worse.

Remember: What's paramount is your safety. I'd fight tooth and nail if a guy came at me with a knife or something. But if he said 'Gimme your wallet or I'll attack you', then I'd hand him the freakin' wallet. I can either comply and have a good chance of being safe, or be an egotistical moron and fight him and get stabbed. If you'd honestly rather die then walk away or get out of a fight, then you've got serious ego and insecurity problems.

I can live with losing a wallet.
I can't live with a knife in my stomach.

But, again, you did the right thing. Seems you stayed calm, you did what he said, and you had the sense enough to think that 'If I don't show him everything, or just hand it over, I could get stabbed or something'. You realized the value of the bike was greater then the money you lost, so you didn't want to run away without the bike, and (Again) all you lost was 10 pounds.

If it really eats you up, do something about it.
I was bullied when I was younger, and I'm not a big guy (Tall, but slim). So I took Krav Maga and started working out to help with my self esteem. Did wonders. I don't take it anymore (Gym shut down) and I don't work out as much, but I've still got the confidence. Knowing yourself is a huge part to that, and martial arts (ANY martial art) helps with that big time.

Glad you're safe, and don't listen to any moron who says you're a coward or something.
You're alive, you're unharmed, and you're a little bit wiser. That's coming out on top.

 

[ShindoL Shill]

well if i had the training (i just began studying martial arts) i would take him on, if there was no weapons involved. if not, i would give him the ten pounds. he might have a knife at the back and its only ten pounds...
ive never been robbed, but one of my friends who lives on a street similar to where you were (lots of drugs/violence, and someone was murdered three doors down from him) and he was (his house, not him). now he sleeps with a rolling pin in case he wakes up mid-robbery.
ive also had two guys a lot taller and fitter than me threaten to stab me: i ran like fuck.

I was robbed once. Six men with knives jumped me and I still fought...i got my ass kicked but I still fought, why? Because I'd rather go through life knowing I fought and failed than wondering if I could have won. Also I'd rather die than run ( and yes, I know someone is eventually going to say "your an idiot because so and so" or something to that effect, well...good for you for believing that, I believe there is a special circle of hell reserved for cowards.(there's a difference between being scared and being a coward. Being scared is when someone holds a gun to you and asks to give him your money. Being a coward is that same guy without a gun who asks you to give him all your money, prompting you to comply and run))

thats a lie. not saying you werent robbed, i'm saying you didnt fight back or they didnt have knives. in a fight with six knives and seven people, theres going to be at least one major wound. if they surrounded you, you probably wouldnt make it to the emergency room. and even if the guy didnt have a weapon out, it doesnt mean that he doesnt have a hidden one, or a few mates with knives or maybe even a gun within shouting distance.

 

[Hero in a half shell]

Have you ever been robbed? And honestly. HONESTLY. In any situation like mine, without even a visible weapon, any threats and no number advantage would you fight a man slightly taller than you one on one for 10 pounds? Was what i did cowardly? I honestly dont know what to think here. Im not angry at all about the 10 pounds, more about the outrage of what happened. Im 17. I guess hes about 20-25.

What you did was the smart thing, we all like to imagine that we'd be able to fight off an entire football mob in bullet-time free-running through the streets like Ezio, but in reality if you don't train reguarly in a martial art then fighting a mugger is not worth it (even if you are a boxer it's not recommended- he could have had a concealed knife or gun, and his fighing ability is a complete unknown factor.)

Our ideas of how we should react in a dangerous situation and what our bodies are capable of have been massively screwed up by media and games. For example here is a video of Ezio the Assassin defeating half an army, (starting at 1:15) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wo6Q14vBB1c&feature=related it's CGI, so it's in slo-mo, with all his sleek reactions and aerobics and it looks freaking awesome, and we would all love to be able to fight like that, and to a certain extent because we see it done there we imagine that's easy to do if you trained, and that's how we should be fighting.
Now here's Ezio's Dad fighting a pile of people, (starting at six minutes into the movie) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDnP6xwteG4&feature=relmfu This time it's done live, not animated, and as such the fightings a lot more realistic, a lot more. We see he's barely able to fend off 5 guys, and even that's incredibly optimistic and far-fetched. It makes you realise just how bent from reality our image of what our fighting capabilities are. Unless the guy is visibly much, much weaker than you (if he has no arms, for example) just handing over the money is the best thing to do. After all, dying in a gutter usually messes up your plans for the rest of the day.

And now... A story to cheer you up. I am a ginger (remember that, it is important for later in the story) When my uni class went to Barcalona about half of us were pickpocketed or robbed. One guy caught someone pickpocketing him on the subway. The pickpocketer laughed it off like it wasn't any deal, and all my friend could do was let him go, with some R-rated cursewords aimed at him.
I was in the Sagrada Familia (the massive awesome cathedral that's been being built for over 100 years) and the rest of the class moved on without me, so I had no idea where they were, and I only had a vague idea of the route we were taking through the town. I ran out in the general direction I thought they went, and was walking down a narrow street, which had a large crowd of guys, around 20 years old, just hanging out at a doorway. I was scared, and as I passed them one guy began to speak loudly in Spanish to the others, now I don't speak Spanish, so I had no idea what they said, but the end of the sentence went like this... "Blah blah blahblah bleugh blah Ron Weasley!" and all the other guys went into histerical laughter. I turned in their direction and smiled and nodded as I passed, but inside I was absolutely busting to laugh, it was so unexpected, just brilliant.

 

[TonyVonTonyus]

There is a line between brave and stupid.

You crossed that line, and are encouraging others to do so.. you are exceptionally lucky that you left with your life.. over stuff.

Perhaps but your beliefs support your views and my idealogy suggests otherwisem. I stand by my actions.

 

[JochemDude]

Sometimes it's just not worth fighting over. I've been robbed, yes. One time a few guys jumped me and demanded I gave everything I had, I gave them the 200 bucks I had and they got arrested and jailed for it 3 days later. When the odds are stacked against you don't try to be heroic, another time however 2 guys walked up to me with knives, I knew them because I had knocked out one of their racist buddy's out in school the other day. I fought back and they did not live, I got stabbed in the crotch, arm and got cuts all over my chest. Another time, I was trying to be heroic. I saw someone getting robbed and walked up and attacked them, one of them fired several shots and hit me in the shoulder and then ran off.

As I said, you did the right thing 10 bucks just isn't worth risking your life over. Being heroic often does makes things worse, in my case I should've just took pictures of the guys and then maybe justice would have served it's purpose.

 

[TonyVonTonyus]

Wow, sorry, I didn't realise I was talking to captain fistycuffs. I'm sorry I ever doubted your integrity. You certainly sound like a mature individual who has actually been in a real life or death situation.

Take you're cheesy action movie lines and wax lyrical somewhere else.

Meanwhile, on planet Earth. Brovado gets you killed. Picking your battles gets you a longer life.

OP: Seriously take whatever people like this say with a pinch of salt. It's easy to be an armchair Chuck Norris.

I was thinking about what the write here for a while. I wrote an entire paragraph talking about how I wasn't insulting the OP (I wasn't even talking about him) and what the fuck an armchair chuck norris is or why we live in a world where people automatically give in instead of fighting for themselves, but why? I'm having a confrontation on the internet with someone who I never met before talking shit because he disagrees with. No matter what I say, even if its the most enlightening thing in the world I wouldn't change your mind about my stance.

 

[SillyBear]

So today i was robbed. Yay. In fact less than 30 mins ago i was robbed. Just made it home. In all fairness i only lost 10 pounds, I kept my very visible bike and phone, hell i wasnt even threatened with a weapon or even with threats of harm. But somehow he walked off with my 10 quid... it didnt go ANYTHING like i imagined being robbed would be like. Even everything he did (yep robbed by a single guy while on a bike, he stepped out and made me swerve off to stop me) was really odd and caught me off guard. All those casual daydreams in which you fight them off or leg it and tell a heroic tale were pretty much worth jack shit.

And it made me think. Ive seen this websites responses a few times "Id fight 40 men with krav maga and live to tell the tale as a true ninja" in regard to pretty much any scenario such as mine.

I want this guy punished, but i have no details other than "black, a bit taller than me, black jacket". The injustice makes me feel... that horrible feeling when something jarring and suddenly crap happens to you. You know the feeling.

Have you ever been robbed? And honestly. HONESTLY. In any situation like mine, without even a visible weapon, any threats and no number advantage would you fight a man slightly taller than you one on one for 10 pounds? Was what i did cowardly? I honestly dont know what to think here. Im not angry at all about the 10 pounds, more about the outrage of what happened. Im 17. I guess hes about 20-25.

EDIT: Running not really an option, on the bike i can go forward into him pretty lightly or backward slowly as hell. Or make an awkward turn. And i was not gonna leave my bike.

You acted wisely. I don't care how much macho bullshit you've heard, fighting anyone over ten pounds isn't worth it mate. You did the right thing. You should only fight when you or someone else is in danger, even then it should be the last option.

 

[The Random One]

Yeah, once. A guy pointed what was clearly a finger at me (under a hoodie) and demanded I give him my wallet and cell phone. I told him I had neither (I did). He told me he would frisk me. I said he could, knowing that if he did that he would have to lower his 'gun' and I would have an opening to do something. He realized that and hesitated. Then, much to his surprise and even my own, I asked if that thing he was holding was actually a gun and demanded to see that. He stepped back. I harrumphed at him and just walked away, without looking back.

Yeah, he probably robbed someone else at that very same spot later, but I like to think that he was so disheartened at his robbing skills he went back home and cried. It was a day the police were on strike so there wasn't much I could do anyway.

 

[Meet_Your_Doom]

Watch this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mR3w5Ci-h9M

At worst, you overpaid


Also, there is nothing cowardly about what you did. "bravery" is when you are willing to put yourself in harms way to protect something you hold dear e.g. family, friends, country, and cowardice is when you wouldn't. If you consider a £10 note to be on this list then I'm surprised you can even read this. People who would choose to fight in any situation where they could possibly win and think it makes them brave aren't worth listening to

P.S. Glad you weren't injured

 

[James Joseph Emerald]

Have you ever been robbed? And honestly. HONESTLY. In any situation like mine, without even a visible weapon, any threats and no number advantage would you fight a man slightly taller than you one on one for 10 pounds? Was what i did cowardly?

I was robbed by an old beggar once, and I had about a foot on him, and I had a baton in my pocket (long story) and I still let him away with it. I consider it an involuntary charitable donation.

 

[TonyVonTonyus]

You clearly pointed out his situation as an example of cowardice.

And you're right, you'll not make me believe. You don't sound like a person who's been in the situation you claim to have been in. Atleast not an intelligent person who's been there.

So my choices are, you're either lying to sound tough on the internet. Or you're a complete fool who thinks it's a clever idea to provoke 6 armed attackers with some cheesy action man line.

I choose to believe the lesser of the options, the one less likely to make me facepalm myself to sleep.

So you're assuming to know my entire psychological profile and how I would act in situations based on reading a post on the internet? I couldn't actually find another way to word my situation about the OP, I was actually being quite kind but I'm going to be honest, that WAS quite cowardly. I mean an unarmed man made you stop a bike and demands money, where I'm from that's a homeless person. And since we all have different views of cowardice we probably won't agree. Now, I'm also not saying it was SMART decision and I'm probably not going to try that by myself again but going back to the situation I wouldn't change a thing and you're ranting about that? You're ranting that someone has a different view then you and reacts differently to danger? You're entitled to an opinion and I'm entitled to mine but don't be a dick when it comes to it. I'm not saying the OP is an idiot for giving in, I'm just saying that in my view of bravery and cowardice he acted with the later.

 

[qeinar]

You sohuld have said: "sorry mate, don't 'ave any cash on me" and imediately started walking (or cycling ). it's kind of coward, atleast when the robber is unarmed. was there manny people in the street? would have been insane of him to attack you if there were.