Akka
Moody old mage.
True.The brute squad is still real, but never before has being female, small, or past your prime mattered so little.
Completely false.Pepper spray, tasers, handguns, a willingness to use them, and some practice are powerful. Probably more powerful than exercise and an 18 year old man's body. Trayvon Martin kicked George Zimmerman's ass. Cops are not always super in shape.
It's true that physical strength counts now less than ever. But it's due to having a society based on law and low level of crime. Weapons have absolutely nothing to do with it, and their role about it is between nothing and nil.
Also, weaponized deterrence has about zero effect about feeling unsafe (and in fact little effect in actual safety).
I'm not convinced by the whole concept of feeling unsafe because of leering being illusory. Stat are one thing, the physical presence of people who puts you at unease is a pretty different thing.