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Not really. Shouting your income bracket would be info in a form everyone is attuned to (dollar amounts), whereas I don't think most people cross reference zip

Not really. Shouting your income bracket would be info in a form everyone is attuned to (dollar amounts), whereas I don't think most people cross reference zip code to avg income on the fly, even if they might roughly know it. Only people sensitive to it might, like real estate brokers and cops. Even if the odd professional criminal might think of this tactic, jacking rich people in the parking lots of hardware stores seems unlikely to be worth the risk. All of which is to say, I think you're being paranoid and unwarrantedly suspicious of strangers just because you're in the "bad part of town".

Symbiote 10y ago
In Britain, post codes are much more distinctive and memorable, since they follow a form like "SW7 2DD". The first letters give a city or county, the first number an area within it. The second part a street, business or building. Most British people would identify that as a London postcode — London is so large, it has several first letter codes. Most people from London would identify it as a posh area, people familiar with South West London would know it's an extremely posh bit. (It's the Science Museum.) Outside London and the densest cities it's less accurate, but usually still distinguishes urban and rural areas. Example: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LE_postcode_area https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LE_postcode_area I wouldn't feel unsafe giving my postcode, but they have been used by some street gangs as part of their identity, and therefore define a territory. In cities, the "SW7" bit is usually printed on the street name signs.
- MaxfordAndSons 10y ago
  True. US gangs totally do the same thing, but more often with phone area codes which are also 3 digits, instead of the more verbose 5 contiguous digit format of zip codes (the US equivalent of a post code). "I'm from the four eight two three four" just doesn't have a great ring to it.
  - rhizome 10y ago
    Area codes in graffiti is not a gang thing, it's a graffiti thing. Gangs don't travel (much), they just mark their own territory. No area code necessary.

Symbiote 10y ago

In Britain, post codes are much more distinctive and memorable, since they follow a form like "SW7 2DD". The first letters give a city or county, the first number an area within it. The second part a street, business or building. Most British people would identify that as a London postcode — London is so large, it has several first letter codes. Most people from London would identify it as a posh area, people familiar with South West London would know it's an extremely posh bit. (It's the Science Museum.) Outside London and the densest cities it's less accurate, but usually still distinguishes urban and rural areas. Example: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LE_postcode_area https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LE_postcode_area I wouldn't feel unsafe giving my postcode, but they have been used by some street gangs as part of their identity, and therefore define a territory. In cities, the "SW7" bit is usually printed on the street name signs.

MaxfordAndSons 10y ago
True. US gangs totally do the same thing, but more often with phone area codes which are also 3 digits, instead of the more verbose 5 contiguous digit format of zip codes (the US equivalent of a post code). "I'm from the four eight two three four" just doesn't have a great ring to it.
- rhizome 10y ago
  Area codes in graffiti is not a gang thing, it's a graffiti thing. Gangs don't travel (much), they just mark their own territory. No area code necessary.