Lifestyle Theories

Gershon Ben Keren

Mon 26th Mar 2018

Unfortunately, reality-based self-defense, is often not informed by reality, but is based on outdated models of victimization, which try to explain who gets attacked and why, based on a person’s lifestyle choices and routine activities. Often in self-defense programs, violent crimes only get presented as opportunistic interactions, between offenders and their chosen targets e.g. a “chance” run-in with a mugger in a parking lot, when you go to get your groceries, etc., and whilst such events do occur, they are certainly not representative of all acts of violence. This idea that violence is down to lifestyle choices, has lead many...Click To Read More

Spy Tips & Real Life

Gershon Ben Keren

Mon 19th Mar 2018

It’s worth remembering, as we go about our daily lives, that we are not in fact Jason Bourne, James Bond or Jack Bauer, and that it is highly unlikely that a well-resourced individual or group is actively hunting us down, with the goal of capturing or terminating us. Because of this, our situational awareness must be appropriate to the situations and the environments in which we spend our time. Many people use Jeff Cooper’s color codes, as a means of understanding when to escalate awareness, however they can also be used as a tool to actively de-escalate awareness; of learning...Click To Read More

Motive

Gershon Ben Keren

Mon 12th Mar 2018

In one of my former roles, I was called on to create security profiles of employees within a company, to predict the likelihood of future criminal acts – the company was losing a lot of stock, and they were trying to identify, the individuals involved to keep a closer eye on them, and eventually catch them. When doing such profiling, one of the most important components I would look at was motive; at first glance the motive may seem simple i.e. to profit from the sale of the stolen goods, but that only tells us part of the story. Motive consists...Click To Read More

Recreational Violence

Gershon Ben Keren

Sun 4th Mar 2018

Not all violence is the same. Some incidents, such as muggings, are planned/premeditated, whilst others are unplanned and happen spontaneously. Because not all violence is the same, we may require different methods and solutions for dealing with separate and distinct incidents – rather than a one-size-fits-all approach. Predatory individuals – those who commit planned/premeditated acts – engage in violence for different reasons e.g. some use it to acquire resources, whilst others use it to obtain a thrill, and gain excitement etc. Understanding these different predatory motivations, and the forms of violence that they take, allows us to be more effective...Click To Read More