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is it justified or is this just my lack of experience of living in the states running amok ? The latter. Most of us live in places where crime is not a proble
by bdunbar 15y ago
is it justified or is this just my lack of experience of living in the states running amok ?
The latter. Most of us live in places where crime is not a problem. We're not all in mortal fear for our lives, having property stolen left and right at gun point.
And .. the modest amount of actual crime I've seen, no guns were brandished.
I'd rather be threatened with a gun than by a big palooka with his fists.
* Fists or a gun, you're going to do what he says. He's got the drop on you, we can assume he's picked a place where help is unlikely to come, you can't get away quickly.
* A guy like that is big, likes to fight. He's going to do some damage. If he gets into it, he can cripple you for life, rack up some serious hospital bills.
* Criminals with guns don't seem to have much of a chance to learn to use them well. Contrary to TV, while shooting a gun is easy, actually hitting something is difficult. It takes practice.
- gburt 15y ago"Most of us" live in places where crime is not a problem. Does anyone live in a place where crime is a problem as you describe it? It seems that the Westerner attitude is that "somewhere else" things are really bad. New Orleans has close to the highest murder rate in the world.
- bdunbar 15y agoDoes anyone live in a place where crime is a problem as you describe it? I have. It seems that the Westerner attitude is that "somewhere else" things are really bad. If I lived in a place where crime was a problem, I'd say so. New Orleans has close to the highest murder rate in the world. Cape Town was higher, last year. And? I don't especially care about New Orleans: don't live there, wouldn't want to live there. It's a problem, but there isn't anything I can _do_ about it, so why worry?
- gburt 15y agoThanks for the data point re: Cape Town. That's interesting. I suppose my only point was that we like to think that things are way worse somewhere else (or perhaps someone likes us thinking that?), the State Department likes to issue warnings about how dangerous Country XYZ is, but you'll never see a travel warning w.r.t. visiting New Orleans.
- bdunbar 15y agoThe New Orleans Chamber of Commerce would throw a snit fit if the government issued a travel warning for their fair city. The Chamber of Commerce in Cape Town is somewhat less influential in that regard. About your larger point, maybe. If true I doubt it's a cultural thing but just the way people are.