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Summary: rain reduces the probability of interaction with people. Interaction with people correlates with homicides. So rain inversely correlates with homicides

Summary: rain reduces the probability of interaction with people. Interaction with people correlates with homicides. So rain inversely correlates with homicides.

symesc 17y ago
I have a buddy who lived in NYC for a decade. I was there for a visit a few years ago and asked him if he ever had any trouble, getting mugged or hassled, because he walked everywhere at every time of day. He replied with, "Meh. Criminals are lazy. They don't want the effort of earning something they can simply take, so they don't have jobs. I'm six feet and I walk fast. I'm like the strong wildebeests at the front of the herd. The criminals will wait for a weak one to fall behind. Easier." By his logic, lazy murderers probably prefer to get their murder on without getting wet.
- e40 17y ago
  I walk a lot, too. An interesting anecdote, which dovetails with your "wildebeest" analogy. I'm 6'2". I have gray hair and beard, but normally am clean shaven (head and face). I walk through a somewhat tough area, and no one ever bothers me. Yes, I walk fast and with purpose. I was having razor issues and ended up growing a (white) beard for a while. I was completely floored by the amount of crap I got from random people. It was aggressive stares, and in some cases aggressive behavior. On a single day I came close to an altercation with two people. It was pretty obvious to me that I looked much older, so I shaved the beard and head. The next day, people were back to ignoring me.
  - profquail 17y ago
    Have you considered a straight razor (the old kind they used to have in barber shops)? A good one is a little expensive (a couple hundred bucks for a brand like DOVO) but will last you for decades if you take care of it. I've heard they're good for people who get razor burn or ingrown hairs from normal safety razors (since they are way sharper).
    - e40 17y ago
      Actually, I was being generic with the "razor" term. I actually use an electric shaver. I never had much luck with razors, though I never tried a straight razor. (The issue I had was that once it grows past a certain length, I have to let it grow out for a week and whack it with a beard trimmer before I can use the electric razor. Otherwise, it hurts.)
- byrneseyeview 17y ago
  I had that theory for a while. I figure if you're trying to avoid being mugged, you don't have to be invulnerable, just the second most vulnerable person a mugger can see. If we had better data, we could even figure out if, e.g., a guy listening to an iPod is more vulnerable than a woman who isn't, or if it depends on age, or what.
- asdlfj2sd33 17y ago
  If only criminals were always logical: http://mmajunkie.com/news/15388/ufcs-antoni-hardonk-thwarts-attempted-l-a-robbery.mma http://mmajunkie.com/news/15388/ufcs-antoni-hardonk-thwarts-...
jerryji 17y ago
Question: If that is (one of) the reason(s) behind, then the correlation should be observed universally across the country, or even across the world, is that the case?
- mediaman 17y ago
  I think the article mentioned that there was insufficient data. Without an ability to test it, I'd hypothesize that rain matters more in areas where people are more likely to be outside. In areas that are more car-dominated it may matter less because you can cause trouble while staying dry.

Summary: rain reduces the probability of interaction with people. Interaction with people correlates with homicides. So rain inversely correlates with homicides.

symesc 17y ago

I have a buddy who lived in NYC for a decade. I was there for a visit a few years ago and asked him if he ever had any trouble, getting mugged or hassled, because he walked everywhere at every time of day. He replied with, "Meh. Criminals are lazy. They don't want the effort of earning something they can simply take, so they don't have jobs. I'm six feet and I walk fast. I'm like the strong wildebeests at the front of the herd. The criminals will wait for a weak one to fall behind. Easier." By his logic, lazy murderers probably prefer to get their murder on without getting wet.

e40 17y ago
I walk a lot, too. An interesting anecdote, which dovetails with your "wildebeest" analogy. I'm 6'2". I have gray hair and beard, but normally am clean shaven (head and face). I walk through a somewhat tough area, and no one ever bothers me. Yes, I walk fast and with purpose. I was having razor issues and ended up growing a (white) beard for a while. I was completely floored by the amount of crap I got from random people. It was aggressive stares, and in some cases aggressive behavior. On a single day I came close to an altercation with two people. It was pretty obvious to me that I looked much older, so I shaved the beard and head. The next day, people were back to ignoring me.
- profquail 17y ago
  Have you considered a straight razor (the old kind they used to have in barber shops)? A good one is a little expensive (a couple hundred bucks for a brand like DOVO) but will last you for decades if you take care of it. I've heard they're good for people who get razor burn or ingrown hairs from normal safety razors (since they are way sharper).
  - e40 17y ago
    Actually, I was being generic with the "razor" term. I actually use an electric shaver. I never had much luck with razors, though I never tried a straight razor. (The issue I had was that once it grows past a certain length, I have to let it grow out for a week and whack it with a beard trimmer before I can use the electric razor. Otherwise, it hurts.)
byrneseyeview 17y ago
I had that theory for a while. I figure if you're trying to avoid being mugged, you don't have to be invulnerable, just the second most vulnerable person a mugger can see. If we had better data, we could even figure out if, e.g., a guy listening to an iPod is more vulnerable than a woman who isn't, or if it depends on age, or what.
asdlfj2sd33 17y ago
If only criminals were always logical: http://mmajunkie.com/news/15388/ufcs-antoni-hardonk-thwarts-attempted-l-a-robbery.mma http://mmajunkie.com/news/15388/ufcs-antoni-hardonk-thwarts-...

jerryji 17y ago

Question: If that is (one of) the reason(s) behind, then the correlation should be observed universally across the country, or even across the world, is that the case?

mediaman 17y ago
I think the article mentioned that there was insufficient data. Without an ability to test it, I'd hypothesize that rain matters more in areas where people are more likely to be outside. In areas that are more car-dominated it may matter less because you can cause trouble while staying dry.