Fight or Flight

When things like the Boston Marathon bombing which happened yesterday happens there are generally 2 reactions by the people around the tragedy. Fight or Flight.

When the bombs went off you could see people immediately running toward the blasts to aid those hurt. They were cops and firemen and medics. That's their job. They are paid to be in the way of danger and help people.

Then there were others who were running away from the blasts. Self preservation is a powerful thing. They are thinking about getting back to their families or their kids who would be left behind if they died. Concern for your loved ones is the thing that will put them between danger and the safety of their own.

With the world as fucked up as it seems to be with mass shooters and people blowing things up, I wonder how I would react in this situation. In Tucson the fucknuts who shot Gabby Giffords was stopped when he was changing clips. People got up off the ground and prevented him from doing any more harm. They were heroes but never intended to be. They were trying to survive and saw the chance to stop a madman.

I don't know which I would be. I generally keep a calm head in stupid situations and a gunman would probably make me angry. I think I would get on the ground and wait until he had to reload. I have been shooting for years and have a good idea how many rounds many guns hold. There is also a distinctive sound when a magazine is empty and the bolt locks back. It might take someone 5 seconds or a bit more to get the next clip and release the slide. The NRA says it takes a second to change mags. The video they show of someone doing it that fast is of someone who had shitloads of practice and wasn't in a situation where he was killing people.

I think I'd take the chance and rush him. There's lots of ways to stop someone quickly; eye gouging has always been a favorite of mine. Can't shoot if you can't see. If a shooter was distracted even for a moment, others might rise up and stop him.

Heroes are normal people in extraordinary situations. Anyone can be a hero in the right circumstance.