In almost every class I teach, there’s one lecture portion that’s — well, it’s a little touchy-feely. It’s a segment I have a hard time doing without tearing up a little, and sometimes it gets to my students too. But the emotions are almost beside the point. Believe it or not, there’s a scientific and rational reason I do this emotional thing. And it’s not what you might think.
Before I tell you more about that, let me draw your attention to an excellent article my friend Jeff Meek pointed to a few weeks ago: The Frozen Calm of Normalcy Bias. The article talks about the way groups of people behave in a crisis, and it’s really a very useful read if you have time. If you don’t, here’s the excerpt I wanted to talk about today. Pay special attention to the final sentence.
In my classes, I refer to this human tendency to mill around and ask questions as “asking permission to save your own life.” The tragedy is, not everyone faces a danger that gives them time to do that.
That’s one of many reasons it’s important to think about survival issues ahead of time.
- How important is it, to you, that you avoid being embarrassed?
- Are you willing to step outside social norms to get away from danger?
- How willing are you to speak up and take the lead when a group of people around you seem to be ignoring a danger you believe is real?
- Are willing to do whatever it takes to save your own life — even if no one else tells you that you can?
It’s that last point that gets me. Remember the story of Sarah McKinley, the young mother who defended herself from a home invasion in Oklahoma in 2012. McKinley, then 18 years old, was home alone with her 3-month-old baby when she heard someone trying to break down her front door. Terrified, she armed herself with a pistol and a shotgun, then called 911. She would be on the phone with the dispatcher for over 20 minutes while she waited for officers to arrive. During that time, she and the dispatcher had the following exchange.
McKinley: “… is it okay to shoot him if he comes in this door?”
Dispatcher: “I can’t tell you that you can do that, but you do what you have to do to protect your baby.”
Yup. With her life in danger, her child threatened, criminals trying to break into her home and no sign that the police would arrive in time, McKinley asked someone else to give her permission to save her own life. And she was amazingly fortunate. Because she had time to ask the question. And because the person she asked was willing to put her own job on the line to tell McKinley what she most needed to hear.
That human tendency to ask permission from others — we all have it. It’s normal. Not weird, not weak, not stupid. Just … human. If we’re going to do something outside the social norm, we want someone else to tell us it’s okay, that it’s the right thing to do, that they approve. We want permission.
Without that permission, some people freeze and many people delay responding to situations they know are dangerous. With it, they’re free to solve the problem for themselves.
I would suggest the problem is a bit deeper. I believe that we are now being taught, conditioned to be a victim, to not defend ourselves. Look at the policy of virtually every school when it comes to bullying. Our kids are taught that they must do nothing until “help arrives”. No wonder we see folks asking permission to save their own life.
Shameless plug – I did a post on this a couple of years ago.
http://eiaft.blogspot.com/2012/01/creating-society-of-victims.html
I read your blog post, Mr. Keller. Excellent observations, logical and compelling conclusions.
I believe that we are now being taught, conditioned to be a victim, to not defend ourselves.
1. “If he wants your wallet, give him your wallet. Otherwise somebody might get hurt.”
2. “If he’s a bully, let him beat you up. Otherwise somebody might get hurt.”
3. “If he’s a hijacker, give him the airplane. Otherwise somebody might get hurt.”
After 9-11-01 number 3 is pretty much discredited, at least in the U.S. Since then the spread of concealed carry indicates that number 2 is becoming increasingly unpopular.
Good article.
Agree with the efforts to “Wimpify” the country: “I believe that we are now being taught, even conditioned to be a victim, to not defend ourselves. Look at the policy of virtually every school when it comes to bullying.”
I have a particular world view that I think explains why. We are living in a post Christian era. There is no Absolute Standard of Right and Wrong. Truth is what you make it. The reason is because we have rejected the notion of a personal God. The God of the bible has been removed from the equation and with Him, objective absolute truth. The bible clearly and emphatically states that all mankind is “sinful” and in rebellion against God. Everyone is basically bad. Period.
The Pop culture loudspeakers however, are on full volume proclaiming that “Mankind is basically good, but some are bad.” In the battle of Good v Evil, Good always wins because most people are good and wouldn’t dream of doing something as horrible as shooting a school, movie theater or restaurant.
Since what it means to be “Bad” or what a bad person looks like can be so varied and fluid, they walk unobstructed into crowded public places and shoot everyone else. And everyone else is shocked. “I can’t believe some one would DO such a thing.” It is because they never want to acknowledge that everyone is capable of this kind of evil.
Moreover, because gun users are always the guys shooting everyone, gun users must be bad. Ergo, ban all guns, register all gun owners. Voila! Society has begun to define who the bad guys are by consensus.
“We’re not bad, THEY are!”
I don’t think it has anything to do with Christianity.
In the schools the issue is lawsuit defense. A simple policy of you hit, you’re punished leaves no room for the parents of the bullies to argue that it really was the other kid at fault.
Also, when the bad guys simply desire property and they have the upper hand giving them what they want is the sensible course of action. When you use force things can go badly wrong–reserve that for when the threat is to you, not merely to things.