Don't mess with me -- I'm a smoker!
I'm editing some filler stories for a women's publication, and one is about
safety tips for women. I remember reading (or hearing) a streetwise tip for
women once: Even if you're a non-smoker, consider carrying a cigarette in
your hand, because it will make you look tougher.
I will admit, I actually considered this in Spain and Italy, because a tall,
skinny blond girl from Indiana needs all the help she can get when it comes
to intimidating would-be attackers. However, I couldn't find it in my heart
to support the tobacco companies, even to use the cigarettes as a prop, so I
never tried it.
But this brings me to my point (I do have one!) -- what's the strangest
street-safety tip you ever heard, and did you try it?
posted by Angie @ 3:58 PM
3 comments
3 Comments:
Angie,
As a Spaniard male, I feel offended. Why did you feel threatened over here? People might be more forthcoming, more loud, but were are about as harmless as people in your home town, really. Hope you come back with an open mind.
Sorry, no offense intended. Just to clarify my comments: But I came alone, so often I had to walk around unfamiliar cities at night, which I wouldn't recommend for anyone, whether they are in Spain, Italy, the U.S. or anywhere.
You are right -- I have felt more threatened by people in Indianapolis (and Chicago!) than I ever felt in Spain. However, here I usually have the luxury of being with friends, but in Europe I had to fend for myself. (For example, I didn't know anyone in Rome, and it was scary to think that if someone tried to kidnap me or steal my purse or something, it would be hours or possibly days until anyone missed me.)
If you read some of the older posts on my blog, you will see that I did come to your country with an open mind and I loved the people there. I can't wait to go back!
The strangest street-safety tip I've received? Easy.
I was in karate class when I was a young lad. The instructor was telling us how to walk in a manner that minimizes the risk of being attacked on the street. He said that we should take small steps and barely lift our feet off the ground. Apparently, analytical muggers will conclude that a person with such a gait is too difficult to take-down...and will turn his attention to someone with a longer, less stable stride.
Unfortunately, one man's logic is another man's irony. Why? Because the only people that I've seen walking this way are little old men shuffling down the street. And those are precisely the type of people that cause muggers to salivate.
In my next life, I'll study judo instead.
Sal
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