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Ok this is gonna sound stupid. But I watched \”House of Wax\” this weekend and noticed how the only two people to fight back are the ones that lived. Then I noticed that in all horror flicks…the only one to survive are the ones to fight back. Sure some fight back and lose, but the ones that just scream and run alll die, while the only one to survive is one who fought back. All references to horror flicks aside. Here is the question.
Is it better to fight back or run provided both options are available to you?
Personally, imho, I think that I would rather fight back and know what I am dealing with then turn my back on a potentially dangerous situation.
This situation will dictate your response. There are too many variables to answer this definitively.
Instead of horror films, lets use real life.
Note – I dont have my reference handy cause I am out of town on business, so this is all from memory. Please someone correct me if you have more detailed info.
In the early 90’s, San Diego had a rapist that was preying on people having romantic late night walks on the beach. This rapist was different than most rapists, because instead of targetting women who were alone, he specifically targetted couples on the beach. He used fear to his advantage.
His M.O. was to walk up to the couple on the side where the women was. He would put a gun/knife to the woman, and order the man to get on the ground face down. He would then order the woman to tie up the man. At that point, the man was helpless and vulnerable. He would take the woman 20 yards away and rape her. He told her that if she made a sound or fought him, he would go over and execute the helpless husband/boyfriend. It was rather ingenious, because he played the couples fear of getting the other hurt to neutralize both of them.
He attacked 13 couples, and raped 11 women. The two that did not get raped survived because in both situations, they ran. In one case, the couple just darted off, in the other case, the guy took a swing while the girl ran, but after he landed one punch he ran off after his girlfriend instead of sticking around for a full fight. In both situations, the rapist did not give chase. If his victims did not immediatly submit, he didn’t stick around to try to make them do it by force.
I know this is only one example, but it gives a real life scenario where running was the best option. Ultimately, I think Ryan is right. The situation dictates the response, but fight or flight are the only two viable options. Waiting out a crime rarely ever results in an adventatgous opportunity for the victim, it usually gets worse the longer you wait. Fight or run, and do it ASAP. Life isnt like the movies, you are not going to get a hero’s chance to grab the criminals gun half way to the desert wilderness where he is going to kill you and leave you in a ditch.
In most horror movies the victims really have nowhere to run to, since they are usually stranded in the middle of nowhere. As in that \”House of Wax\” movie, an abandoned town, car broke down etc.
In that situation it’s probably best to fight back, since you really have nowhere to go and the crazy murderer is going to find you sooner or later…
One thing I notice in horror movies that drives me crazy is that sometimes one of the victims surprises the attacker and maybe hits him with an object, momentarily stunning him or even knocking him out, but then he doesn’t follow up to ensure he’s really dead, so the bad guy always comes back to life. Stupid. If I were in that situation, I’d probably kick him a few more times, use some extra shots, cut his throat, whatever, but make sure he’s not getting back up to resume his murder spree.
In real life, if you can run I guess you should. Depends on the situation. If the attacker is close (too close to run) then I would fight back until I can escape safely. If he is further back and I think I could get away without having to fight him, maybe I would do that.
Some situations could be tricky. Let’s say he’s fifteen feet from you and has a gun, ordering you to get on your knees, cross your legs etc. He’s too far for a Krav Maga defense. Would you comply, hoping that eventually he will get closer so you can defend, or turn and run, hoping he will miss if he shoots after you? Now that I know how hard it is to hit anything with a gun, I think I might consider running.
I have exercise-induced asthma, so it’s a no-brainer for me. I have to neutralize the threat as fast as possible and then I can walk away if I want!
1. If we have learned anything from zombie movies (and yes, we learn from Zombie movies) is that running, fighting, whatever, the Zombies will overwhelm you in the end. You cannot fight off the zombie horde. so what do you do? kill (not the right word, cant kill the undead,- destroy!!) as many as you can before they devour your brains. Or you can save the last bullet for yourself. That always seems popular.
If you are not dealing with the undead, then you have nothing to fear. Destroy them and the threat is gone. The will not keep coming at you to eat your neural tissue. End it, you be the one to decide how the fight progresses. End it on your terms. Eat your attackers brains!!
2. Guerriere, no plagarsim allowed. cite your quotation (Groucho Marx)
My only issue, and why I would be inclined to stand and fight first is that I am an extremely slow runner. A snail could beat me across a finish line. My advantage in all physical contests, (football, Rugby, etc etc) has been that I may not run fast, but it usually takes 3-4 guys to take me down. Sheer tenacity and strength have always been my strong points. So for me running is not a first option if I can avoid it. I would rather clear the threat, then get away.
Hey Guerriere,
Wouldn’t the intensity of the fight induce your asthma, too? Better end it quickly, with one big monster punch! 😀
The other thing in Zombie movies is that when it comes down to it, people don’t do kill moves…and they choose to either fight or run…but they don’t combine the two.
Hip throws seem common in zombie movies too…strangely enough a difficult move to do quickly and doesn’t really hurt your attacker.
First of all, I can’t believe the horror/zombie comparisons continue.
Secondly, if you think a well-executed hip throw doesn’t hurt, you’ve never seen or experienced it. Go find a judo school, and tell the instructor you want him to hip throw you in the parking lot. NOTHING hits harder than concrete.
\”This situation will dictate your response. There are too many variables to answer this definitively.\”
Agreed.
\”Secondly, if you think a well-executed hip throw doesn’t hurt, you’ve never seen or experienced it. Go find a judo school, and tell the instructor you want him to hip throw you in the parking lot. NOTHING hits harder than concrete.\”
Painfully agree. We practiced O goshi (hip toss) and Koshi Guruma (wrestling headlock throw) on Tuesday, then again in KM advanced class on Wednesday. The lateral side of my left leg is still bruised mid-thigh to mid-calf. I’ve also suffered pinched nerves from judo. Throws are no joke.
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