Doc: Tondy, all you young guys are hyped up on fightin' and self defense, an' that's a good thing, but you gotta watch that you don't get a attitude and someone cuts you down to size.
See, you go into a bar an' some local tough guy starts starin' at you waiting for you to say something so he can fight you. A lot of times, he's armed and ready to prove he ain't no sissy or something. Maybe he had a bad upbringin' or a fight with his old lady. He might of just gotten laid off his job. Now he wants to take it out on someone. You.
I got hurt pretty bad when I was your age. I was in North Carolina, down Goldsboro, and this big guy was just starin' at me. I seen him and looked at him and looked away an' then he got up an' moved closer without even movin' his eyes - just a icy stare.
I looked at him an' he said, "Whachew lookin' at?" Bein' young and thinkin' I was tough, I says, "That's what I'M tryin' to figure out." He got up, I threw my drink in his face and jumped outta my seat and BLAM, right into a pole! I hadn't noticed it. He grabbed me an' whupped me good an' threw me out on the street. He broke my nose, which still has a bump in it, an' cracked two ribs.
That wouldn't happen nowadays. If he was starin at me an movin' closer, I would make like I didn't see, and finish my drink an leave if I could. If not, I wouldn't get smart with him - I'd say somethin' like, "I think I done time with you once - maybe, maybe not." I've said that before and it quieted the guy down.
If not, then I would be ready as I could before something happened. We already talked about a lot of ways you can stay ready to protect yourself and whoever is with you.
I always have my wallet with the chain on it. That's a weapon. I can strike a man's face with the chain and I can choke him with it. I ain't big, but I'm fast. If he's got a knife, I can hit it or his hand with the end of my chain and knock the knife outta his hand, so I can knock him down and then GET OUT OF THERE. Do you notice a theme, Tondy? Stay outta fights, if you have to fight, do some damage and get out of there.
A wrench is a good weapon I have on me sometimes. I mostly wea
r carpenters jeans. I might have a 13/16" wrench in my right leg pocket on the back of my thigh. I work on cars, so it's something I have a reason to carry. That's a good weapon for defense. You can block a hit or a punch or a knife jab. It aint a weapon that'll get you in trouble with the law, if you have a record. It's a TOOL... you can use it to adjust a man's attitude.
I carry a cane with me, a cheap wooden one, usually a pig stick, if I have to go in a rough lookin' place I aint been in before. A cane don't attract no attention, and it don't announce, "Hey I'm lookin' for a fight." I AINT. But, I can use it to take care of me til I get out and to my truck. A cane is legal, and you can carry it anywhere. You can use it to prop yourself up, too. A cane is good defense at a motel or at home, too. Get a wooden, not aluminum cane - don't use aluminum canes, they'll break an' the doctor 'll charge a lot of money to remove it from your rear end. Use a wooden cane or a pig stick from Tractor Supply. I like a pig stick best.
If you're in your ca
r, a good weapon to defend you an' your girl is a roadside flare. Keep a couple where you can REACH them! They ain't gonna do you no good if they's in the trunk! You gotta have one under the seat. Take it out, light it an' you are a dangerous man to mess with - for 15 minutes! You can use it to threaten, to temporarily blind him, to jab, to do whatever you need to do, up close.
How 'bout a good ol' folding camp shovel, from the surplus store? Good defense, an' it's just good to have in the cab of your truck or in your car. Good protection. And, the cops ain't gonna arrest you for it. You can't be carryin' all them fancy swords you get at the Amish market or them other weapons. Cops'll say that proves intent - that you tended to fight someone - an' you just might go to jail an' his lawyer might just blame the whole thing on you an' make you pay his medical bills.
Flashlight's good, in the car. Shine it in his eyes, if it's at night an' then bust him upside the head, or jab h
is gut or his privates, an' then hit him in the head again. And a couple more times in the privates for good measure, an' on the SIDE of his knee as hard as you can to knock him down, where you can do some stompin' and protectin' yourself. Then get outta there.
But you cain't be out there actin' like a hard guy, Tondy. You ain't. I ain't. People play for keeps nowadays, they's worser than animals. You gotta keep your mouth to yourself, hold your temper, humble yourself, an try to keep the peace. The Lord said that. Be humble an' keep the peace, he said something like that.
