So, I just finished reading an article in the Seattle Times about women who are championing self-defense training. The result of it being women who are feeling confident, capable and more aware of their environment and the threats that are in it. I found it to be a great article because it discussed several aspects of martial arts that are often glossed over- namely that proper self-defense covers not only the physical, but also the psychological and situational awareness training that should be a part of everyone’s training. Those aspects are almost always overlooked when discussing martial arts in most fashions, so that made me happy.
Having said that, it wasn’t the article that got really me thinking, it was a few of the comments posted in response. A few common points running through them were these:
1)Self-defense only leads to more violence. It is better to ban weapons than rely on them.
2)Self-defense is unnecessary. It should not be an individual’s responsibility to defend themselves, rather we should teach all potential attackers not to attack, as this will reduce violence. *Heavily paraphrased, as I found the original sentiment profoundly offensive
3)A person should be able to talk their way out of violence, physical action is crude and unnecessary
For now, I’m just curious what other people think about this. So, what say you FB?
