3 ms·

> Children under the age of 10 taking the trains by themselves or with friends, even in Tokyo. that has a lot more to due with safe transit. I would NOT send a

> Children under the age of 10 taking the trains by themselves or with friends, even in Tokyo. that has a lot more to due with safe transit. I would NOT send a 10 year old kid to take BART or MUNI by themselves. In fact i literally know a couple who's 12 year old son basically got intimidated into giving away their iPod on MUNI.

gumby 8y ago
This kind of thing happens on the Berlin or NYC systems and kids seem to survive. That's the city environment.
Wowfunhappy 8y ago
> In fact i literally know a couple who's 12 year old son basically got intimidated into giving away their iPod on MUNI. While I'm sure the financial loss was irritating, if this is the worst that comes from letting children ride transit alone, I'd consider it an acceptable cost. Depending on the details, it could even make for a good learning experience.
- barry-cotter 8y ago
  This is the attitude that leads to people shitting on the street and shooting up in front of police being acceptable. San Francisco is a special place.
  - Wowfunhappy 8y ago
    I'm not defending the caper! I just don't think the incident by itself should be enough to bar the child from riding public transit. (Additional details, such as how the child was intimidated, might change that assessment.)
    - barry-cotter 8y ago
      This kind of shit just does not happen in Shanghai, where I live. People get pickpocketed but I have heard of exactly one incident of violent robbery in six years here and they were professionals after a great deal of money, not petty crime. Equally this just does not happen in Tokyo. You may not have defended what happened but if you don’t think it’s acceptable either my reading comprehension or your writing needs work.
      - retsibsi 8y ago
        > You may not have defended what happened but if you don’t think it’s acceptable either my reading comprehension or your writing needs work. I think they meant 'acceptable cost' from the perspective of a parent deciding whether to let their children use public transport unsupervised. Meaning: despite the risk, it's still worth letting them roam free. (Not meaning: it's socially or morally acceptable that people sometimes intimidate and rob children.)
- briandear 8y ago
  A kid getting robbed is “acceptable?”
  - retsibsi 8y ago
    > A kid getting robbed is “acceptable?” I agree that it's a big deal (and perhaps more to the point, in a place where this happens, it's unlikely to actually be the worst thing that happens). But I don't think Wowfunhappy meant 'acceptable' in the way you might have read it. I think they meant it is outweighed by the benefit of being free to travel alone.
  - freeflight 8y ago
    Really depends on what actually happened, in my childhood plenty of bullies would do similar stuff, in addition to the regular beatings. I mean, the "lunch money stolen by the bully" is a trope to this day and is pretty much the very same thing like a stolen iPod. While it wasn't nice, it at least taught me a couple of things about life and gave me more confidence when dealing with high-stress/tension situations and the ability to mostly recognize them before they fully escalate.

gumby 8y ago

This kind of thing happens on the Berlin or NYC systems and kids seem to survive. That's the city environment.

Wowfunhappy 8y ago

> In fact i literally know a couple who's 12 year old son basically got intimidated into giving away their iPod on MUNI. While I'm sure the financial loss was irritating, if this is the worst that comes from letting children ride transit alone, I'd consider it an acceptable cost. Depending on the details, it could even make for a good learning experience.

barry-cotter 8y ago
This is the attitude that leads to people shitting on the street and shooting up in front of police being acceptable. San Francisco is a special place.
- Wowfunhappy 8y ago
  I'm not defending the caper! I just don't think the incident by itself should be enough to bar the child from riding public transit. (Additional details, such as how the child was intimidated, might change that assessment.)
  - barry-cotter 8y ago
    This kind of shit just does not happen in Shanghai, where I live. People get pickpocketed but I have heard of exactly one incident of violent robbery in six years here and they were professionals after a great deal of money, not petty crime. Equally this just does not happen in Tokyo. You may not have defended what happened but if you don’t think it’s acceptable either my reading comprehension or your writing needs work.
    - retsibsi 8y ago
      > You may not have defended what happened but if you don’t think it’s acceptable either my reading comprehension or your writing needs work. I think they meant 'acceptable cost' from the perspective of a parent deciding whether to let their children use public transport unsupervised. Meaning: despite the risk, it's still worth letting them roam free. (Not meaning: it's socially or morally acceptable that people sometimes intimidate and rob children.)
briandear 8y ago
A kid getting robbed is “acceptable?”
- retsibsi 8y ago
  > A kid getting robbed is “acceptable?” I agree that it's a big deal (and perhaps more to the point, in a place where this happens, it's unlikely to actually be the worst thing that happens). But I don't think Wowfunhappy meant 'acceptable' in the way you might have read it. I think they meant it is outweighed by the benefit of being free to travel alone.
- freeflight 8y ago
  Really depends on what actually happened, in my childhood plenty of bullies would do similar stuff, in addition to the regular beatings. I mean, the "lunch money stolen by the bully" is a trope to this day and is pretty much the very same thing like a stolen iPod. While it wasn't nice, it at least taught me a couple of things about life and gave me more confidence when dealing with high-stress/tension situations and the ability to mostly recognize them before they fully escalate.