You're walking down a dark alley . . .

[SallyNow]

I'd feel safer if they were coming from tap class.





What? Then they'd probably be too tired to do anything. Tap dancing is exchausting!

I'd have to wonder... why are they walking down a rough backstreet? Why am I walking down a rough backstreet? Did I get lost? Did my car break down? Why didn't I just call a taxi? Are they good men who are helping soup kitchen at the church, and also attending hte Bible study there? Do you they live in the rough nieghborbood, and are part of a group to make it less dangerous? Or did they have to work at the soup kitchen to work off community-service hours, and get hooped into taking hte Bible-study course?

There are so many questions involved in finding an answer...

Okay, so let's say they are ten guys who run a tap-dance class for kids, and also were attending Bible study. They are walking home, and they all live in the "rough" part of town because that's where they grew up. They all overcame obsticles and became charitable young men, and now I walk past them because my cheap rental car broke down, my cell-phone was stolen by a huge rat, and all the businesses, including the 24/7 7-11, are closed due a power outage caused by huge rats eating through wires. Would I feel safer that these guys came from, say, a Catholic or Lutheran or Anglican or Mennonite or Quaker or other mainstream, non-violent church? Yes, I would feel safer running into ten Bible-class, tap-dancing, soup-kitchen-working boys than I would running into ten drunk, rowdy guys who just left the local seedy, hard-drug infested bar.

(Please understand: I am not calling all bars seedy. I know of many classy bars and pubs, including some with great food and a friendly, safe, clean atmosphere, where light-to-moderate social drinking is encouraged, but heavy drinking is discouraged. But we all know there are seedy bars out there!)

 

[TuxThePenguin]

Not if they cast Magic Missile!!

I have nothing to fear as I have a contingency spell active.

As to the OP. what Eudaimonist and TooCurious Said

 

[Eudaimonist]

If you were walking down a dark alley, and you saw five men in the darkness...

...but then suddenly recognized them as the "Fab Five" from Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, would you feel in less danger?

Would you feel that God would smite you down for feeling in less danger from people who "disobey God's will"? Do you fear God's wrath?


eudaimonia,

Mark

 

[Pheehp]

how often to ten trustworthy young men from bible class hang out in dark alleyways in rough parts of chicago??

i dont really care where ppl have come from just how they look - if they were shifty looking bible class ppl i'd still feel damn uncomfortable. likewise guys who hadnt come out of bible class but didnt look threatening at all wouldnt make me feel uncomfortable. your question is based on a prejudgement that bible class ppl look safe and those who dont go to bible class look dodgey

 

[Lynden1000]

If you were walking down a dark street at night in the rough part of Chicago and you saw ten young men walking towards you, would you feel more comfortable if you knew that they had just come from a Bible class?

Yep, probably.

 

[Lynden1000]

Now that the OP has generated some responses, I'd be interested in knowing what the author deduces from these responses.

What the responses tell me is that when it comes to our personal safety, we sometimes have to make split-second decisions that, when viewed at length later, could be seen as offensive.

For example, I would rather get on a plane with a group of Mormons than a group of Muslims.

I would rather walk down a dark alley with someone in their 50s rather than someone in their 20s.

I would rather be approached in a dark alley by a woman rather a man.

I would rather be approached in a dark alley by someone wearing a business suit rather than someone wearing baggy pants and a sports jersey.

I would rather be approached in a dark alley by the Dalai Lama than Pat Robertson.

And so on and so on.

 

[Mskedi]

In response to the OP, I would feel slightly safer, but I would not feel safe. And, as others have said, it would be because they just came from an organized event and are probably on their way somewhere rather than just walking around looking for something to amuse them.

That said, I don't care if it was the Pope and a bunch of Bishops -- if there were 10 men in an unsafe alley and I was a woman alone, I'd get somewhere safe, get on my cellphone, go back to my car, run, etc... And, obviously, barring emergencies, I wouldn't be in that situation anyway.

Now that the OP has generated some responses, I'd be interested in knowing what the author deduces from these responses.

What the responses tell me is that when it comes to our personal safety, we sometimes have to make split-second decisions that, when viewed at length later, could be seen as offensive.

For example, I would rather get on a plane with a group of Mormons than a group of Muslims.

I don't think you can deduce this from the OP.

I would rather walk down a dark alley with someone in their 50s rather than someone in their 20s.

Do you mean come across someone who is 50 in a dark alley? Because, when it comes to walking down a dark alley with someone, my chosen companion would be a blackbelt in something.

I would rather be approached in a dark alley by a woman rather a man.

I would rather be approached by someone without harmful intentions. There are violent women, and they are every ounce as violent as their male counterparts. Now... as far as whether or not I could hold my own in a fight against someone, maybe I'd have a better shot with a woman, but I trust myself to be able to outrun just about anyone... especially with the adreneline I'd have at the time.

If you're implying that somehow the woman has good intentions and the man doesn't, then I could see where that could be offensive. But if we're assuming that both have bad intentions, then choosing someone who would likely have a lower body mass and probably be a bit shorter would just be a reasonable preference.

I would rather be approached in a dark alley by the Dalai Lama than Pat Robertson.

Who wouldn't? And that could hardly be considered offensive.

 

[Lynden1000]

In response to the OP, I would feel slightly safer, but I would not feel safe. And, as others have said, it would be because they just came from an organized event and are probably on their way somewhere rather than just walking around looking for something to amuse them.

That said, I don't care if it was the Pope and a bunch of Bishops -- if there were 10 men in an unsafe alley and I was a woman alone, I'd get somewhere safe, get on my cellphone, go back to my car, run, etc... And, obviously, barring emergencies, I wouldn't be in that situation anyway.


I don't think you can deduce this from the OP.


Do you mean come across someone who is 50 in a dark alley? Because, when it comes to walking down a dark alley with someone, my chosen companion would be a blackbelt in something.

Yes, that's what I meant, sorry!

I would rather be approached by someone without harmful intentions. There are violent women, and they are every ounce as violent as their male counterparts. Now... as far as whether or not I could hold my own in a fight against someone, maybe I'd have a better shot with a woman, but I trust myself to be able to outrun just about anyone... especially with the adreneline I'd have at the time.

If you're implying that somehow the woman has good intentions and the man doesn't, then I could see where that could be offensive. But if we're assuming that both have bad intentions, then choosing someone who would likely have a lower body mass and probably be a bit shorter would just be a reasonable preference.

Well that's the thing. Sometimes you're in situations where there really is no time to sit and ponder thoughtfully. If you are wandering down a dark alley and see someone approach you up ahead, you are going to have an immediate reaction, and one that is probably largely subconscious.

I would probably be a little more relieved if I saw that the person approaching me was a woman. Now the woman might in fact be planning to rob and kill me on the spot, but that doesn't change my immediate gut-level reaction, which frankly was based on nothing more than her gender.

 

[JGG]

If you were walking down a dark street at night in the rough part of Chicago and you saw ten young men walking towards you, would you feel more comfortable if you knew that they had just come from a Bible class?

As opposed to what? Ten young men just walking out of a gay bar? A model train convention? A movie? Would you feel more comfortable if they were 10 African Americans? Ten caucasian men? Five of each? Would it make a difference if I was in New York? Toronto? Seoul?

 

[levi501]

Yes...but more so if they were apart of a church that practiced christian humanism.

If were talking about the westboro baptist church I might look for the nearest meth lab to run into for safety.

 

[dlamberth]

If you were walking down a dark street at night in the rough part of Chicago and you saw ten young men walking towards you, would you feel more comfortable if you knew that they had just come from a Bible class?

Good question. I think I'd need to know which denomination they were. I’d feel most safe if they were Quakers


.

 

[TooCurious]

If were talking about the westboro baptist church I might look for the nearest meth lab to run into for safety.

My thought exactly.

 

[sister_maynard]

If were talking about the westboro baptist church I might look for the nearest meth lab to run into for safety.

Truth. The meth lab would likely be safer, even given the risk of explosion.

I'll just have to make sure not to stand near The Darkness.

"I am Galstaff, Sorcerer of Light!"
"Then why did you have to cast Magic Missile?"
Good stuff.

 

[Belk]

Truth. The meth lab would likely be safer, even given the risk of explosion.



"I am Galstaff, Sorcerer of Light!"
"Then why did you have to cast Magic Missile?"
Good stuff.

I missed the reference... I must not be as big a Geek as I though.

 

[flicka]

I was just thinking about how so many of these kinds of questions, often used to evangelize, are so sketchy. They always assume that Christan=good, and anything else=bad. Like in this scenario, no other examples are ever offered up (I personally like the Star Trek convention idea) so people automatically assume the 10 men are thugs because thats somehow the OPPOSITE of Christan,. It's as if everyone living outside the Christan faith is bad (ie: into sex, drinking, drugs, OH MY!!) when NOTHING could be further from the truth! But like I said before, it takes a little thinking to see that and most people don't bother to think. A lazy mind is easily swayed.

 

[sister_maynard]

I missed the reference... I must not be as big a Geek as I though.

I heard this little clip as an animation called "8-Bit D&D," which you can probably find via google or newgrounds. It's a funny little look at a gaming session.

 

[Belk]

I heard this little clip as an animation called "8-Bit D&D," which you can probably find via google or newgrounds. It's a funny little look at a gaming session.

Cool! Thanks I will look that up.

If you have not seen it already I would highly recomend "Order of the stick"

 

[Obsequey]

The OP asked if I would feel "more comfortable". I voted no. 10 men in a seedy area of town are still 10 men regardless from where they come, and would probably make me feel "uncomfortable".

 

[TooCurious]

If you have not seen it already I would highly recomend "Order of the stick"

Absolutely! Great story, funny stuff. One of my favorite webcomics.

 

[CriticalMassKitten]

Not really. 10 people walking towards me in a dark ally at night are the same no matter what. Being religious doesn't mean they are any less likely to commit a crime, therefore making me uncomfortable.