4 ms·

That kind of paranoid neighbor is nothing new. They would benefit from being social shamed and isolated. Connecting a whole network of them together is just abo

That kind of paranoid neighbor is nothing new. They would benefit from being social shamed and isolated. Connecting a whole network of them together is just about the worst thing I can think of. Nothing reinforces crazy like an echo chamber.

Amezarak 7y ago
If people are having their bikes stolen, that’s not paranoia. I would not want to live in such a neighborhood and it’s always a little shocking to me to see this type of commentary on Hacker News where low level theft and vandalism appears to be accepted as just how life is. It definitely doesn’t have to be.
- Barrin92 7y ago
  yes, it can definitely still be paranoia even if there's occasional theft. We don't live in a utopia where crime never occurs, that doesn't justify a paranoid mindset. It's akin to the constantly jealous boyfriend or girlfriend who keeps track of everything their partner does. Even if they catch one cheating eventually, it doesn't change the fact that the constantly suspicious state of mind is pathological.
- cameronbrown 7y ago
  Indeed. For many people, it's not just 'a bike', it's their only method of transportation to work, to the shops and across town. Price difference aside, it's like taking somebody's car.
- burlesona 7y ago
  The majority of low-level theft and vandalism is by bored teenagers in their own neighborhood. The worst petty crime I ever had to deal with was living next to a middle school in a nice neighborhood in Houston. There were car windows smashed all the time by middle and even upper-middle class kids walking home from school and seeing something shiny in the passenger seat. It sucks, but it’s not a good justification for being afraid of “those people.” Turns our those people is us.
  - mc32 7y ago
    In my neighborhood there are very few teenagers. The bike thieves, package thieves and car ransackers are either actual thieves (with lookouts), or addicts. People like to blame bored teenagers, but given my city has one of the lowest percentages of teenagers in the country but yet this happens, indicates it’s something else (proven by the pictures and videos posted by neighbors).
scruple 7y ago
It's certainly not new, that's for sure. I do think that online communities have made the feedback loop much tighter, though. Previously, you'd have to find someone in person to express your crazy to. Now you can just go onto a neighborhood Facebook group or Nextdoor or whatever. I've personally found myself the subject of such posts, too, despite being a very average looking white dude. Simply because I have an older model car that I park on the street while living in a nice neighborhood, where the expectation is everyone should be driving a new Tesla, Benz, or BMW, apparently, and anyone else "doesn't belong."
- throwaway713 7y ago
  Haha I’d like to hear more about that. Do you live in the Bay Area? I work at one of the tech companies and have noticed that it mostly seems to be new hires that spend a lot on cars. I think the VP in my org actually drives a Toyota. I really don’t understand the expensive car obsession around here.
  - spydum 7y ago
    I think this is a long time trend of kids in their 20s with more disposable income or poor financial judgement than anything else (count myself in that group in the past).
  - scruple 7y ago
    Nah, but where I live is more or less indiscernible from most of the neighborhoods that I've been around in the Bay Area/SV. I'm in south Orange county. My wife and I live in new development. The demographics down here are different but the people are still new-car obsessed. Our neighborhood is a handful of young couples, a handful of other working folks, and then probably 70% retirees, empty nesters, and foreign money. My hot take is they have more money than they do sense. There's also quite a few folks who don't work because they don't have to work. So, I have a 2004 Scion xB. It's an "Orange Box." It's really hard to miss this car. Or, so you'd think. My wife uses it as her daily driver for her short commute but it's generally parked right in front of our place. We also have a newer Subaru but it's almost always in the garage because I work full-time remote. One day, for whatever reason I can't recall, I had the Scion and my wife had the Subaru. I had some errands to run at lunch that day. When I got back home, someone had parked in the spot that the Scion usually occupies, in front of our place, and so I parked two blocks down at an open spot on the street. Someone was home where I had parked, had somehow managed to have never seen this Orange car that'd been parked on the street for the last 600 or so freaking days, and had decided that the car and myself were _clearly_ out of place. So, maybe 30 minutes go by and I get a text to check out the Facebook group from one of our other neighbors that I'm friends with. This person had posted a picture of my car along with something like, "This person just parked their beater in front of our house and then took off down the street. We're thinking about calling the cops. Does anyone know who it belongs to?" So, I get on there and told them I live 5 houses away from them and question how they've managed to literally never see the bright orange car parked on the street anytime in the past ~2 years. And I said something like, "I like this car, I don't think it's a beater!" They never said anything back. This is a very quiet, very safe neighborhood, where many, many people are around all throughout the day. There's been a single break-in the entire time that we've lived here that I'm aware of. I had thought about selling that car, too, but thought better of it and we decided to keep it. If people are going to judge me for having that car... Well, fuck 'em. I park my beater in front of their house all of the time now on principle.

Amezarak 7y ago

If people are having their bikes stolen, that’s not paranoia. I would not want to live in such a neighborhood and it’s always a little shocking to me to see this type of commentary on Hacker News where low level theft and vandalism appears to be accepted as just how life is. It definitely doesn’t have to be.

Barrin92 7y ago
yes, it can definitely still be paranoia even if there's occasional theft. We don't live in a utopia where crime never occurs, that doesn't justify a paranoid mindset. It's akin to the constantly jealous boyfriend or girlfriend who keeps track of everything their partner does. Even if they catch one cheating eventually, it doesn't change the fact that the constantly suspicious state of mind is pathological.
cameronbrown 7y ago
Indeed. For many people, it's not just 'a bike', it's their only method of transportation to work, to the shops and across town. Price difference aside, it's like taking somebody's car.
burlesona 7y ago
The majority of low-level theft and vandalism is by bored teenagers in their own neighborhood. The worst petty crime I ever had to deal with was living next to a middle school in a nice neighborhood in Houston. There were car windows smashed all the time by middle and even upper-middle class kids walking home from school and seeing something shiny in the passenger seat. It sucks, but it’s not a good justification for being afraid of “those people.” Turns our those people is us.
- mc32 7y ago
  In my neighborhood there are very few teenagers. The bike thieves, package thieves and car ransackers are either actual thieves (with lookouts), or addicts. People like to blame bored teenagers, but given my city has one of the lowest percentages of teenagers in the country but yet this happens, indicates it’s something else (proven by the pictures and videos posted by neighbors).

scruple 7y ago

It's certainly not new, that's for sure. I do think that online communities have made the feedback loop much tighter, though. Previously, you'd have to find someone in person to express your crazy to. Now you can just go onto a neighborhood Facebook group or Nextdoor or whatever. I've personally found myself the subject of such posts, too, despite being a very average looking white dude. Simply because I have an older model car that I park on the street while living in a nice neighborhood, where the expectation is everyone should be driving a new Tesla, Benz, or BMW, apparently, and anyone else "doesn't belong."

throwaway713 7y ago
Haha I’d like to hear more about that. Do you live in the Bay Area? I work at one of the tech companies and have noticed that it mostly seems to be new hires that spend a lot on cars. I think the VP in my org actually drives a Toyota. I really don’t understand the expensive car obsession around here.
- spydum 7y ago
  I think this is a long time trend of kids in their 20s with more disposable income or poor financial judgement than anything else (count myself in that group in the past).
- scruple 7y ago
  Nah, but where I live is more or less indiscernible from most of the neighborhoods that I've been around in the Bay Area/SV. I'm in south Orange county. My wife and I live in new development. The demographics down here are different but the people are still new-car obsessed. Our neighborhood is a handful of young couples, a handful of other working folks, and then probably 70% retirees, empty nesters, and foreign money. My hot take is they have more money than they do sense. There's also quite a few folks who don't work because they don't have to work. So, I have a 2004 Scion xB. It's an "Orange Box." It's really hard to miss this car. Or, so you'd think. My wife uses it as her daily driver for her short commute but it's generally parked right in front of our place. We also have a newer Subaru but it's almost always in the garage because I work full-time remote. One day, for whatever reason I can't recall, I had the Scion and my wife had the Subaru. I had some errands to run at lunch that day. When I got back home, someone had parked in the spot that the Scion usually occupies, in front of our place, and so I parked two blocks down at an open spot on the street. Someone was home where I had parked, had somehow managed to have never seen this Orange car that'd been parked on the street for the last 600 or so freaking days, and had decided that the car and myself were _clearly_ out of place. So, maybe 30 minutes go by and I get a text to check out the Facebook group from one of our other neighbors that I'm friends with. This person had posted a picture of my car along with something like, "This person just parked their beater in front of our house and then took off down the street. We're thinking about calling the cops. Does anyone know who it belongs to?" So, I get on there and told them I live 5 houses away from them and question how they've managed to literally never see the bright orange car parked on the street anytime in the past ~2 years. And I said something like, "I like this car, I don't think it's a beater!" They never said anything back. This is a very quiet, very safe neighborhood, where many, many people are around all throughout the day. There's been a single break-in the entire time that we've lived here that I'm aware of. I had thought about selling that car, too, but thought better of it and we decided to keep it. If people are going to judge me for having that car... Well, fuck 'em. I park my beater in front of their house all of the time now on principle.