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Those who have no stomach for violence can eke out a living snatching cell phones on the subway, which are much easier to convert to cash than stolen credit car
by mechanical_fish 16y ago
Those who have no stomach for violence can eke out a living snatching cell phones on the subway, which are much easier to convert to cash than stolen credit cards...
At first I thought this was a fake semantic distinction, but now I see: Snatching is not the same as pickpocketing, because the mark helpfully takes out the most valuable item they own and holds it in prime stealing position for you, instead of concealing it in a pocket.
So this seems like the obvious reason why pickpocketing is dying: We've made it too easy. The most easily-fenced, most valuable object I carry is also one which I am very likely to take out and juggle as I wander through crowded places.
Here's where a better article would have coupled the stats on pickpockets with actual stats on public theft and other petty crimes, including things like ATM skimming. (Of course, I believe that all of these things are declining in absolute terms.)
- mrcharles 16y agoA friend of mine had his brand new iPhone 4 snatched on the subway here a few weeks back. It's a real eye opener. You just hold it out there. If you aren't ready for someone to take it, it's trivial to grab it out of your hands and jump out of the doors while they close.
- makmanalp 16y agoMy mother taught me never to take out valuables, especially money, in crowded public places. Isn't this a common teaching, such as "never cross the road without checking for cars"?
- anateus 16y agoIn most parts of the US such lessons are rare. I grew up in the Middle East where I learned similar lessons. To many here's unthinkable that one can't just leave their bag lying next to them, or some such. Heck, outside of the cities many people here don't even lock their doors.
- makmanalp 16y agoYup, I'm from Turkey. Maybe it is a Middle East thing.
- kingsley_20 16y agoSame lessons from India, so I think it's a developing world thing. Or maybe even a high-income-disparity-culture thing?
- danssig 16y agoI disagree. I grew up in the US and I keep everything locked, keep my possessions close, watch what is going on around me in crowds, etc. I'm sure I'm not pickpocket proof but I don't have to be. I just have to not be the easiest one in the area.
- wmf 16y agoSure, but the point of smartphones is that you can use them any time, anywhere.
- xiongchiamiov 16y agoWarnings about crossing the road tend to be more lax in places where there aren't many cars.