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Except that it's not comical. I've lived in both, and I've experienced way more crime in my life in the country than in the city. In the country, we didn't repo
by ryan_lane 4y ago
Except that it's not comical. I've lived in both, and I've experienced way more crime in my life in the country than in the city. In the country, we didn't report neighbor disputes because we didn't want them to murder us in our sleep, because we ratted them out to the police. We have a neighbor kill one of our dogs (by feeding it antifreeze), we had them threaten us with guns on our own property (which, obviously is why we were worried they'd kill us in our sleep). We had property stolen numerous times. There were always trespassers in our woods. There was a hit and run on the street in front of us (we did actually report that). We had constant problems with meth heads. This wasn't in some crazy backwoods filled with trailer parks. It was relatively affluent (for the country).
My brother lives in a small town, and kids in his neighborhood shot their kids with BB guns. They have issues with neighbors leaving their dogs off leash and attacking their dogs. They've had people from the neighborhood try to run them off the road. None of these things get reported to the police, because the police won't do anything, and you'll start a crazy feud with the neighbors. You don't hear about family feuds in the city, but they're a constant in small towns and can last generations.
I've lived in New Orleans, NYC, SF, and Tokyo, and other than New Orleans, I'd say every place has felt safer than when I lived in small towns or the country when I was growing up.
- notch656a 4y agoSounds like a single day in the city. Rather than people just threatening with guns, they just actually pointed guns at my head and tried to rob me. At least in the country it was legal for me to carry and point back. If that's all you got from a lifetime in the country it sound like a joke to time spent in the city.
- ryan_lane 4y agoI've never been robbed in the city (I have in the suburbs). I've never been burglarized in the city (I have in a small town). I've never had a gun pointed at me in the city (I have in a small town). Most cities, especially nowadays, are quite safe. I think small towns are generally also safe, but from my personal experience, I've found the country to be less safe than cities because you're effectively on your own.
- notch656a 4y agoPerhaps then safety depends on personality styles. I much prefer to be on my own, and don't mind arranging for my own defense. The thought of depending on police for that function terrifies me, particularly after Supreme Court rulings that effectively state they have no duty to protect you. I think perhaps the city is safer for people who solve things by reporting problems to authority, whereas country is safer for those who rely on themselves. If you live in rural areas and depend on police for anything other than helping get the word out and possibly picking up someone after the fact, you are just fucked.