SuperGran or SillyGran...??

[BurnAfterReading]

I heard on the radio this morning about an elderly lady who attacked some would be thugs/burglars/shoplifters with her handbag and they ran away.(I haven't read the full story yet - apologies for this)

The woman was referred to as "Super Gran" by the person on radio but I wonder how "super" this behaviour actually is....??

My dad did something similar with some eejits on a bus who were throwing things at passengers and intimidating everyone - my dad, being all bravado, challenged them in a not so polite way, the eejits shit themselves and sat quietly for the rest of the journey - this worked out well for my dad, but I told dad that he was silly to do this as it could have cost him dearly. especially when the eejits could have followed him off the bus and jumped him...

Personally, I think this lady is very lucky, as her intervention could have gone the wrong way.

What do you think? Intervene or look the other way? I'm in two minds, I suppose it depends on the situation....

[Niceguy2]

i notice the earlier link has been blocked on Youtube. Here is another:

here

Personally I think its great that the gran got involved like that but a shame so many others either pretended not to notice or just stood and watched.

Sometimes you have to do the right thing despite the risk to yourself.

Otherwise, where does it stop? If everyone thought the same, who'd do it? The police? They're just humans at the end of the day too and why should they put themselves in harms way when we can't be bothered to?

[crazyspaniel]

I think society goes a bad way when people step aside and say 'nothing to do with me... walk on...'

How are we defining "society" though? I understand it as the network of bonds between human beings. I don't really give a stuff about some jewellery chain that (probably) makes huge profits, and certainly wouldn't put myself at risk for it. This is what troubles me about the responses to this story - is heroism really defined by our willingness to potentially martyr ourselves so that an insurance company doesn't have to pay out?

As I said above, the store manager and staff weren't going to put themselves at risk. I disagree (Niceguy) that the police are no different - they are (in circumstances such as this) armed with something better than a handbag, and also willingly take a salary in exchange for putting themselves in such situations.

[BurnAfterReading]

"The police? They're just humans at the end of the day too and why should they put themselves in harms way when we can't be bothered to?"

erm because it is their job to uphold the law, it's not national service :) people actually apply to be in the police force knowing full well what it entails.

[CostaLotCoffee]

Crazy, I think you are right but it is so hard to do the right thing sometimes.

A few months ago I was in town with my friend, two newborns and my toddler. We walked past a woman who was violently shaking a buggy to try to make her baby stop crying, I think the baby was probably about 9 months old. I genuinely feared for the safety of the baby.

I would like to think I would have challenged her and told her that you can't do that with a baby, but she had two very rough looking skin heads with her, stood talking, and one of them saw us looking at what she was doing and shouted 'whats your f**king problem?'. We walked on and said nothing .
I just couldn't risk putting my babies in danger by possibly provoking these apparently aggressive men.

I still feel bad for that little baby and hop she is still ok.

I looked for a police officer or anyone in authority to tell but couldn't find anyone.

[Niceguy2]

I don't really give a stuff about some jewellery chain that (probably) makes huge profits, and certainly wouldn't put myself at risk for it.
Your response troubles me too.

It might be a jewellery chain this time. What next? A bank? Your friends home? Your car? My car? Where do you draw the line?

If everyone had your attitude there'd be no society at all. It would be just anarchy.

The police can only police in this country by consent. They need our support and often assistance. The more people (rightly or wrongly) step away and refuse to help, the worse the country will get.

And let's face it most of our police (thankfully) are not armed. The most dangerous item most of them have is arguably a truncheon, maybe pepper spray. Hardly a match against a team of sledgehammer wielding thugs. So if we won't help.....why should we expect them to? They're hardly paid a lot.

[BurnAfterReading]

The most dangerous item most of them have is arguably a truncheon, maybe pepper spray. Hardly a match against a team of sledgehammer wielding thugs.

As opposed to a handbag..??

I personally would not put my life at risk in this case at all....I would jump down the throat of someone who was being a threat to my family/friend etc, and I would like to think that I would intervene if witnessing someone trying to steal a car or break into a home...but, this jewellery store was already closing the shutters and assuming the alarm was on police were probably alreay on route - the store manager and staff have probably been trained to do nothing in event of robbery as life is more valuable.

This wee 'have a go hero' lady practically sprinted from the other side of town to help a store that already had put its security plan into place...

[saffy85]

Good for supergran she is clearly not to be messed with!

...But had my granny done similar or my mum (who is very confrontational) I would have told them off! As you say it doesn't always have a happy ending- some people have stepped in in situations like this and got their heads kicked in.

[pagwatch]

I think speculating about what one would or wouldn't , should or shouldn't do is something of a waste of time.
Most people I know who have been attacked or walked in on a burglar etc have had no notion beforehand that they would behave as they did.
The funniest example were my friends who were walking home when two guys attempted to mug them.
My six foot, stacked, rugby playing, general good guy friend stood there open mouthed. His girlfriend, all 5 ft 1" eight stone of her, legged it after mugger in a total fury.

You don't know how you will react.

I am a total Jessie about blood and stuff yet have run to help when anyone is hurt. Twice I have got them into ambulance and then fainted.

[rickymummy]

My Mum walked past the shop a few minutes later - when she told me about it this morning, I thought for one awful moment it was her! She's forever leaping in. I once saw her smack a pretty thuggish teenage boy with her umbrella because he was pushing a girl against a fence.

I would probably have run a mile, but it is a good job there are a few people around who would have the nerve to jump in.

[ilovesprouts]

i say good on her ,and shame to all them who was walking past ,she deserves a medal

[mrshess]

Sometimes you have to take a stand for what you know is right or what kind of world would we live in.
I cant believe the speed she ran she could outrun me, hats off to her i hope she gets a new handbag as a reward!!

[antshouse]

She told the Northampton chronicle that she thought that 3 of the men were attacking another man an ran over to stop it. It was once she had intervened that she realised it was a robbery. She's a brave lady.