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Are you a sheep or sheepdog?

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  • okie556

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    Feb 12, 2009
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    Longview, TX
    Saw this someplace else, and thought I'd pass it on. Pardon if it's been posted around already, but it puts things in proper prospective for those of us that carry regularly.

    On Sheep, Wolves, and Sheepdogs - Dave Grossman

    Long read but well worth the time. I am proudly a Sheep Dog and echo the sentiments about the LEO carrying his weapon in church. Thankfully my church and pastor welcome the feeling of knowing myself and at least one other is armed when we walk through the door.

    Okie556
     

    M. Sage

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    Jan 21, 2009
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    San Antonio
    On Killing is a very interesting book to use to learn about proper self-defense (actually, combat) mindset. However... At the end Grossman starts in with opinions, and we all know what opinions are like.

    He states that violent video games cause violence. I'll agree with him that FPS games could actually help train someone to "take the safety catch off" like shooting at person-shaped targets does, but that isn't enough to cause violence... without a moral vacuum in a child's life, anyway...

    He even goes so far as to state that ready availability of guns, especially "assault weapons" exacerbate the problems of our nation, but fails to back this up with any solid evidence or even logical argument.

    My conclusion was that he wrote a decent research paper, but his opinions aren't worth the paper they're printed on.
     

    Texas42

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    Nov 21, 2008
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    Nobody is perfect.

    I totally expect my medical professor, who are brilliant on some things, to be bumbling idiots in other things.
     

    M. Sage

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    Jan 21, 2009
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    I agree, nobody is perfect. It's just that I see this article posted on gun forums and people start thinking that Grossman is "on our side", when I'm pretty sure he's not. He's referring to government-approved sheep dogs, not us civilian sheep dogs... the ones who are more effective because we're indistinguishable from the sheep until the fangs come out.

    Predators don't like discovering that their intended prey has sharper teeth than they do.
     

    DoubleActionCHL

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    Jun 23, 2008
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    Spring, Texas
    I believe there is more to the FPS video game conditioning that you give credit, Sage. This repetition ingrains responses to certain stimuli in our mid-brain. It's this conditioning that guides our reactions when we're stressed beyond belief and the frontal lobe has all but shutdown; virtually all cognitive thinking has ceased.

    This is why training is so valuable. It stands to reason that bad conditioning, or even good conditioning with not safeguards, will result in negative reactions when confronted with the appropriate stimuli in a stressful situation.

    I'm not saying he's absolutely right, but I believe the logic is sound and repeated exposure to FPS type video games could influence a person's behavior under the right circumstances.

    And yes, I did read "On Killing." In fact, I'm about halfway through it for the 2nd time. It's a tough read!
     

    M. Sage

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    Jan 21, 2009
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    Oh, I don't disagree that video games aren't responsible for at least some conditioning. I play 'em.

    What I disagree with is the blame he heaps on them in On Killing, it's not the conditioning that's at fault, it's more a social issue as to the lack of safeguards. Blaming the video games for bad behavior is like asking for a ban on human-shaped targets for exactly the same reasons.

    In the end, all that conditioning can do is make it easier to line your sights up on someone and squeeze the trigger. Like a gun, it's a tool and the way it will get used all comes down to the user's intent.
     
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