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Op, don't feel bad about it. Fears Are Genuine or Misplaced. With everything is going on in our world, I won't blame you for thinking or feeling the way you do.
I work in the shopping mall because my family owns several retail shops. I also always wanted to be a FBI profiler or Forensic Artist.
I learned that When we try to determine whether someone is a good person or a potential threat, we tend to focus on superficial qualities that actually don’t tell us much about the individual. We assume that people who go to work every day, have a family and a well-kept home are normal—and we give them a lot of credibility.
In fact, myth is that good people just snap and act violently,individuals who “snap” already have traits that predispose them to violence, such as a short fuse or physical aggression.
You bet I use a lot of profiling when I deal with people and wouldn't mind if they profile me however they want to.
If the backpack was a concern to you, report it. Don't be afraid of being labeled or being made fun of. This is not a lack empathy or compassion, this is being cautious. Nothing wrong with it and nothing personal.
Best of luck.
Last edited by lilyflower3191981; 01-02-2016 at 09:03 AM..
That response is an indication of how frightened we have become. Somebody leaves a gym bag unattended and someone considers it may be a bomb. What are you supposed to do with a gym bag when you are taking a shower? Take it with you?
The Terrorists are winning. We have become terrified. That is really too bad.
I was just going to post the same response........
That response is an indication of how frightened we have become. Somebody leaves a gym bag unattended and someone considers it may be a bomb. What are you supposed to do with a gym bag when you are taking a shower? Take it with you?
The Terrorists are winning. We have become terrified. That is really too bad.
^ this
The hysteria is reaching absurd levels. Just this past week we had a local incident where an entire downtown neighborhood was shut down because of a "suspicious package" ... outside of a highly coveted terrorist target: a Long Island nail salon. It was so absurd I couldent even read the article in the newspaper. I can't believe the cops actually responded, muchless called in the elite Emergency Services Unit.
I agree with being alert and keeping an eye on things but there is a huge difference between a gym or a nail salon and a train station, a shopping mall, etc. A little judgement would go a long, long way.
I am duly 8 am at my LaFitness this morning. As usual, I head straight to the ab machine. There are two of them, one on the right is taken by some dude in jeans and hoody. Hood is actually on, covering his face. He's pretending he's doing ab crunches. By his left leg, leaned against the machine is black backpack. Which is ok, folks folks show at the gym with bags size of average human.
So I am doing my thing, and at my 3rd set, dude stands up and takes off.
The back pack is still there.
He went into the changing rooms area.
BUT! I am standing there, looking at darn backpack, and I can not get rid of that thought - wdf is IN that backpack? With all the crap going on in the world.
Didn't do my 4th set and went all the way across the gym to military press.
That was quite unpleasant moment, actually.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ponderosa
The terrorists are winning. We are all being consumed by irrational fear stoked by the media and "leaders" like Trump. I find myself looking at every dark skinned foreigner other than "mexicans" with suspicion. We were some place yesterday where there were a group of them and I was relieved when I came to appreciate that they were Indian and not Muslim. We here in the US are doing better than many other places though. I saw where NYE events around the world were cancelled or curtailed.
You poor things.
It must be stressful to be so readily programmed and to know nothing but to live by it, like clockwork.
That response is an indication of how frightened we have become. Somebody leaves a gym bag unattended and someone considers it may be a bomb. What are you supposed to do with a gym bag when you are taking a shower? Take it with you?
The Terrorists are winning. We have become terrified. That is really too bad.
It's not really new. Terrorism has been around for a while, and I remember in the 80s in NYC and other cities, people would report packages or bags left unattended in rail stations, subway stations and airports, and I remember noticing them myself and wondering if I should report it.
I also remember that some people were too nervous to take planes to Europe because there had been some incidents, which was rather drastic.
If the guy looks and acts normally for a guy working out, and if the bag looks typical for the gym, no concern
But something about the guy caught your attention and got your adrenaline going.
Only you know in your subconscious if you profiled him upon media influenced cultural stereotypes, or if some tiny nuance of his actions rightly triggered an instinctive adrenaline response.
Maybe you have excellent instincts.
But you -- like most people -- would benefit from educating yourself about what improvised explosive devices can and can't do.
Any time your local police or sheriffs dept but on a public bomb squad exhibition -- go see it! You will learn a lot!
There are also informational videos by Homeland Security about what kinds of things to report and how to do so effectively and discreetly.
Going over to the other side of the workout area would not have spared you, had it been a bomb.
You could have said 'Hey, Man you forgot your bag', or told a trainer that he left his bag.
If you pick up a really bad vibe about something, evacuate yourself, and immediately call 911. If something bad is going down, yell for others to GTF with you, and immediately call 911.
All public situations are not the same.
A backpack laying around a gym is pretty normal. At an airport: Huh uh.
But if you get a glimpse of something really bad going down, run. Run far! Get others to run, and call 911.
First responders would rather people did that, then sort things out later, than sort through statements taken from survivors that they saw the backpack, saw the guy acting nervous, but didn't want to cause a scene.
Situational awareness: Abandoned bag at gym = Probably normal
Abandoned bag at airport = Notify airport personnel immediately to get police en route!
Oh for God's sake people. We just had many posts about people NOT saying anything that looked suspicious, and now you chastise someone for taking note of something that he felt was suspicious.
Who works out in jeans? Seriously. I've been to enough gyms to know that people don't work out fricken jeans.
If I saw a guy wearing jeans and a hoodie that covered his face while sitting at a machine not actually working out, and he walked off without his bag, taking the information that we all have, yes, it would most definitely look very suspicious. I want to know why the OP didn't say anything.
And yes, you do take your damn possessions with you to the changing area if you're smart. Who the hell leaves their bag behind? Why would you NOT take your bag with you to the changing area?
This is why people don't speak up. This level of crap that just happened on this thread is what people face in life. Take your pick: Tell them to flip their hand at the PC police and stand up and say something, or shut the hell up the next time you hear about someone who could have said something but didn't. You cannot have it both ways.
Those people who went to work in San Bernardino thought their place was normal, too. In fact, didn't we all question: Why this place? That seems weird.
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