it's amazing but I'm still here. :) Another what would you do thing.

Hi.

It’s me again. I know how annoying this can be, sometimes I annoy myself while I type these threads but it’s necessary to break the monotony.

So here we go…

It’s 2:00 am and you are awakened by someone pounding on your front door.
Initially you are disoriented but as you gather your thoughts you realize it’s a panicked woman begging for help.

Do you open the door?

If it was a man would you have a different response?

I'll admit, as a woman and as a mom protecting her own family, I would be nervous. But I would open the door. Absolutely, yes. Man or woman, if someone was in distress I would open the door immediately.

I'm led by my faith, which I believe teaches me to open the door. It doesn't mean I won't have my cell phone in hand (and maybe dial 9-1 before opening the door.)

Bottom line: I cannot let fear or paranoia stop me from doing the right thing. If I were on the other side of the door, I would hope someone would open it for me as well.

Since I've actually done this, yes. It was a young male. Car broke down. I didn't know him, but it turned out he knew my son, which is why he picked my house he said.

Hubby was NOT happy. He was in the hallway, with the baseball bat and his phone.
I was told next time, he answers the door. Which doesn't make much sense to me, he swings a hell of a lot harder!


Honestly though, we live out in the country, and I was raised in the country. As scary as the big bad world is, I was raised to help others when they need it.
But now days, it will be cautiously.
Having dogs makes me feel a bit better about it too, really.

a reply to: minusinfinity
I might open the door after I had a look out a few windows to verify that there wasn't anyone else lurking around the corners...
and I would have the benefit of being armed when I did open the door.
It wouldn't matter about the gender of the person knocking.
If they were in need of help, I would render assistance.

a reply to: VegHead

thank you.

I would help.

Sometimes I learn by my actions but I rarely regret.

Man or woman I'd tell them to hang tight while I call the police.

This could easily be turned into a set up...you learn to look at the world with beady eyes where I was raised.

originally posted by: mikeone718
Man or woman I'd tell them to hang tight while I call the police.

This could easily be turned into a set up...you learn to look at the world with beady eyes where I was raised.

I understand why you're cautious.

That's why I asked, I'm curious.

Why is it the more god fearing a country is the more murder's it has and the more gun's a country has to keep them safe people are frightened to open a door ?

I would open the door no problem with my bat ready [ not that i would need it ]

originally posted by: minusinfinity
Hi.

It’s me again. I know how annoying this can be, sometimes I annoy myself while I type these threads but it’s necessary to break the monotony.

So here we go…

It’s 2:00 am and you are awakened by someone pounding on your front door.
Initially you are disoriented but as you gather your thoughts you realize it’s a panicked woman begging for help.

Do you open the door?

If it was a man would you have a different response?

I am a very light sleeper, and share my life with two dogs meaning before "she" set foot on front or back porch, I'd likely be up and moving. Also, being somewhat naturally nocturnal, I sit up sometimes gaming this kind of thing in my mind. Nevertheless, I will bite on your scenario. After identifying the individual at my front door as a woman, my next thought would be to confirm whether or not she's alone or has a few dudes hiding in the woods just out of the moonlight. Then I'd ask her how she ended up so far out in the sticks that time of night. If all appeared to be in order, I would offer whatever assistance I could provide.

I would open the door, sure.
I will also be holding a large bore handgun..... just sayin.

a reply to: FlyersFan

I live in a large city now but in the past I lived in a rural area.

Not sure if I would be more cautious in the city or in the farmland. Probably be more cautious in the rural area as help would take longer to arrive.

I would help as much as possible but safety would be my first concern.

We had an unexpected visitor the other day.

My husband opened the door and there was a young man standing there, sweating and out of breath, somewhat incoherent in speech, and visibly shaken....we very rarely get visitors out of the blue, so I immediately got up to see what was going on.

Husband attempted to find out what had happened, if the young man needed/wanted us to call an EMT or the police (the young mans shirt was ripped in several places, as if he had recently been in a violent confrontation) and after a few minutes he was able to reveal that he had been in an altercation with his girlfriend, who lived in a nearby apartment building.

While my husband remained on guard at the door, I offered the kid a bottle of water and he was extremely grateful.

We apologized for not being able to offer more assistance, told him if he needed a safe place to get his thoughts together he was more than welcome to relax in the hallway stairwell.

I feel horrible we don't have the resources to invite obviously distressed people into our home to relax, but there is a history of all sorts of drama in our neighborhood...over the years we've had several suspicious visitors who claim all sorts of outrageous stories, some of whom even attempted to "case" our apartment for possible burglaries...and because of those types of prior incidents we just can't run the risk.

The young man hung out for a few minutes outside on the stairs, and then disappeared...hope he's ok and patched up things with his girl.

If I were home alone it's very unlikely I would have answered the door.
I know that sounds selfish, but self preservation takes precedence sometimes.

Nobody pounding on my door at 2 am is getting a door open, even an acknowledgement of a light on, unless he or she is a relative or law enforcement, or it is an emergency with roadblocks, fire, earthquake, tornado, volcano, flooding, war attacks, or something bad where having a house won't matter.

I know the scam, help me let me in, and then she is part of a burglary or kidnapping or something. Or her jealous drunk husband is right behind her and will hurt me too. Even worse, when it's a kid, help me I'm lost, don't let them in, it is a scam.

I'd be peeking through a window looking for the zombie apocalypse actually. If there is one there might be more.

a reply to: AtomicOrbital1

It's better to be safe than sorry but what if the lady really needed help?

a reply to: minusinfinity

Anyone knocking at my door would get the same response....the help they need.
Helping people should always be seen as an opportunity and never a burden.

I thrive on good deeds though so my opinion might be different than others and also,I know I can kick ass if needed so I don't have too much fear about opening my door to a stranger.

a reply to: minusinfinity

First I would ensure that the rest of the household was roused and ready to call the police at a moments notice, and also that I had my bowie knife in one hand, and my mobile phone within reach and THEN I would open the door expecting to get rushed. Assuming that did not happen immediately, I would actually interact with the person at the door, and deal with any resulting situation according to whatever it required of me.

One has to be aware in this day and age, that unfortunately, answering a panicked call at the door, can lead to tragic consequences for families and households. With that in mind, when that knock comes, one must prepare ones self for every eventuality.

a reply to: minusinfinity

Yup. I open the door. But anyone banging on the door after sunset is likely to have me answer the door with my .40 in hand.

a reply to: minusinfinity

Hate to say it, and it pains me as someone who wants to help, but anyone banging on my door at odd hours is going to be met by a cautious guy with a weapon within reach (save for the authorities or family).

Now, my location would be another factor - if I lived in a high-rise, then I'd be cautious, but not overly cautious, as most of the ones I know have cameras and a security guard nearby. Where my suspicious would be on high guard was if I lived in a rural area - The only time someone should be knocking on your door in that situation is:
1. There really is some trouble (car broke down, person got lost or hurt, etc).
2. Hitchhikers (out by me, it's uncommon, but I'm sure it would happen more if you lived near a national park or forest).
3. People looking for trouble.

-fossilera