Violence Doesn’t Care Where You Live.

 

Posted by ADAM CARTER on APR 11, 2025

Violence Doesn’t Care Where You Live.

(Approx 2 minute read)

The comments on my articles are often fascinating. Sometimes they’re insightful, sometimes frustrating – but every now and then, they give me something else to write about.

Here we go with this gem: “If you need self-defense in your neighborhood, perhaps it’s time you switched neighborhoods.”

It sounds clever – until you actually think about it. The comment assumes violence only happens in so-called “bad areas”, and that if you’re worried about it, you should simply move somewhere else. As if life were that simple.

But violence doesn’t care where you live. It doesn’t check your post-code before it strikes. It happens in shopping centers, in offices, on holidays, in well-lit car parks, and sometimes in your own home.

It affects people from all walks of life, in every kind of place. It’s not about your street – it’s about recognizing that the world isn’t always safe, and that trouble often comes when you least expect it.

Lucky you if you never need self-defense. Honestly, I hope you never do. Most of us train with the hope that we’ll never have to use what we know. But hoping and pretending are two very different things.

Self-defense isn’t about paranoia – it’s about preparation. It’s about having options when things go wrong. And for many people, it’s not some distant hypothetical. It’s about walking home late from work, working a night shift, or just existing in a world that doesn’t always play fair.

You don’t train for a fight because you’re looking for one. You train because you understand that the choice to avoid it isn’t always yours.

And as for “just moving”? That speaks from a place of comfort and privilege. Not everyone has the freedom – or finances – to simply pack up and leave. I live in an area where violence is sadly not uncommon. There have been shootings, carjackings, home invasions – even murder. Would I move if I could? Of course. But is it possible right now? No. Not on my income.

A while ago, a few mothers of my students came to speak to me. They were concerned about racist attacks. The interesting thing? They lived in a very affluent area. Did they feel safer because of that? Apparently not.

Sometimes, I’m genuinely surprised at how naïve or dismissive some opinions are within the martial arts. Maybe it’s just people trying to get a reaction, but I wonder if keeping an open forum for that kind of thinking is really worth it.

Maybe it’s time to shut down the comments and let those voices drift into the ether.

Violence doesn’t ask where you live. It just turns up. So maybe instead of offering smug advice from a safe distance, try understanding why people want self-defense in the first place.

Because if your solution to danger is “just move”, then you’ve probably never been in any.

Written by Adam Carter