Are people really this afraid of strangers? Last year I bought a bicycle from a woman, she sent me her address, I went there, it was just her and her baby waiting for me with the bicycle. Didn’t even kidnap her.
That seems kind of like the standard procedure around here (Germany) too. When you sell something online, the expectation is always that the buyer comes to the sellers house to pick up the item. I’ve never seen anyone do that “let’s meet at this random parking lot” thing americans tend to do.
The police station in our town has a designated area for stuff like this. It’s lit and recorded 24/7. The police station itself is also open 24/7 for obvious reasons. It also shares the parking lot with city hall and a courthouse. Absolutely an American thing.
That is sad. Openly showing trust to the people around you (even if you have to take the first step and give someone the benefit of the doubt) creates the safest, most pleasant communities. Plus it’s just a massive hassle and mental strain to distrust everyone all the time.
People are shity sometimes. I’m one that goes to an address if that’s the expectation. But there are items I almost never sell in person from my home, electronics being one.
My mother had a garage sale (total American thing I’m sure) and was robbed a few weeks later by someone taking an unusual amount of time “shopping“ with her phone out. The gal was a fool, had recordings on her phone of her and the places she was going to rob with address. After a month or so of this, she was caught and her phone searched where they found 20+ videos of other houses where they looked at stuff that would make for easy theft from the garage.
Lessons here are you need to decide who do you let in your home and I know it’s a lot to do with culture. Europe has some social support in place, the USA just says good luck and fuck off.
Enjoy it man, that’s a privilege to have and it only takes 1 bad incident for it all to come crumbling down when the media blows it out of proportion and everyone goes on a witch hunt for minorities.
Don’t you remember the turning point of the 2002 Hartford kidnapping that turned the US society from a tolerant and inclusive society to a racist and violent hell?
they live on the other side of the county and it’s going to take them an hour to get to our house.
Every now and again I’m reminded just how small some countries are, I drive 45min to work every day and I’m only one town over, meanwhile in 15 more minutes you can be on “the other side” of a whole country?
Meanwhile the trip across the US with no stops and traffic will take me 1d 19hr for 2,544 mi (4094.171 km) (according to openstreetmaps).
Edit: LOL I can’t read. It’s still true I suppose just not in this case haha.
My neighbor was selling something, the person came over but either didn’t get it or saw something he liked became they came back and broke into their house to get it.
Which is why I, as a professional guard baby, always bring a tennis ball and a kitten to expected kidnappings: to distract puppies and to distract the kidnapper with “dad with the kitten he said he didn’t want” moments.
Why even make a fucking lamp in the first place? Weren’t regular lamps good enough as they were?
You kids these days… back in my day, before leds, you would never even consider using a lamp for any kind of sexual act. Between the bulb melting your flesh, the risks of broken glass, and the risks of electrocution… Well it just wasn’t worth it.
Are people really this afraid of strangers? Last year I bought a bicycle from a woman, she sent me her address, I went there, it was just her and her baby waiting for me with the bicycle. Didn’t even kidnap her.
Didn’t kidnap her yet. Now you know her address for a later date, without the pretext to incriminate you! I’m onto you, pal
And they say chivalry is dead.
Just left her there. Didn’t bring her home. I say chivalry is dead
Tap for spoiler
/s
That seems kind of like the standard procedure around here (Germany) too. When you sell something online, the expectation is always that the buyer comes to the sellers house to pick up the item. I’ve never seen anyone do that “let’s meet at this random parking lot” thing americans tend to do.
The police station in our town has a designated area for stuff like this. It’s lit and recorded 24/7. The police station itself is also open 24/7 for obvious reasons. It also shares the parking lot with city hall and a courthouse. Absolutely an American thing.
In the town I grew up in, the police station shared a parking lot with a Wawa.
The US is a lower trust society than most of Europe
That is sad. Openly showing trust to the people around you (even if you have to take the first step and give someone the benefit of the doubt) creates the safest, most pleasant communities. Plus it’s just a massive hassle and mental strain to distrust everyone all the time.
Indeed. The death of the local community will be the undoing of America
People are shity sometimes. I’m one that goes to an address if that’s the expectation. But there are items I almost never sell in person from my home, electronics being one.
My mother had a garage sale (total American thing I’m sure) and was robbed a few weeks later by someone taking an unusual amount of time “shopping“ with her phone out. The gal was a fool, had recordings on her phone of her and the places she was going to rob with address. After a month or so of this, she was caught and her phone searched where they found 20+ videos of other houses where they looked at stuff that would make for easy theft from the garage.
Lessons here are you need to decide who do you let in your home and I know it’s a lot to do with culture. Europe has some social support in place, the USA just says good luck and fuck off.
Enjoy it man, that’s a privilege to have and it only takes 1 bad incident for it all to come crumbling down when the media blows it out of proportion and everyone goes on a witch hunt for minorities.
Pretty sure it takes a whole lot more than that.
Don’t you remember the turning point of the 2002 Hartford kidnapping that turned the US society from a tolerant and inclusive society to a racist and violent hell?
Umm yes, now that you mention it, that was exactly it! Everything before and everything after didn’t matter!
My wife occasionally agrees to meet people if they live on the other side of the county and it’s going to take them an hour to get to our house.
Usually people just come and pick up their items. We live suburbia though so maybe they feel “safer.”
Every now and again I’m reminded just how small some countries are, I drive 45min to work every day and I’m only one town over, meanwhile in 15 more minutes you can be on “the other side” of a whole country?
Meanwhile the trip across the US with no stops and traffic will take me 1d 19hr for 2,544 mi (4094.171 km) (according to openstreetmaps).
Edit: LOL I can’t read. It’s still true I suppose just not in this case haha.
County, not country.
LOL in my defense I had just woken up and I guess I thought you lived in like Luxembourg or some shit.
Yeah fair that aforementioned work is in the next county over from me haha.
My neighbor was selling something, the person came over but either didn’t get it or saw something he liked became they came back and broke into their house to get it.
That’s why she brought her baby. No one is going to kidnap someone with a baby. To much hassle.
That’s why I always bring a puppy to kidnappings: to distract babies.
Which is why I, as a professional guard baby, always bring a tennis ball and a kitten to expected kidnappings: to distract puppies and to distract the kidnapper with “dad with the kitten he said he didn’t want” moments.
Also Zaphod didn’t want to mention it but the baby had a knife.
But you did kidnap the baby
No, I wanted a bicycle, not a baby. Also kidnapping is kind of frowned upon in my culture.
No way, same thing in my culture, you from earth too??
You kidnapped the bicycle? You monster!
That is what the story is about, yes, women have a fear of harm from men. I assume you know why.
gestures at everything
Even the lamp. Fucking lamps…
Why even make a fucking lamp in the first place? Weren’t regular lamps good enough as they were?
You kids these days… back in my day, before leds, you would never even consider using a lamp for any kind of sexual act. Between the bulb melting your flesh, the risks of broken glass, and the risks of electrocution… Well it just wasn’t worth it.
well the led lamps are pretty handy butt flutes, but you don’t really care for music do ya?
Almost like women have different, valid, fears than men
Apparently women are.
Is this surprising to you?