How would you react to a situation like this?

[Judge Smails]

I was at The Bridgewater Commons Mall today with the wife and kids. Here's a story link. (http://blog.nj.com/ledgerupdates/2007/04/bomb_threat_empties_bridgewate.html)

We had just finished eating at the foodcourt and were walking towards Macy's when we noticed that the shutters were down. Huh - that's odd. So we turn around and start walking the other way. Now, I notice that they're pulling down the shutters on the Lids store. My wife and I look at each other and then glance at our watches and say "What the hell's going on here?"

We get back to the center of the mall and notice that more than half of the stores are closed, but most people are just standing around talking. Then this one lady runs past us, pulling her daughter by the arm and heading for the escalator. At that point my wife just goes into FREAKOUT mode. She lets go of the stroller, grabs my son and daughter and starts heading for the nearest exit. I scream at her that it's raining out and we're no where near where we parked. I yell at her to relax. Afterall, there has been no announcement made, no alarms are going off. I told her that the worst case scenario might be that some 9/11 type thing has happened somewhere and people are just looking to get out of public places. It can't be here because someone in authority would have said something.

So, as we're walking to our particular mall exit she sees two plain-clothes guys with walkie-talkies and asks them what's up. When she hears that there's been a bomb threat she has a litteral coniption (sp?) grabs the kids again and runs at breakneck speed, all the while cursing at me at the top of her lungs for being so non-chalant.

Afterwards I tried to explain my actions by saying it's better to keep a clear head and calm demeanor blah blah blah, but honestly this is the first time I've found myself in this kind of situation in a post-9/11 world. What do you think you might have done?

[FUNKMAN]

i believe i would have took your approach and kept my cool, no need to panic the kids. I would have walked calmly towards the exit and just kept my eyes and ears open for anything suspicous...

[Bossanova]

Smails, as an avid shopper at this mall. I can say I fully support how you reacted. That mall has never really been in any serious conflict as far as I can remember. True, its odd to see every store shutting down, but unless I heard sometinh on the PA I would not have blinked. No one thinks that Bridgewater could have a bomb threat. Certainly wouldn't be my first thought. Maybe you should have gone to Godiva and picked up the wife a chocolate covered strawberry.

[cougarjake13]

i believe i would have took your approach and kept my cool, no need to panic the kids. I would have walked calmly towards the exit and just kept my eyes and ears open for anything suspicous...

ditto

not crazy but get the fuck out asap

[PapaBear]

You acted fine, but it would have been nice for the mall to make some sort of announcement. Not like "get out there's a bomb", but something like "We're sorry for the inconvenience, but for circumstances beyond our control, we need to evacuate the building". It wouldn't cause panic. They do it in other stores all the time for bomb threats.

[burrben]

shit my pants (i freak out easily)

[lleeder]

I would have ran out of the mall through the nearest exit. I would walk to the car in the rain and drive like a maniac to get far away from the situation. You did the right thing by being calm but I would want out fast and at any cost.

[Marc with a c]

looting

[Fat_Sunny]

I was at The Bridgewater Commons Mall today with the wife and kids. Here's a story link. (http://blog.nj.com/ledgerupdates/2007/04/bomb_threat_empties_bridgewate.html)

... all the while cursing at me at the top of her lungs for being so non-chalant.

Afterwards I tried to explain my actions by saying it's better to keep a clear head and calm demeanor blah blah blah, but honestly this is the first time I've found myself in this kind of situation in a post-9/11 world. What do you think you might have done?


You Did Just Fine.

But You Now Need To Prove Something To Your Wife: That You Have The Ability To Have That Wild Emotional Response That Every Woman Craves.

Next Time You Are In A Remotely Odd Situation Like This, You Should Just Scream Out "We're All Gonna Die" And Then Run By Yourself To The Exit, Leaving Your Wife And The Stroller To Fend For Themselves.

That Should Prove To HerThat You Can Take Things Like This Seriously.

[HBox]

You acted fine, but it would have been nice for the mall to make some sort of announcement. Not like "get out there's a bomb", but something like "We're sorry for the inconvenience, but for circumstances beyond our control, we need to evacuate the building". It wouldn't cause panic. They do it in other stores all the time for bomb threats.

You really think it wouldn't cause panic? Look at how his wife was reacting. We live in a country full of people looking for a reason to piss their pants.

[PapaBear]

You really think it wouldn't cause panic? Look at how his wife was reacting. We live in a country full of people looking for a reason to piss their pants.
A couple of freaks might panic, but I've seen it many times before. When people are shopping, the thing that worries them the most is inconvenience. It might have caused panic right after 9/11, but bomb threats happen all the time. Most people realise it's usually some fuck that doesn't want to go to work that day, or is just pulling a stupid prank.

[Alice S. Fuzzybutt]

Years ago there was a "smoke situation" in the building I was working in. We waited for some sort of announcement as to what to do so we just waited. It wasn't until we saw fire engine's that we all decided to [calmly] high tail it out of there. Still, there was no announcements. No alarms.

Ever since then I've chosen to leave the situation rather than wait for someone in charge to make some sort of announcement.

[Jujubees2]

Smails,

I would do exactly what you did, especially in front of the kids. If they see Mommy and Daddy freaking out, it would make them freak out too.

[Bob Impact]

How would you react to a situation like this?

Two Words: Blind Panic.

Once Sarah and I were at the mall and someone yelled to their friend, I grabbed by hand and pulled her behind me all the whole screaming "IT'S ALL COMING DOWN!" and pushing small children out of the way.

[Furtherman]

You did the absolute right thing, especially with the kids. That had the potential to turn traumatic and could have really messed with your kid's heads.

Good for you.

And your wife, although understandably worried for her children, and has calmed down by now - owes you an apology for cursing at you with the kids. A BIG TIME apology.

[SatCam]

You did the absolute right thing, especially with the kids. That had the potential to turn traumatic and could have really messed with your kid's heads.

Good for you.

And your wife, although understandably worried for her children, and has calmed down by now - owes you an apology for cursing at you with the kids. A BIG TIME apology.

maybe itll make up for this? (http://www.ronfez.net/forums/showthread.php?t=56438)

[Marc with a c]

maybe itll make up for this? (http://www.ronfez.net/forums/showthread.php?t=56438)

i thought this was going to be about the easter candy mishap of '06.

[SatCam]

i thought this was going to be about the easter candy mishap of '06.

'07 dofus

[Marc with a c]

i thought this was going to be about the easter candy mishap of '06.

'07 dofus

wasnt smails the guy who ate all of the easter candy last year?

edit: it might have been haloween.

[Judge Smails]

wasnt smails the guy who ate all of the easter candy last year?

edit: it might have been haloween.


Nope. That wasn't me. I will say this though: With the new tools I've gone back and looked at a lot of the threads that I've started and been surprised by how many relate to issues that I've been having with my wife and kids.

It's not that I have a bad marriage. It's simply the fact that the majority of our friends are other married couples. I can't really confide in anyone because I know that it will eventually get back to my wife. All of my buddays at ronfez.net have become my defacto therapists/pressure safety valves.

Back to the topic of my wife freaking out. I just remembered another incident which I had blocked out of my memory. She really let 9/11 affect her to the utmost extreme. In an effort to get her over it, one day I literally dragged her kicking and screaming into the city to show her that everything would be OK. It just so happened that that day turned out to be he day of the Great Northeast Blackout. We had quite an adventure getting out of Manhattan with two young children that day. And she's been impossible to live with in these types of situations since.

[Furtherman]

Back to the topic of my wife freaking out. I just remembered another incident which I had blocked out of my memory. She really let 9/11 affect her to the utmost extreme. In an effort to get her over it, one day I literally dragged her kicking and screaming into the city to show her that everything would be OK. It just so happened that that day turned out to be he day of the Great Northeast Blackout. We had quite an adventure getting out of Manhattan with two young children that day. And she's been impossible to live with in these types of situations since.

Holy Shit.

The universe hates you.

[Thebazile78]

Back to the topic of my wife freaking out. I just remembered another incident which I had blocked out of my memory. She really let 9/11 affect her to the utmost extreme. In an effort to get her over it, one day I literally dragged her kicking and screaming into the city to show her that everything would be OK. It just so happened that that day turned out to be he day of the Great Northeast Blackout. We had quite an adventure getting out of Manhattan with two young children that day. And she's been impossible to live with in these types of situations since.

Not to pry or anything, but has your wife gone to counselling or anything about that? It sounds like she's still struggling with the emotions from Sept. 11th even now, and that may be a problem if she hasn't dealt with it.

I can empathize to a point. 9/11 affected me a great deal, especially because I was at work that day and ended up in Hoboken & Jersey City (long story). I grew up with two people who didn't make it out that night and regularly hear from a charity founded to honor the memory of the one who was in my h.s. graduating class. That entire week made me face my own mortality and resulted in a lot of other "control issues" coming to light for me (this explains my road rage) but I worked on those.

The residual effects are that I still have trouble with airports and waiting for the plane to take off - everything looks suspicious to me(!) - but other than that, I am OK.

But, I did go to counseling because the unsettled feelings I still had from that AWFUL day made me want to curl up in a ball and stay in bed for the rest of my life. Going to a therapist with my goals (to learn skills so that I wouldn't live in fear, etc.) and working on those goals (some behavior modification and what they call "cognitive therapy" worked out well for me) really helped. The Anniversary is still tough for me; I've managed to avoid being in the office every 9/11 since 2002.

While I'm not running out to the Financial District any time soon, and don't like to be there without some advance notice, I can walk past the Pit and the new PATH/Subway station and not feel panicked.

It's hard, but I really do hope she's able to find her own healing.

[FUNKMAN]

shit my pants (i freak out easily)

that's funny! :-)

[MrPink]

Two Words: Blind Panic.

Once Sarah and I were at the mall and someone yelled to their friend, I grabbed by hand and pulled her behind me all the whole screaming "IT'S ALL COMING DOWN!" and pushing small children out of the way.

http://www.thebelltree.com/maim/s-george.jpg

[ChimneyFish]

I rarely go out in crowded places anymore.(just my own mental problems) I could not really see any reason what so ever that I would go to the King of Prussia mall.


But I think you did the right thing. Freaking out is not going to help anything.

[high fly]

I was at The Bridgewater Commons Mall today with the wife and kids. Here's a story link. (http://blog.nj.com/ledgerupdates/2007/04/bomb_threat_empties_bridgewate.html)

.... I scream at her that it's raining out and we're no where near where we parked. I yell at her to relax. ...... When she hears that there's been a bomb threat she has a litteral coniption (sp?) grabs the kids again and runs at breakneck speed, all the while cursing at me at the top of her lungs for being so non-chalant.

Afterwards I tried to explain my actions by saying it's better to keep a clear head and calm demeanor blah blah blah, but honestly this is the first time I've found myself in this kind of situation in a post-9/11 world. What do you think you might have done?

Oh man, you missed your chance to slap her face to snap her out of it.
Just kidding.
Kinda.
Of course panicking isn't the thing to do, including you hollering at each other in front of the kids and the whole wide world.
Looks like she had the right idea to protect the kids.



And that "post 9/11 world" phrase is one dreamed up to excuse that which is or was inexcusable previously or to whip up irrational fear. It is an attempt to have emotions override rational thought.