R/E/P Community

R/E/P => R/E/P Archives => R/E/P Saloon => Topic started by: arconaut on August 17, 2010, 09:24:48 AM

Title: A Victim Treats His Mugger Right
Post by: arconaut on August 17, 2010, 09:24:48 AM

I don't usually post these heart-warming stories, but this is a good one:


http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=8916475 9


Julio Diaz has a daily routine. Every night, the 31-year-old social worker ends his hour-long subway commute to the Bronx one stop early, just so he can eat at his favorite diner.

But one night last month, as Diaz stepped off the No. 6 train and onto a nearly empty platform, his evening took an unexpected turn.

He was walking toward the stairs when a teenage boy approached and pulled out a knife...
Title: Re: A Victim Treats His Mugger Right
Post by: Fibes on August 17, 2010, 09:54:48 AM
Not all muggings end that way.

My friends were asked if they wanted to buy drugs off of two dudes, they said no but offered the guys a beer. They guys took a beer walked off then came back around and shot one of them in the throat which paralyzed him and then the bullet lodged in my other friends throat.

You never know what you're going to get.
Title: Re: A Victim Treats His Mugger Right
Post by: arconaut on August 17, 2010, 11:38:39 AM
Sure. I've been mugged more times than I can count (seriously, I stopped counting) and I would never do what this guy did. Still, it makes for a nice story.
Title: Re: A Victim Treats His Mugger Right
Post by: MDM, on August 17, 2010, 12:28:01 PM
absolutely the wrong thing to do IMO.

a criminal might hate you or consider you an idiot if you treat him nicely.. he might think you are simply a wimp and want to teach you a lesson.

if anything these people should be physically hurt to the point of agony, in order to induce some kind of inhibition.. not pitied IMO.
Title: Re: A Victim Treats His Mugger Right
Post by: samurai99 on August 17, 2010, 12:35:02 PM
arconaut wrote on Tue, 17 August 2010 11:38

Sure. I've been mugged more times than I can count (seriously, I stopped counting) and I would never do what this guy did. Still, it makes for a nice story.


Are you serious, man? You've been mugged more times than you can count?? You need to move, or, something. That is... just, well, I mean, never mind.
Title: Re: A Victim Treats His Mugger Right
Post by: Taproot on August 17, 2010, 01:22:03 PM
arconaut wrote on Tue, 17 August 2010 09:38

Sure. I've been mugged more times than I can count (seriously, I stopped counting) and I would never do what this guy did. Still, it makes for a nice story.


There's your problem right there. You need to quit being so hard-hearted and start taking your muggers out to lunch. A full mugger is a happy mugger.

Title: Re: A Victim Treats His Mugger Right
Post by: bblackwood on August 17, 2010, 01:32:00 PM
arconaut wrote on Tue, 17 August 2010 08:24


He was walking toward the stairs when a teenage boy approached and pulled out a knife...

Never bring a knife to a gun fight.
Title: Re: A Victim Treats His Mugger Right
Post by: arconaut on August 17, 2010, 02:34:58 PM
Believe me, I moved! But I lived for several years on the edge of South Philly, there were projects nearby and all the college kids walking around at night were easy targets.

Once I was mugged at knifepoint at an ATM in a vestibule that required an ATM card to enter. At the police station, a friend of mine walked in. Turned out, he'd been mugged moments earlier by the same guy, who took his wallet. Thus, it was my friend's ATM card used by the mugger to get to me. I was young and being stupid, because I wanted to get money to buy a subway pass that night, instead of dealing with it in the morning when it would've been safer.

The last time I was mugged, I ignored my intuition which was telling me to cross the street. I told myself I was being racist. Moments later, I was on the wrong end of a handgun.

Since I left Philly (years ago) I've never had any trouble. Getting mugged sucks.
Title: Re: A Victim Treats His Mugger Right
Post by: Skullsessions on August 17, 2010, 05:47:22 PM
Psssh....he had it coming to him.

Stopping EVERY NIGHT at his favorite diner to eat?

This guy can't just go out to eat every night because he wants to!  He can't just go around eating whatever he wants!

He probably drives an SUV when he's not on the Subway, and I'll bet his air conditioner in his house is set on 70.

Remember...Mrs. Obama said some of us will have to give up some of our pie so that we ALL can have some pie.

It was just his turn to give up some pie.

Title: Re: A Victim Treats His Mugger Right
Post by: YZ on August 17, 2010, 06:07:47 PM
wow.
Title: Re: A Victim Treats His Mugger Right
Post by: Berolzheimer on August 17, 2010, 06:41:41 PM
Yeah, that guy getting mugged was almost certainly Michelle Obama's fault.
Title: Re: A Victim Treats His Mugger Right
Post by: Hallams on August 17, 2010, 07:29:16 PM
MDM, wrote on Wed, 18 August 2010 02:28

absolutely the wrong thing to do IMO.

a criminal might hate you or consider you an idiot if you treat him nicely.. he might think you are simply a wimp and want to teach you a lesson.

if anything these people should be physically hurt to the point of agony, in order to induce some kind of inhibition.. not pitied IMO.



Every situation is unique and based upon the story here, i would say the "victim" knew by his gut feeling that this teenager could handle his approach. He was a social worker and looks as though he knows the lie of the land in his familiar territory. I was a youth worker on the streets for a few years and when you get to know your territory, human and geographic, this situation is not as risky as it first seems.
  Some "muggers" are way more dangerous and unpredictable than others.
When i was traveling through the country, some local Aborigines took a few things of mine that I left on a bench just outside the fish and chip shop i went into. They saw me walk in and when i walked out they were still there but my gear wasn't. I figured "we" (of anglo european ancestry) stole their land and caused the residual cultural pain they still endure to this day so i was happy for them to have my gear. As an aside if i protested i probably would have taken a few punches. As it was i looked at where my gear used to be and just muttered "take it as a gift" and walked on.  
Title: Re: A Victim Treats His Mugger Right
Post by: JGauthier on August 17, 2010, 07:30:19 PM
Thats the stupidest thing I have ever read.

Seriously.

Thats not a nice story... Thats a pathetic moron. Even Disney would call that some dumbass shit.

Title: Re: A Victim Treats His Mugger Right
Post by: bblackwood on August 17, 2010, 08:17:46 PM
Hallams wrote on Tue, 17 August 2010 18:29

 I figured "we" (of anglo european ancestry) stole their land and caused the residual cultural pain they still endure to this day so i was happy for them to have my gear.

Wow.
Title: Re: A Victim Treats His Mugger Right
Post by: Taproot on August 18, 2010, 09:05:04 AM
arconaut wrote on Tue, 17 August 2010 12:34


The last time I was mugged, I ignored my intuition which was telling me to cross the street. I told myself I was being racist. Moments later, I was on the wrong end of a handgun.


Racist or realist?  I think the outcome answers that question. Rolling Eyes

Just don't disagree with them regarding their policies on violent crime. Now that, most certainly makes you a racist. Very Happy
Title: Re: A Victim Treats His Mugger Right
Post by: arconaut on August 18, 2010, 09:56:23 AM

This is a tough room!  Smile
Title: Re: A Victim Treats His Mugger Right
Post by: Taproot on August 18, 2010, 10:21:52 AM
arconaut wrote on Wed, 18 August 2010 07:56


This is a tough room!  Smile


All kidding aside. Glad around to tell your story. Cool
Title: Re: A Victim Treats His Mugger Right
Post by: Skullsessions on August 18, 2010, 11:25:15 AM
bblackwood wrote on Tue, 17 August 2010 19:17

Hallams wrote on Tue, 17 August 2010 18:29

 I figured "we" (of anglo european ancestry) stole their land and caused the residual cultural pain they still endure to this day so i was happy for them to have my gear.

Wow.


That IS pretty fucking mind blowing.

Title: Re: A Victim Treats His Mugger Right
Post by: MoreSpaceEcho on August 18, 2010, 12:05:08 PM
JGauthier wrote on Wed, 18 August 2010 00:30

Thats the stupidest thing I have ever read.

Seriously.

Thats not a nice story... Thats a pathetic moron. Even Disney would call that some dumbass shit.




dude got his wallet back and didn't get hurt. doesn't seem too pathetic or stupid to me.
Title: Re: A Victim Treats His Mugger Right
Post by: Daniel Farris on August 18, 2010, 01:08:41 PM
arconaut wrote on Wed, 18 August 2010 06:56


This is a tough room!  Smile


Righteous indignation is more addictive than crack.

DF
Title: Re: A Victim Treats His Mugger Right
Post by: YZ on August 18, 2010, 02:26:36 PM
I find it interesting that some people take a "small story" and start making political, ethnic, ideological and etc generalizations based on a one-time occurrence.

A guy tries to mug me at knife point? I give him my wallet and leave pi**ed off but thankful not to be hurt; a group of people rob my stuff that I left outside and stay there defiantly? I minimize my losses by leaving in silence, and don't waste any of my time trying to find a justification for their act.

Now, in the first case, if I were a skilled social worker with knowledge of the area and the people in it and sensed that there was 'something' in the eyes of my underage mugger I _might_ decide to act differently; in the second case, if I were Chuck Norris I would have shown the thieves that they shouldn't have messed with my stuff.  Smile
Title: Re: A Victim Treats His Mugger Right
Post by: Daniel Farris on August 18, 2010, 02:45:44 PM
The only time I was ever mugged, it was with a gun, brandished but never actually pointed at me. What I saw was a deadly weapon in the hands of someone who didn't have the balls to use it.

Turns out I was wrong. I refused to hand over my wallet (but only because I was carrying a ridiculous amount of cash at the time... it would have destroyed me to lose it,) and the guy appeared ready to kill me for it. His two buddies saved my life by dragging him off, insisting I wasn't worth becoming a murderer over.

DF
Title: Re: A Victim Treats His Mugger Right
Post by: Hallams on August 18, 2010, 07:14:20 PM
YZ wrote on Thu, 19 August 2010 04:26

I find it interesting that some people take a "small story" and start making political, ethnic, ideological and etc generalizations based on a one-time occurrence.

A guy tries to mug me at knife point? I give him my wallet and leave pi**ed off but thankful not to be hurt; a group of people rob my stuff that I left outside and stay there defiantly? I minimize my losses by leaving in silence, and don't waste any of my time trying to find a justification for their act.

Now, in the first case, if I were a skilled social worker with knowledge of the area and the people in it and sensed that there was 'something' in the eyes of my underage mugger I _might_ decide to act differently; in the second case, if I were Chuck Norris I would have shown the thieves that they shouldn't have messed with my stuff.  Smile


[I find it interesting that some people take a "small story" and start making political, ethnic, ideological and etc generalizations based on a one-time occurrence.]

That's the nature of discussion. Someone posts a story inviting comment. Some comments agree with the sentiment of the original poster, some don't. Mostly all points of view are valid perspectives. Some are glib or for the pursuit of humor while others take the original sentiment and elaborate further to illustrate their perspective etc etc.

As for my "mugging" experience, to state i was "happy for them to have my gear" is on one hand an overstatement as i was not happy to lose my gear, I was pissed off, and i knew if i confronted the situation i presumed i would cop a beating.
 I also think their actions were not "justified" by the historical context i referred to. It's a given that people should not mug, steal etc and should be made to accept the consequences of such unlawful behavior. Now here to my mind  is  the hypocrisy becomes self evident when  "we" of anglo european ancestry can make such legal requirements on an individual basis while collectively refusing to face the truth and consequences of how we obtained the land we now live in and prosper from.
It was in this context as i was walking away from the situation that i was happy for them to have my gear.
   With regard to the original story posted,the victims response reminds me of how a proponent of judo uses the momentum of his attacker to his own advantage. On a psychological level this can be a safer way of dealing with the threat of a knife attacking than direct opposition that can escalate a physical conflict.
     

Title: Re: A Victim Treats His Mugger Right
Post by: MoreSpaceEcho on August 18, 2010, 08:07:07 PM
Daniel Farris wrote on Wed, 18 August 2010 19:45

The only time I was ever mugged, it was with a gun, brandished but never actually pointed at me. What I saw was a deadly weapon in the hands of someone who didn't have the balls to use it.

Turns out I was wrong. I refused to hand over my wallet (but only because I was carrying a ridiculous amount of cash at the time... it would have destroyed me to lose it,) and the guy appeared ready to kill me for it. His two buddies saved my life by dragging him off, insisting I wasn't worth becoming a murderer over.

DF



you sure got lucky there, and i'm glad you did.

i had a bike stolen at gunpoint. he had it right against my chest. i didn't really believe he'd use it, but i gave him my bike without argument.

in the little town where i grew up, there was a liquor store across the street from my house. the owner was an old (in his 70s) guy named charlie. one day some guy held him up. with a gun pointed right at him, charlie distracted the guy for a split second, then decked him so hard he was knocked out when he hit the floor. crazy, and probably not the wisest move ever, but pretty damn badass nonetheless.
Title: Re: A Victim Treats His Mugger Right
Post by: danickstr on August 20, 2010, 01:22:50 PM
it sounds like liberal wishy washy gobbledygook, but some people have never been treated nicely by a stranger, and it will literally change their life.
Title: Re: A Victim Treats His Mugger Right
Post by: DarinK on August 20, 2010, 04:06:41 PM
danickstr wrote on Fri, 20 August 2010 10:22

it sounds like liberal wishy washy gobbledygook, but some people have never been treated nicely by a stranger, and it will literally change their life.


Yep, you called it.  The important part of the story is what happens in the diner - the kid witnesses actual repeated positive, friendly interaction and asks if the guy owns the place.  I used to record a whole lot of gangsta rap, and some of those kids just assumed that people treating each other with respect & kindness was basically a myth or a scam.  It was just not the way their world had worked, their entire lives.  Actually, though, they had probably encountered kindness & respect occasionally but had not recognized it as sincere, especially if they had never been treated that way at home.
Title: Re: A Victim Treats His Mugger Right
Post by: Skullsessions on August 20, 2010, 06:48:55 PM
NPR ran that story expecting some people to come to the conclusion that the criminal was indeed the victim.

The headline suggests that the victim finally did the right thing - he treated the mugger RIGHT.  Which implies that previous to the free meal and the $20, the victim must have been treating the mugger wrongly.

If only more of us would treat muggers with the respect they deserve, maybe they'd stop mugging us.  Right?
Title: Re: A Victim Treats His Mugger Right
Post by: Edvaard on August 21, 2010, 11:57:44 AM

That's what you get for listening to NPR (Non-Pertinent Rhetoric).


NPR trying to transmogrify this singular event to suit an agenda or ideal is no more and no less silly than other media calling out Obama for drinking a "non-American" beer, Bud Light, at the "beer summit" (Budweiser, which was bought just prior by the Belgian company Inbev). Perhaps if he had provided transportation for the two guests in an "American" car (Ford-owned, British-made Jaguar) things would have been considered to be evened out in that regard.


As to the incident itself (and addressing only that), I don't think either the person mugged nor the OP considers this particular occurrence to be a template for future meeting with such circumstances.

It was posted because of the interest created by a common event (in those environs) turning out different than normal. Just another variant of man bites dog story.


Title: Re: A Victim Treats His Mugger Right
Post by: jonathan jetter on October 04, 2010, 02:02:54 AM
bblackwood wrote on Tue, 17 August 2010 13:32

arconaut wrote on Tue, 17 August 2010 08:24


He was walking toward the stairs when a teenage boy approached and pulled out a knife...

Never bring a knife to a gun fight.


good luck getting a carry permit in NYC.
Title: Re: A Victim Treats His Mugger Right
Post by: bruno putzeys on October 04, 2010, 02:38:50 AM
Daniel Farris wrote on Wed, 18 August 2010 20:45

I refused to hand over my wallet (but only because I was carrying a ridiculous amount of cash at the time...

Do not carry excess cash in your wallet. Put it in an envelope in an inside pocket, strap it around your waist inside your trousers, whatever, but limit your wallet to $100 or so.