An important element of adopting the mindset required to practice situational awareness is to first recognize that threats exist. Ignorance or denial of a threat — or completely tuning out one’s surroundings while in a public place — makes a person’s chances of quickly recognizing the threat and avoiding it slim to none. This is why apathy, denial and complacency can be (and often are) deadly. A second important element is understanding the need to take responsibility for one’s own security. The resources of all governments are finite and the authorities simply cannot be everywhere and cannot stop every criminal act. The same principle applies to private security at businesses or other institutions, such as places of worship. Therefore, people need to look out for themselves and their neighbors.
Read more: Situational Awareness: How Everyday Citizens Can Help Make a Nation Safe | STRATFOR
(h/t Tom Givens)
Stuff From Hsoi 
Yep. That first one is the hardest… most people don’t want to admit that there is any sort of risk or threat. Which may be why nobody signed up for my Refuse seminars last semester (although part of it may be because they put the wrong times on the website).
I remember listening to a radio talk show in Austin some years ago, discussing self defense issues. One woman called in and said something like “guns r bad, mmmkay?” and the host asked her what she would do if she was attacked. Her response: “That would never happen to me. I have good Karma.” Yeesh.
The first step is always the hardest.
Consider, some horrible event occurs in some neighborhood and the interviews with neighbors are always things like “you never think something like that can happen here” or “this is such a nice neighborhood” or other such “can’t happen to me, can’t happen here” sorts of comments. We’ve become so overly civilized (if you will) that we think such things just can’t and won’t happen… we’re too far removed.
But comments about having “good karma” well…. that’s the solution then. I guess all those rape victims out there just have bad karma. *sigh*