Have you ever heard the saying “silence is golden”? I suppose when you are sitting up in a mountain cabin escaping from the hectic pace of everyday life, the saying is still true. Also, keeping your mouth shut can keep you out of a lot of trouble. But there is a sinister side to that phrase as well. Silence is the criminal’s best friend. He works in silence and seeks silence from his victims. When he says “silence is golden”, he means that all the resources you have will be his if he can keep you silent. As someone who would like to keep your resources and personal safety, it is your job to learn how to use sound to discourage and deter criminals.
Do you remember the last time you heard a car alarm go off? If it was in the parking lot of the grocery store, you probably turned to see which car was honking. If it was in a dark street while you were walking home, you definitely looked to see where the noise was coming from, especially if it was in a normally quiet neighborhood. Humans were given or developed two natural responses to loud noises: fear and interest. Fear is a safety mechanism that causes us to shy away from loud noises. It helps to prevent us from being hit by large objects or surprised by predators. Interest seems to be a trained response that develops as we get older, but it is very powerful and will frequently overcome the fear response if we don’t feel immediate danger. This interest is what we can use to our advantage should we be attacked or threatened.
Before portable electronics became a normal part of our lives, the only tools we had to make noise with were our mouths and whatever was within reach to bang on. Then came the whistle. This was a vast improvement over the human voice because it takes much less effort to create a much greater volume of sound. Also, people are more accustomed to the sound of a person yelling than the shrill sound of a whistle. Whistles are still a great way to alert people that you are in trouble and they are very cheap which makes them an excellent self-protection tool for many people.
Now, we have the benefit of personal electronics to help us out with self-protection. Personal alarms are sold online and in stores all across the country. These tools come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Some even look like sparkly key chains for those of you that like adding a little bling to your self-defense arsenal. The two most common types of activation for personal alarms are the push button and the pull string. The push button styles seem to be very popular today, but you run the risk of setting it off randomly if you carry it in your pocket or purse with other small items. Also, finding a tiny button in the midst of a potentially violent encounter can be difficult and cause you to take your eyes off your attacker. The second style of activation (the pull string) is simple to use and seems less likely to be accidentally activated during your business meeting. The with a pull type activator, one end of the alarm is attached to a belt-loop, purse strap, or backpack clip. The other is either free hanging or can be attached to another item to prevent backpacks or purses from being stolen without notice. A sharp tug at the free end of the alarm will set it blaring out a warning at up to 140 decibels. That is loud enough to get almost anyone’s attention.
These little noise makers can’t be used in an offensive manner (unless you are trying to break up that business meeting) but they do provide you with a way to use the natural human inclinations to your advantage while taking away the criminal’s advantage of silence. I recommend that you consider purchasing one of these to add to your everyday carry gear. If you can’t afford one, a simple whistle is an excellent substitute. But if you should happen to be attacked before you have a chance to purchase one of these items, never forget to use your voice to deter the attacker and draw attention to your situation. A good loud yell or two can absolutely save your life!