Am I being a wuss?

Millie

Millie

Get on with your life!!!
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I've noticed the last week or so that as I'm going about my business, I'm looking at young(ish) guys with masks on as perhaps more of a threat than I normally do. They just are making me a little more aware of them than usual lately, especially the "younger" ones.

Color and size have no bearing, it's all of them. (The "old geezers" not so much, but the ones under 60 or so.....)
Is it me being paranoid?

It's kind of creepy seeing everyone going around with a covered face anyway, but lately it's even creepier.
 
Being aware of what’s happening around you is a feature, not a bug in the current climate.
 
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kcult said:
I'm going to answer yes, then I'll actually read what you posted and maybe answer again. brb
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Thanks for your kind attention to my question! Dang!! Please do not strain yourself reading the post, though.....
 
fieldgrade said:
I’m matching drinks with him, if he can keep up.
It’s a strain.
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Y'all have one or more for me, I seem to be slacking in the drinking department lately for some reason.
 
Millie said:
Well, my awareness has gone up several notches lately, then, which is a good thing, I guess.
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Having trod this earth the same amount of time, these days are not anything close to whatever normal we grew up with.
 
You have to decide if it is situational awareness or paranoia. I would go with the former.
We have been conditioned to believe you only cover your face ie wear a mask if you have something to hide. ( with the exception of the Lone Ranger and Bat man ). An increase in situational awareness is a natural result in my way of thinking.
 
If the person’s mask is below his/her nose and the pants are below their arse pay close attention. If a pocket is sagging from some extra weight pay attention. If they are doing anything you don’t like pay attention. No harm done being vigilant if you have trigger finger discipline.
 
Chihuahua Floyd said:
You have to decide if it is situational awareness or paranoia. I would go with the former.
We have been conditioned to believe you only cover your face ie wear a mask if you have something to hide. ( with the exception of the Lone Ranger and Bat man ). An increase in situational awareness is a natural result in my way of thinking.
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I think both those dudes wore a mask for that very reason.
 
fieldgrade said:
Having trod this earth the same amount of time, these days are not anything close to whatever normal we grew up with.
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No kidding! I'm glad my crazy old Mom isn't seeing this BS disaster of a year.

And watch it with the treading thing....I'm a couple months your junior.....don't hurry me along to my Medicare card just yet, ok?
 
Millie said:
No kidding! I'm glad my crazy old Mom isn't seeing this BS disaster of a year.

And watch it with the treading thing....I'm a couple months your junior.....don't hurry me along to my Medicare card just yet, ok?
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I told my old mom (87) about a string of bad lanuguage I used doing my taxes this year, and how much my wife, who she adores, was distressed at my poor choice of words.

My mom, a preacher’s daughter, said, “THAT’S WHAT THAT LANGUAGE IS FOR."
 
fieldgrade said:
I told my old mom (87) about a string of bad lanuguage I used doing my taxes this year, and how much my wife, who she adores, was distressed at my poor choice of words.

My mom, a preacher’s daughter, said, “THAT’S WHAT THAT LANGUAGE IS FOR."
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Mom was a preacher's daughter, as am I. I heard Mom say the word that begins with s and means poo once in my life, and I was stunned!!
She was not a fan of my language back then, and I fear it's even gotten worse over the years.....
 
Millie said:
Mom was a preacher's daughter, as am I. I heard Mom say the word that begins with s and means poo once in my life, and I was stunned!!
She was not a fan of my language back then, and I fear it's even gotten worse over the years.....
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No shit?
 
I'll be honest, here...

I didn't get past the title to your posting without automatically thinking "Why, yes...yes you are being a wuss!"

Then I read your initial posting, after which I thought "Why, yes...yes you are being a wuss!"

Honestly, though, I don't think you're a wuss.

What I do think is that current events like most people wearing masks is an opportunity for us to hone our skills at picking up cues in appearance and mannerisms not involving the wearing of a mask.

Wearing a mask, like carrying a firearm, does not in itself identify a person as a "bad guy".
 
Millie said:
Mom was a preacher's daughter, as am I. I heard Mom say the word that begins with s and means poo once in my life, and I was stunned!!
She was not a fan of my language back then, and I fear it's even gotten worse over the years.
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Sounds like you need to work on your oral game.
 
RetiredUSNChief said:
I'll be honest, here...

I didn't get past the title to your posting without automatically thinking "Why, yes...yes you are being a wuss!"

Then I read your initial posting, after which I thought "Why, yes...yes you are being a wuss!"

Honestly, though, I don't think you're a wuss.

What I do think is that current events like most people wearing masks is an opportunity for us to hone our skills at picking up cues in appearance and mannerisms not involving the wearing of a mask.

Wearing a mask, like carrying a firearm, does not in itself identify a person as a "bad guy".
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2DA47EA9-9871-4F5D-A5C3-10CFE8390DCA.jpg
 
And then there are some wearing a mask is an actual favor ... especially in places like Carrboro, Commie Hill, Durham and such ... some of them have to sneak up on their own shadow they’re so ugly.
 
You're not being paranoid. Telling the police to stand down and everybody to wear masks is basically making the internet come to life. Lots of people are (checks which forum we're in) jerks when they think they can do what they want and never suffer the consequences of somebody knowing who they are.
The worst among us are well aware that nobody can identify them.

Millie said:
Y'all have one or more for me, I seem to be slacking in the drinking department lately for some reason.
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i got you covered.
I have to be up in about 4 hours and i'm about to have another beer
 
Millie said:
I've noticed the last week or so that as I'm going about my business, I'm looking at young(ish) guys with masks on as perhaps more of a threat than I normally do. They just are making me a little more aware of them than usual lately, especially the "younger" ones.

Color and size have no bearing, it's all of them. (The "old geezers" not so much, but the ones under 60 or so.....)
Is it me being paranoid?

It's kind of creepy seeing everyone going around with a covered face anyway, but lately it's even creepier.
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You’re not paranoid. As humans, we rely heavily on facial expressions. A mask hides some of that, so we have to learn to interpret other people with partial information. Eight months of social isolation and new social “rules” wears on any person as we adapt to new behaviors.

Don’t worry too much about the mask. Your main goal remains assessing a potential threat, not preparing a witness statement.

I’m sure that you habitually scan the herd when out and about. Start close and work out away from you.

For people in close proximity, start with the hands. Visible? Hidden? Carrying anything?

Then milliseconds after the hands, the eyes. Looking at me? 1000-yard stare? So many variations of “red flags” with eyes. But you know it when you see it.

Then clothing. Appropriate to the weather? The location?

Bottom line, you’re fine! The fact that you’re concerned about the masks at all confirms this! Go enjoy your day!

P.S. - I'm 62 and don't mind a mask too much. I have fun with it: Three advantages I've found 1) I don't have to shave as often; 2) It hides those pesky "laugh lines" and takes 10 years off my age, and; 3) I get to tell the folks at the Credit Union "y'all hang on a minute while I get my mask on..." (Note: that crowd just doesn't have a sense of humor, let me tell you!).
 
Sometimes this forum is a fertilizer for paranoia.

Even if you are the best at situational awareness, a great boxer, fixed blade weapons expert and a master marksman, you can still be had.

Live your life, enjoy your life, past experiences have shown 99% of us do not need to live our lives in condition red.

Avoidance is the key but even that can be over thought.

So are you a wuss? In reality only you can answer that question.
 
No, you’re not being a wuss by being observant & aware of who & what is around you, situational awareness is probably the leading cause of people finding themselves in bad situations, “ he came out of nowhere”. Unn no he didn’t, you weren’t paying attention.

With that said, try not to let “life” sike you out by being afraid of normal day to day interactions, just remind yourself that you train to defend yourself and chances are pretty darn good that the other person hasn’t.

Every public place I go, I read the room, take stock of who is where and who I think the biggest threat may be, I find escape routes and look for “cover” just in case something goes sideways, years ago it was exhausting and I got a little paranoid because of it, but now it’s just something that I do and it normally only takes a minute or 2, my wife thinks I’m paranoid lol
 
Tarowah said:
No, you’re not being a wuss by being observant & aware of who & what is around you, situational awareness is probably the leading cause of people finding themselves in bad situations, “ he came out of nowhere”. Unn no he didn’t, you weren’t paying attention.

With that said, try not to let “life” sike you out by being afraid of normal day to day interactions, just remind yourself that you train to defend yourself and chances are pretty darn good that the other person hasn’t.

Every public place I go, I read the room, take stock of who is where and who I think the biggest threat may be, I find escape routes and look for “cover” just in case something goes sideways, years ago it was exhausting and I got a little paranoid because of it, but now it’s just something that I do and it normally only takes a minute or 2, my wife thinks I’m paranoid lol
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I dated a cop in my youth and he got me in the habit of sitting where I had my back to a wall and a clear view of the room, know how to get out, all the stuff you mentioned. I thought he was a nut-case, but he was just being smart. I still have the watch-the-room habit, and I look for several ways out. Now my non-gun people think I'm a nut-case.....so be it.

Not long ago I was eating with friends in SC and had my back to the room, but I trusted the people opposite me to handle it if anything went tits up...they would be way better at it than I can ever hope to be! I felt safe.:)
 
Millie said:
Is it me being paranoid
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No. I don't know you that well, but I know you well enough. You're very observant and I am confident that you are situationally aware. FWIW, a piece of advice for current times: relegate mask status to be just part of the overall visual impression of how the person is acting and go by that.
 
Millie said:
I dated a cop in my youth and he got me in the habit of sitting where I had my back to a wall and a clear view of the room, know how to get out, all the stuff you mentioned. I thought he was a nut-case, but he was just being smart. I still have the watch-the-room habit, and I look for several ways out. Now my non-gun people think I'm a nut-case.....so be it.

Not long ago I was eating with friends in SC and had my back to the room, but I trusted the people opposite me to handle it if anything went tits up...they would be way better at it than I can ever hope to be! I felt safe.:)
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I am the exact same way, and I am not a cop. I always try to sit where everyone/everything is in my vision. The only time I feel comfortable otherwise is when I have equally minded people with THEIR backs on the wall.
 
Millie said:
I dated a cop in my youth and he got me in the habit of sitting where I had my back to a wall and a clear view of the room, know how to get out, all the stuff you mentioned. I thought he was a nut-case, but he was just being smart. I still have the watch-the-room habit, and I look for several ways out. Now my non-gun people think I'm a nut-case.....so be it.

Not long ago I was eating with friends in SC and had my back to the room, but I trusted the people opposite me to handle it if anything went tits up...they would be way better at it than I can ever hope to be! I felt safe.:)
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I will add in places I’m not familiar with I do a quick “wash my hands” thing to familiarize myself with exits and fire extinguishers ... both can also be important in case of things other than fires.
 
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Precision Seeker said:
I am the exact same way, and I am not a cop. I always try to sit where everyone/everything is in my vision. The only time I feel comfortable otherwise is when I have equally minded people with THEIR backs on the wall.
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I was extremely happy with this couple keeping an eye on things....LOL. Anyone messing with them would be a sad little puppy after the dust settled.
 
NCFubar said:
I will add in places I’m not familiar with I do a quick “wash my hands” thing to familiarize myself with exits and fire extinguishers ... both can also important in case of things other than fires.
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I hadn't thought about fire extinguishers as defense against "other things," but thanks for making me see the possibilities! This is why I love this place so much, I learn something new all the time.
 
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