How to Know When You’ve Been Mugged

And other personal safety tips that should be obvious

Let us begin with the most basic, how to know when you’ve been panhandled:  You are being panhandled when you are asked for just a little money to solve a problem but later you find that the problem doesn’t ever get solved.  It may be for enough gas to get home or just enough to get back on their feet.  Some how, the next day and every day thereafter, that panhandler is still there.

Next may start the same but here is how to know when you’ve been pick-pocketed:  You will be presented with a distraction, possibly someone asking for change or often you’re presented some sort of crisis.  After the distraction is over, you reach for your wallet or purse and you find all the money is gone.

You may do all you can to plan your budget, to provide for your family, feed your children, but it all can be dashed in a moment.  How to know when you’ve been burglarized:  This is when you thought you put your money or goods in a safe place but then when it’s needed and you look for it, it is not where you put it.  What makes this one so painful is that afterwards you could swear you see your stuff being used by strangers everywhere.

How to know when you’ve been mugged:  In this case you are told the mugger is taking the money but you also know that if you object you will be facing a gun.  Be warned, muggers will often befriend you at first convincing you of good intentions to get you to a point trust and isolation.

How to know when you’ve been raped:  This is done often by someone whom you’ve trusted and felt safe.  Possibly even someone who has promised to protect you.  It will happen when you least expect it and when you are most vulnerable.  The rapist will violate you in a way that is an affront to your vary nature.  It will be a violation of your basic human rights.  The rapist will often try and make it look like the victim is to blame.

How to know when you’ve been kidnapped, brainwashed, and are suffering from Stockholm syndrome:   You find yourself panhandling for the same party that has panhandled, pick-pocketed, burglarized, mugged, and raped you!

A little harsh?  Sorry, consider it shock therapy.

 

I’d like to thank Neal Boortz for the idea, and OFA and my sister for the inspiration.