Quote Originally Posted by Asako View Post
Kathryn, I do believe your response over her carrying a knife is a bit ridiculous. You make it sound like a laughable attempt to defend herself. Not to mention how you rail on her as if she never considered the possibility of what might happen if she had to use it for self-defense. Who is going to protect Iztlacihuatl? Iztlacihuatl will and no one else. If...IF~! someone hears her screaming for help, they may decide to even turn around and walk away to avoid being caught up in it. On that note, who's to say that she wouldn't miss with a can of pepper spray, get disarmed of it, and get sprayed by the assailant in turn?

Take it from someone who got the absolute s!@t beat out of them in high school while everyone INCLUDING the people who I THOUGHT were friends just stood there and LAUGHED AT ME. Nobody but the teachers moved to help me. I suffered vision damage in my left eye because of how badly I got beat up for having a gay friend. I can't see things as distinctly either in that same eye as I can with my right eye. As for my friend who was gay, he got hit from behind when he was alone and got a worse beating than I did BECAUSE he was alone. Nobody will defend you but yourself.

I know this should have been a PM but I really can't stand it when people feel the need to tear on others who carry something "unconventional" like a knife for self defense.
Asako, I completely understand your point, however, there are are several things I'd like to say:

Firstly, I found it absolutely astounding that not one person on here spoke about the obvious, how on earth would you advertise in Craigs list for a partner in the TV section and get anyone other than a creep trolling for meat? Do you think Craigs list is an appropriate place to find a romantic partner, or even a one night stand? And, with respect that is where Iztlacihuatl's story begins. Would prudence not dictate to be very circumspect with that outfit especially given the recent history or murders surrounding it.

I am 56, I grew up in the 60s and 70s. I don't know what you think of those times but do you believe my world growing up was any less forgiving. I remember the bullying, the humiliation, the beatings, the being made fun of every day all the way through school and the many times I got home and swore I would never go again. I learned how to defend myself and gave many guys a black eye, for which invariably I was punished. This did not stop the violence but rather next time they were two guys beating me up. It escalated, and eventually I asked myself if I wanted to be the person who constantly lived in fear, carried a knife and lived with the possibility of having to do serious damage to someone else. It is often the choice of whether you can't live because you are being violently attacked or you can't live with yourself because you violently defend yourself. The beatings and the humiliation got so bad eventually at age 15 that my parents took me out of the school and sent me to a boarding school in England (I grew up in Germany) a thousand miles from home where I had a chance to get a fresh start. When I returned one year later, I was no longer the center of the attention of the bullies and kind of slipped under the radar after that. I still have nigthmares. Worst of it all I didn't understand why this was happening to me, but I guess I was great punch bag because I always was visibly disturbed and unhappy and hurt after those events.

Now then let's get to the knife issue. Tell me what you think about the following: Police are investigating a stabbing in some alley, where a girl is standing over some dude who is bleeding from several knife wounds and moaning. Except turns out girl is a dude too, who as it turns out met dude through a Craigs list ad; or met Dude just on the street. Girl who has has by now been identified as dude claims she was attacked by dude because she is dressed like a girl. But the facts are there is one seriously injured person and a dude pretending to be a girl. Do you really think that the police will conclude as follows: Man, dude dressed like girl (laugh, what a ........ [your choice of expletive]) was attacked by dude. We better arrest the bleeder who'se in hospital, 'cause he's the bad guy here. Do you think that is a likely outcome? Who do you think gets arrested?

No weapon is a good means of defending yourself. I know it's unfair and all that, I have been at the receiving end just like you. But who do we want to be as human beings? I chose to be not one of them, never, I'd rather die.

Kathryn