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A couple of times, when people were shouting and gesturing at me from cars, I tried smiling and waving like they were my long-lost cousin. They just sped off.

I eventually decided it was better to ignore them, though. I have not had a situation escalate when I did that.

BTW, there's no logic to why people go off this way. The last time it happened to me, I was rolling to a stop at the rear end of a traffic jam on I-45 in Houston, when a yuppie woman nearly hit me from behind. She was screaming and giving me the finger with both hands.

There was nowhere to go and nothing to do but stop and wait until the traffic started moving again.

- Jim

anygunanywhere wrote:If you really want to annoy them, blow them a kiss. ;-)

I don't know if you're halfway kidding or all the way kidding. For the sake of discussion, I'll assume you're not kidding at all.

When you acknowledge a stare or gesture, you're engaged. The next step, if the other guy has bad intentions, is a confrontation.

You can break this rule if you are sufficiently bold and lucky. You have to convince the other guy that you're completely unpredictable. Criminals are not very bright, and they may not be able to figure that out. (They do try to rob donut shops, after all).

- Jim

tomneal wrote:When walking, I make it a point to look around. I am not really looking for anything, I just want the criminal preditors to see me looking around.

The trouble with rules like this is oversimplifying. I plead guilty.

When I'm on the street or driving, I at least glance at anything that moves. I was trying to advise against was stargazing, looking at the ground, staring at people, or making eye contact.

When I lived in Chicago and took public transportation, I had a couple of incidents where I scanned someone's face and he said, "What are you looking at?" That's dicey.

Also, if another driver is making gestures to provoke you, you can pretend you don't see him while being aware of the potential threat.

- Jim

Diode wrote:Good advice. My uncle lives in Chicago, toughest small man I ever met. He retired from the Ford plant, always drove a Thunderbird and carried in his console!

Thanks. Was that the plant on Torrance Avenue? I used to visit there as a vendor. Tough neighborhood.

The problem with carrying in Chicago is that it is completely illegal (except for political big-shots and their buddies) and they really throw the book at you.

- Jim

Thanks.

- Jim

Rather than jump on some existing threads that got me thinking, I thought I would start a new one.

This advice is based on my modest experience of growing up on the south side of Chicago ("Bad, Bad Leroy Brown's" neighborhood) and generally staying out of trouble for 50 years, with a few educational exceptions.

1. Look like you mean business in a serious way. Keep your head up. Walk briskly. Don’t look like a victim, and don’t look like you’re spoiling for a fight.
2. Keep your eyes pointed where you’re going, but use your peripheral vision.
3. Ignore morons and jerks, but remain aware of them.
4. Don’t let a stranger within arm’s reach. Raise your arm in a non-threatening way if someone tries to approach.
5. While driving, if someone wants to get ahead of you, let them go. Spending one more second getting where you’re going will not make a difference in your threescore and ten years.
6. If someone tailgates you, let them pass.
7. If someone is in your way, go around.
8. Don’t make rude gestures.
9. Don’t honk your horn unless it will prevent a collision.
10. Don’t enter any place or situation unless you can see the way out.
11. When your back is to the wall and you have to defend yourself, do so; but try never to get into that situation.

I am not advising you to be a wimp. Be a self-assured, independent adult who does not need to prove anything.

- Jim