The Smart Approach
...ely going to trust any man offering help. Just because he is offering help, she believes he is a genuinely trust-worthy man. Being cautious of the dangerous consequences that can occur when getting help from a stranger is not a form of exaggeration but a form of reality. A man with bad intentions will try to attack a woman that is alone because that natural feeling of superiority will arise. Women must break the cycle by knowing how to defend them-selves and acting upon it. Would you truly feel secured when needing to depend on someone else for protection? There are times when people will just sit there and watch a crime as if it were some type of entertainment. “For more than an hour thirty-eight respectable law-abiding citizens in Queens watched…” (Gansberg 101). This only proves that society is less concerned with keeping a safe, united community for its fellow citizens. Women have continuously been known for not being able to defend themselves from life threatening situations. It’s very hard to depend on men to do things that women should learn to do independently. Sometimes, a woman with kids can be stranded on the side of the road in the need for help. Many cars will slowly pass by staring, wondering what happened, but won’t bother to stop and offer their services. An entire hour can pass without a single car helping, so when a stranger stops, she immediately accepts the help. You might think you’re surrounded by neighbors or people that you can depend on, but think again. In many occasions, a violent crime can be occurring and witnesses will be too afraid to interfere or call for help. They will simply witness the crime, because they are afraid something will happen to them. What does it mean to become a self-reliant woman? Self-reliance is having confidence in ones own abilities and not having to depend on someone else for things that can be done by them-selves. Due to society’s harsh reality and crime rates among women, self-reliance is a good and benefiting approach that can change the sad occurrences going on. Becoming self-reliant would allow a woman to feel freer and worry less about her well being. There are many potential ways to becoming self reliant, such as fighting, having a gun, etc. Linda M. Hasselestrom states, “with some reluctance I decided to carry a pistol” (347). Many women try to learn methods of fighting, but in reality we have to realize that a small framed woman could not compete with a man ...