Misinformation

April 4, 2012

Just in case anyone reading this is still under any illusion that the majority of American media outlets are engaged in a deliberate campaign of misinformation against effective self defense, let me present these two links:

Photos can be deceiving

Here’s the money quote:

“At the center of most stories we tell in our society, cross-culturally and across the centuries, is the struggle between good and evil,” she said. “If the ingredients are there, that is what journalists will grab onto and present…. It is natural to present the most innocent-looking image of the person believed to be the victim, and the most menacing one of the suspect. – Betsi Grabe, a professor at Indiana University-Bloomington

So the people responsible for creating this story, and then keeping it in the headlines for weeks view people who can effectively defend themselves as evil, and those who are foolish enough to attack them as good. Enlightening, no?

And if the facts don’t fit their view of the story they will make them fit: NBC doctors 9-1-1 call

NBC’s “Today” show ran edited audio last week that appeared to reveal Zimmerman saying, “This guy looks like he’s up to no good … he looks black.”

But a transcript of the 911 call showed that Zimmerman actually said, “This guy looks like he’s up to no good. Or he’s on drugs or something. It’s raining, and he’s just walking around, looking about.”

The 911 handler responded, “OK, and this guy — is he black, white or Hispanic?”

“He looks black,” Zimmerman replied.

Anyone calling this a “mistake during the production process” stretches their credibility well beyond its breaking point.

Meanwhile, actual crimes like the one captured on these videos from downtown Baltimore are rarely deemed newsworthy. I’d say the struggle of good vs. evil is pretty well visible in these videos, no editing required.

If you’d like to know what effective self defense actually looks like from a practical and legal aspect, get yourself some credible information in the form of actual training.

Also, if you already have effective armed self defense skills, consider adding some empty-hand self defense skills to your skillset if you don’t have them already. As you can see from both of these stories, the initial attack may well be in the form of a physical assault that, at least initially, requires an empty-hand response.