- Crime is rare. Statistically, it’s not something you should spend a lot of time worrying about. The media makes it look like crime is happening everywhere, all the time. But it isn’t. Crime is rare and violent crime even moreso. Which leads to…
- Home invasions are INCREDIBLY rare. It’s not a popular kind of crime. It gets a lot of press because it’s a homeowner’s worst nightmare/male testosterone fantasy, but it almost never happens. So relax! The odds are better that your house will get hit by an out of control bus, and you’re not gonna blow a whole lot of money putting up concrete barriers around your house, are you?
- If this sort of thing is still keeping you up nights, get a dog. It’s really the best solution, because the dog will deter the criminals who haunt your nightmares, and the rest of the time, hey, you’ve got a dog, dogs are cool.
- Above all, remember that the media is concerned with making you watch, not with giving you an accurate view of the world. Even the news. Heck, ESPECIALLY the news. If the truth is boring, unsexy, and gets bad ratings, you will never hear it. They are constantly making it seem like the rare and exciting (therefore, “news”) is the everyday and normal. The world is full of people who benefit from keeping you scared and playing into male fantasies of protecting the home from the wolves at the door. Don’t buy into their bullshit.
So you think it’s courageous to burgle? To rob, steal, or thieve shows courage?
Wow. I was brought up a bit different than that.
People can be much, much worse than “thieving scum” and still be brave. The Nazis had no shortage of courageous men.
That depends on the opposition. More importantly, there’s no connection between any of those things and cowardice.
I agree that this would work. A burglar will definitely look for greener pastures if he hears a dog barking.
I think people ought to define “courage”: is it the ability to overcome fear (which Nazis and home invaders both may well have, and certainly do in some cases) or is it the ability to be righteous despite opposition (which home invaders and Nazis more probably lack).
I tend towards the former definition. enipla, what would you call the ability to overcome heart-racing fear in order to commit an evil act?
I was wondering about this because I think enipla has a point - courage is something one would normally associate with a good person.
According to Dictionary.com it means:
The root of the word is “heart”:
Interestingly it has this note:
Maybe “bravery” would be a better word? I dunno, I’m still none the wiser.
With criminals, it’s greed or fear of failing their bosses that masquerades as courage.
4:00am a week ago, my three dogs start barking wildly. Never ignore a barking dog. I grab glasses and stumble to the back of the house, force my way between the dogs and peer out the window at dog’s-eye-level. Two cops with a K9 are in my back yard. Mrs. Cat5 opens the window and asks cops “what’s going on?”
Cop 1: “We’re looking for some people…”
Cop2: “Don’t worry, noone is going into that house with those dogs in there.”
How do you know ? What makes you think that criminals are shorter on courage than anyone else ?
Because the criminals with whom I’ve had to deal hadn’t many good qualities. Impulsiveness was their chief unifying characterstic. When you aren’t capable of thinking beyond what you want to do right this second, you can sometimes appear brave to onlookers. Similarly, when your fear of what the criminal above you may do to you outweighs your fear of performing a particular act, you may appear brave. Generally, criminals lack the fortitude it takes to lead an honest life. I’ve known bunches of them and they were all fundamentally weak.
I think the best way to prevent home invasions is to get Little Timmy’s mom that operation so he can turn away from his life of crime.
Assuming all that to be correct; what makes you think that isn’t what courage often is ? Or that courage is a “good” quality in the first place ? It’s morally neutral.
Hey, I know I stepped on some toes with my 9/11 stuff, but is this guy for real? Ive been reading through this thread and this post seemed almost laughable to me.
Hey achilles, dogs do work. They got ears. They hear things. Hopefully you dont have your shit-su chained on the front lawn like i think you do. What do the Clintons have to do with protecting your home? Is your shed locked better than your house? Do you own a house or haven’t you made it out of your parents’ basement yet? Dude get some action, go out to a bar or something ffs.
By the way, I remember there being a thread about whether it was ethical to shoot a burglar in your house. There were about 8 pages of the same two points being recycled back and forth. Moral of the story: You can get 20 years for ‘murder’ in self defense, in your own home (at least here in las vegas). Get your german shephard to do the dirty work. If you dont like dogs youre a d bag anyways get a shrink
If you think of courage as a willingness to risk harm to yourself for the sake of a goal, I would think that a willingness to harm bystanders for your own benefit is inherently cowardly.
That’s ruthlessness, not cowardice. Plenty of brave people throughout history have been willing to slaughter innocents by the truckload for their own benefit.
Circles.
Start with a wide outer circle, and gradually work your way to the smallest circle, being your bedroom.
Try and find (or start) a gated community with 24/7 security officers, or a walled complex with access control.
Next circle is your perimeter. Wall it, fence it, moat it. Top it with razor wire, razor ribbon or electric fencing.
Install motion sensors in your garden. Be sure to set them higher than your biggest cat. If you live on a farm or smallholding, get a couple of geese. Noisy fuckers, them geese.
Bar all windows, fit security gates to all external doors.
Then select a safe room inside the house, where you can slam shut a security gate, and where you have permanent access to a mobile phone. More often than not this would be your sleeping quarters. A word of caution - make sure your bedroom window is barred with trellidoor which can be opened with a key in case of fire. You don’t want to be trapped in your own house when it burns to the ground.
Keep your dogs inside. Poisoned meat has claimed the life of many a South African dog. Know your neighbours, keep their contact numbers on hand, have regular community get-togethers.
And if the fuckers get past all that, aim at centre mass.
Rescue workers travelling into a hurricane to evacuate people is courage. Criminals travelling into a hurricane to loot is greed. Both happened during Katrina.
Get dog. Or has someone already mentioned that?
I’m surprise nobody has mentioned: Get to know your neighbors. If someone tries to crawl through my window when I’m not there, my neighbor may notice. They know my habits and they have a pretty good idea that people aren’t supposed to be crawling through my windows. And they can call for help when my dog is done with his job.
See post #77.