Workout safety (stranger danger)

I love how men are coming on here and making fun of women for being cautious, I know you guys don't have to worry about it, but surely you realize it's a bit different for us?

Of course we have nothing to worry about. No man has ever been sexually assaulted, raped, attacked, or murdered.

So I don't really want to get involved in an online argument because I feel like that is like the lamest thing in the world;

however, I do think this series of posts is a bit insensitive. Men are certainly targeted as victims of violent crimes and no one is saying that they're not.

No one on here is saying that they are paranoid or are hiding in their homes because of fear, but it is important to be cautious and aware of your surroundings. That applies to men and women. As a man, however, it can be really hard to understand what it feels like to be physically intimidated by another person. You may have never experienced the utterly helpless feeling of knowing that you are matched up against a person who has greater physical strength than you. The fact is, we live in a world where some people will use their physical attributes to make another person feel weak or intimidated. I have personally experienced it, and there is literally no worse feeling. I don't think a lot of men can say that they understand how this feels.

Also, your points would probably be taken more graciously if you didn't feel the need to make them in such a snarky manner.

I love how men are coming on here and making fun of women for being cautious, I know you guys don't have to worry about it, but surely you realize it's a bit different for us?

I love how men are coming on here and making fun of women for being cautious, I know you guys don't have to worry about it, but surely you realize it's a bit different for us?

Of course we have nothing to worry about. No man has ever been sexually assaulted, raped, attacked, or murdered.

So I don't really want to get involved in an online argument because I feel like that is like the lamest thing in the world;

But I'm going to anyway

however, I do think this series of posts is a bit insensitive. Men are certainly targeted as victims of violent crimes and no one is saying that they're not.

No one on here is saying that they are paranoid or are hiding in their homes because of fear, but it is important to be cautious and aware of your surroundings. That applies to men and women. As a man, however, it can be really hard to understand what it feels like to be physically intimidated by another person. You may have never experienced the utterly helpless feeling of knowing that you are matched up against a person who has greater physical strength than you. The fact is, we live in a world where some people will use their physical attributes to make another person feel weak or intimidated. I have personally experienced it, and there is literally no worse feeling. I don't think a lot of men can say that they understand how this feels.

Also, your points would probably be taken more graciously if you didn't feel the need to make them in such a snarky manner.

TIL all men are equally strong and men haven't been faced with larger or stronger people. I'll let Gary Coleman know that he should have no problem with The Rock.

Two words:

Stun gun.


Bzzzzzt!!!

Two words:

Stun gun.


Bzzzzzt!!!

I guess I just meant that on an average day, IF anything were to happen, it's more likely statistically that a female would be attacked than a male, and as was mentioned earlier women are often at a physical disadvantage, to a greater degree than an equally sized male would be.

Violent crime is much lower now than it was 50 years ago. 50 years ago you were much more likely to disappear without a trace. However, they didn't have cable television with 24 hour news coverage constantly blasting people over the head with every horrible atrocity to garner ratings back then, either. I was much more likely to be kidnapped as a kid in the 80s than my daughter is today, but the news networks have done a great job of instilling paranoia in people.

I guess I just meant that on an average day, IF anything were to happen, it's more likely statistically that a female would be attacked than a male, and as was mentioned earlier women are often at a physical disadvantage, to a greater degree than an equally sized male would be.

This is true.

Violent crime is much lower now than it was 50 years ago. 50 years ago you were much more likely to disappear without a trace. However, they didn't have cable television with 24 hour news coverage constantly blasting people over the head with every horrible atrocity to garner ratings back then, either. I was much more likely to be kidnapped as a kid in the 80s than my daughter is today, but the news networks have done a great job of instilling paranoia in people.

This is also true

I think the key (as most have said) is moderation. Know your surroundings, don't make yourself an easy target, vary your patterns, etc. But you certainly don't have to carry a glock either (unless you're running in a really bad part of a major city?).

I think it's a legitimate fear that can only be understood if you have been in a scary situation before. Seven months deployed in the desert made my situational awareness what it is today, and it's not always a concern for rape/molestation. When I'm running outside, I'm not just looking for random people lurking in the shadows. I'm looking for stray dogs that could attack, too. When I'm in a restaurant, I always am in the seat that faces the rest of the people seated instead of a wall. I also look for emergency exits in public buildings. In an airplane, I always get the aisle seat. I think it's less of a paranoia and more of a preparedness for anything that could happen.

^ I take this approach. Being aware and prepared doesn't have to reduce your quality of life. Odds are you'll never have to defend yourself against a person or wild animal, but it's empowering to know that you can. If i were a female jogger, i'd carry pepper spray, a small knife & a loud whistle, and also take a self-defense course. Also there's no point in wearing "cute" clothing.

This is more of a rant about some of the dangerous stuff I've seen people do.

Do you make your workout maps public? I don't. I've noticed that some people do, though. And, some even let people follow their activity. I just don't think that it's a good idea to let random people know what streets and parks you use each day.

I've gone to the park and have seen full water containers and personal belongings in a certain area (but, I didn't see anyone at the park), and about 20 minutes later, a group of young women would come back and start drinking from the containers. :noway: Weren't we told in school to never leave drinks unattended? They were 100s of feet away in a completely different part of the park. There was no way for them to know if anyone had come into the park (you can't hear or see anything between the two areas) and slipped something in their drinks. It's separated by woods and water (that someone could have dumped their bodies in after they knocked them out with whatever they put in their drinks and did who knows what to them). I probably watch too much Criminal Minds, but it could happen. I mean, this happened two days in a row. And, when I got to the park, the sun had just come up and I was the only one there (besides them). So, anyone who had bad intentions could have figured out their habits and used that. I just thought it was stupid of them to do that.

Well, if you were the only one there they don't have anything to worry about.



Or do they????!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

Are you admitting something here without trying to admit it?

I think it's a legitimate fear that can only be understood if you have been in a scary situation before. Seven months deployed in the desert made my situational awareness what it is today, and it's not always a concern for rape/molestation. When I'm running outside, I'm not just looking for random people lurking in the shadows. I'm looking for stray dogs that could attack, too. When I'm in a restaurant, I always am in the seat that faces the rest of the people seated instead of a wall. I also look for emergency exits in public buildings. In an airplane, I always get the aisle seat. I think it's less of a paranoia and more of a preparedness for anything that could happen.

^ I take this approach. Being aware and prepared doesn't have to reduce your quality of life. Odds are you'll never have to defend yourself against a person or wild animal, but it's empowering to know that you can. If i were a female jogger, i'd carry pepper spray, a small knife & a loud whistle, and also take a self-defense course. Also there's no point in wearing "cute" clothing.

I love the run keeper app, I can follow random women around while they do their daily jogs, once I went to the park and waited for one of them to pass by just to watch. I also turned on Find Friends on my girlfriends IPhone without telling her( she has never used the app) Now I know where she is at all times so I can call her if she isn't where she is supposed to be and be all stealthy about who she hangs out with when I'm not around!