Aurini advocates the airhorn as a counter protest measure. It is a brilliant strategy for many reasons. Loud noises at unpredictable, random intervals will trigger the startle response, activating the amygdala, and warming it up for loading with aversive stimulus.
The noises are also a violation of expectation. Many of these protesters have an astonishing expectation that everyone should want to do what they demand. Here an author complains that white people not only don’t educate themselves into believing the author’s viewpoints on their own, they occasionally question the author when the author tells them how it is. For such an individual to protest, and not only not be listened to, but to see what they say rudely drowned out with random and unpredictable blasts from an airhorn, which they could not stop, would be infuriating. The more it went on, the more frustrated and infuriated they would get.
My only concern would be that if a large group were to face off with the protestors and do it en masse, the stimulus might be too great, it might hijack them too well, and cause them to begin rioting. But one or two horns opposite a protest would be an excellent strategy to hijack a crowd, stymie their messaging, and make protesting less rewarding for them.
He makes a comment about how when confronted with pistols, they will actually get more violent, as a denial of the danger the pistol represents. I’ve seen this in action, but on the other hand, I’ve seen the extreme of it. I grew up in the hood, and know exactly what he is saying. I’m also a geeky white guy, so I have swords. In instances were the braggadocio demands that they ignore the pistol, they are incapable of ignoring a naked blade. I scares them down to the core.
I think that part of it is that a sword is a simple machine that is fundamentally understandable at the amygdala level (what I referred to as the “lizard brain” at the time) while pistols are more abstract. I think that there is also some of the mythology of swords — a weapon reserved for the upper classes, used to mete out justice.
Naked blades cut right through to their amygdala, and will back them down much faster than a gun. I’ve also found that extendable batons do, as well, but I think that is a learned response from dealing with the police. That sounds terrifies criminals to the bone, because I think that they have been taught that it is quickly followed by intense pain.
It’s probably simpler than that. A blade or baton represents a willingness to engage in close quarters combat, whereas a gun often represents an aversion to CQC.
It might also be a perception that with a gun, you either press a death button and kill the guy, or you don’t. So they are thinking most people won’t make the jump right to killing.
The knife seems like something you use to injure a guy, but with a good chance that the person who pulled it would accidently kill them.
Although they assume you are too scared to kill them, they assume with a knife that you just intend to hurt them, but will probably actually kill them.
It’s a very interesting observation.
I remember a teenager in CT, I think, who heard a burglar in his garage. He took a katana in there, the guy jumped out and grabbed him with both hands, and the kid lopped off both hands, mid forearm, with one swipe. That had to be a scene.
> I’ve also found that extendable batons do, as well, but I think that is a learned response
>from dealing with the police. That sounds terrifies criminals to the bone, because I think
>that they have been taught that it is quickly followed by intense pain.
Interesting stuff. I immediately see the only way you can train dominant dogs who won’t respond to positive association.
That would be most excellent for when those black brunch fuckers show up and start spewing their shit. An airhorn right in their piehole…I love it. If I get a chance to try it out I’ll let you know how it works out.
So, riot guns are off the table? You know, the kind that they decorate the outside of embassy walls of?
We’re just waiting for the right moment.
I find this to be an entirely acceptable noise. Though I would probably pack heat as well. After all: I don’t own a gun to intimidate people with a show of force. I own a gun in case one day someone attacks me with the intent of killing me, and I need to defend myself.
I could beat someone with an air horn, maybe deafen them, but a smoke wagon will do all of that and them some.