I was a human shield!

but not by choice!

Published on October 9, 2004 By BlueDev In Misc

An interesting thing happened the other day.

I was used as a human shield.

Seriously. I was. For some reason, when it happened, it just struck my of an awfully odd thing to have happen. I use myself as a human shield quite often. Walking through parking lots, crossing streets, etc. with my wife and daughters, I always put them on the side farthest from possible traffic. I don't really even think about it, I just do it. Always put me between them and any harm.

Of course, there are times it really wouldn't make a difference, but that doesn't matter to me. I feel it is my duty to do whatever I can to protect them, and so I interpose my 6'3", 220 lbs body between them and the cars. I do it willingly, I do it of my own accord.

But Thursday apparently some random lady decided I should do the same for her.

On the way to and from my office at school you just have to jay-walk a couple of times. You could go around, but it would turn an already 10 minute walk (walking briskly) into at least a 15 minute walk (more like 20, it really is that out of the way!). And so people just cross the street right at the railroad tracks. Smack dab in the middle of two semaphores, it usually isn't that difficult to get across, and you usually have plenty of room. As we approached the street this stranger came up and stood at my right. That didn't strike me as odd, she was coming from that side. There was a break, and we started crossing the first two lanes of traffic (coming from the left--I was between her and traffic).

But here was where the odd thing happened.

We got to the center, turning lane, and she very purposefully and deliberately quickly moved from being on my right to being on my left, so that as we crossed the next two lanes of traffic, I was once again between her and the oncoming cars. I honestly don't recall anyone ever doing this to me before, least of all someone I had never met before. I tried to think of some reason for her to move to my left, but none really presented itself. We were both going the same direction, both heading for the same set of stairs. The single, only reason to move to my left side was to put me between the cars and her.

I didn't really mind. It just struck me as interesting that she would deliberately use me as her human shield.

Comments

chiprj

on Oct 09, 2004

HAHAHA! That's pretty funny. And she didn't even give you the courtesy of a 'hello'? HAHA!

I usually do the same thing with my wife, but not always. For some reason, when we are holding hands it is always my right hand and her left hand. It actually feels odd to reverse it. So, when walking on the sidewalk and the street is to our left, it works out, but if we cross the street and continue in the same direction, she will actually be closer to the street. If we're not holding hands, then I will move to be between her and the street, though.

BlueDev

on Oct 09, 2004

For some reason, when we are holding hands it is always my right hand and her left hand.

It is usually the same for my wife and I. We almost always seem to hold my right, her left. Not always, but when we switch things up it just feels odd.

But, yeah, just a simple "Hello" or acknowledgment of my presence (other than hiding behind me!) would have been nice. Oh well!

lifehappens

on Oct 09, 2004

How old was she? I noticed my grandmother would automatically move, without reason from one side to another. (Later I noticed that she was putting herself as a "shield" for the kids but not for an adult.) I asked her why and she just shrugged...."you always walk on the right" I think older people may do it out of habit.
I know i do that too only because was told once not to walk by parked cars.....a kidnapper could grab me and drive away. I dont' know where I got that from, but it's stuck all these years. So I move over without thinking too.

BlueDev

on Oct 09, 2004

She was perhaps 10 years older than me, at most. Still in her 30's for sure.

I could be misinterpreting it, but it was very odd that she would switch sides in the center lane. Just sort of struck me.

Texas Wahine

on Oct 09, 2004

Interesting . . . I guess that's an OK thing to do, but a bit presumptious on her part. I do the same thing with my children, although I assume that all parents do. They always have to be on the other side of me so that I am closest to the street, the cars, the ledge, etc.

Maybe you could advertise and start charging a small fee for being an "urban human shield?"

Ravenblack

on Oct 09, 2004

It is not all that unusual around here, especially down at the shopping area. I've observed that when people want to cross the street, they cross in large groups with the belief that if a car hits them, it will hit other people first. I swear, I even heard this being said. If you gonna cross the road without using the red-green lights and you aren't sure about when, make sure there's people to provide some shielding on the oncoming traffic side! They cross, you cross.

So yeah, you will see huge groups crossing the road all at once at where they aren't suppose to cross, because we believe that cars will slow down rather than hit the crowd and even if it does hit, at least there's a smaller chance of you getting hit if there is a shield of lots of people. In certain streets, crowds walk the streets and there's nothing a car can do about it except horn.

crimson

on Oct 09, 2004

I have to admit, even as a parent, I have never given this a thought at all.

Course, I am from a small town.

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