# You don't carry a house key? Yeah, you're an idiot. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 15, 2011, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-dont-carry-a-house-key-yeah-youre-an-idiot/603030 "2011-11-15T18:09:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![pricciar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@pricciar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pricciar)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2011, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-dont-carry-a-house-key-yeah-youre-an-idiot/603030/101 "2011-11-18T19:36:08Z")
What happens when the badger is cold and starts a fire while you are out, idiot? ---
**Author:** ![Lucretia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/13edae/32.png) [@Lucretia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucretia)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2011, 10:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-dont-carry-a-house-key-yeah-youre-an-idiot/603030/102 "2011-11-19T10:34:18Z")
> [@DiosaBellissima](#): > > Then, once the barricade opens, it reveals a tiny badger. Badger gets ceremoniously sacrificed— then I can enter my home. How do you replenish your badgers? ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2011, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-dont-carry-a-house-key-yeah-youre-an-idiot/603030/103 "2011-11-19T12:02:47Z")
> [@DiosaBellissima](#): > > This is exactly why I don’t use door locks-- you’re just an easy target. Instead, my house has no doors or windows and to enter it, I actually shimmy down the chimney. Once down, I meet a solid barricade where I have to solve 4 complex logic puzzles _and_ name each of Angelina Jolie’s children (in birth order). Then, once the barricade opens, it reveals a tiny badger. Badger gets ceremoniously sacrificed— then I can enter my home. > > You know, I figure you can really never be too safe. Sure, I could use my garage door-- but the power might go out! That’s too frustrating to even consider, so I just had that shit removed. I’m telling you guys: my system is flawless. FLAWLESS. You do realize that you are actually arguing for carrying a key, right? The whole point of the argument is that the power going out is a relatively common occurrence, and that it makes sense to be prepared for a common occurrence. I would be surprised if everyone hadn’t had their power go out once in their lives. I would not be surprised if no one has had their lock filled with epoxy. It is those who refuse to carry a key that are acting like your parody. They are the ones that are willfully creating bigger hoops to go through for this situation than is necessary. They are the ones who have to call a friend or a locksmith. They are the ones who would have to go to some pretty long lengths to come up with a key hiding spot that couldn’t be guessed easily by anyone. I mean, I can’t even imagine having a garage door that you can’t open manually or at least having another outside door. Every room in your house needs at least two easy access exits in case of fire. Heck, i was under the impression that this was the law. I would say y’all are quite stupid, but I just can’t see how your risk assessment works out. As **rachel** said, the arguments for not carrying a key really don’t hold much water. Oh, and to whoever asked (I’m too lazy too reread this thread for a third time): The landlord very likely keeps all his backup keys at his house, safely locked away until needed. At least, that’s how every landlord I know has ever done it. Heck, I’ve never seen one not carry a huge keychain when handling unlocking duties. Having several hiding places to remember is just much less convenient. ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2011, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-dont-carry-a-house-key-yeah-youre-an-idiot/603030/104 "2011-11-19T13:53:49Z")
That could be problematic, I have left the house, tapped my garage door button to close it, then sped out of the neigborhood. Only to return home after dark with the garage door open and to discover I left the interior door unlocked. Seems in my rush to leave I kicked a small block of wood that becvame an obstacle to the shutting of the garage door. The garage door slid down, hit something in its path then reveresed direction and sprang back up, but by that time I was outta there. I always carry house keys, I have forgotten them on occassion and locked myself out. So that I have to get a ladder and cloimb to a second story bedroom window where I have to force the screen open and shimmy my way in like a snake. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![amarone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@amarone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarone)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2011, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-dont-carry-a-house-key-yeah-youre-an-idiot/603030/105 "2011-11-19T17:21:00Z")
> [@obfusciatrist](#): > > From this thread I’ve learned that I need to start locking the bedroom door when I leave home. Because once the burglars have bypassed the first locked door they apparently give up when presented with a second one. Right. I was advised in a security seminar given by a policeman that you should not put locks on interior doors (other than for privacy reasons). Once a burglar has got beyond the exterior defences, any interior door will simply be kicked in. A friend of mine had not had such advice (or did not heed it) and installed interior locks. Sure enough, he was burgled and had his interior door kicked in. The door between garage and house is effectively an interior door, albeit somewhat stronger. I only lock the door between garage and house at night - for the extra notice we would get if we heard someone kicking it in. I do not usually carry a house key. We have a key code on the garage and I have a key hidden in the yard which I have used once in 8 years (the cleaner locked the door between garage and house). It’s not a big deal to carry a key, of course, but I do not carry any other key. At most, I carry a fob for my car. ---
**Author:** ![YoDoc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/e68b1a/32.png) [@YoDoc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YoDoc)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2011, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-dont-carry-a-house-key-yeah-youre-an-idiot/603030/106 "2011-11-19T17:47:46Z")
For those of you asking where my mom lives, yeah right, lol. The town has a population of about 500, is 10 miles from the next town, and 45 miles from the nearest interstate. It’s a nice place! When I was in high school, my keys lived in the ignition of my car, even overnight, with the windows down… ahhhh, small towns! ---
**Author:** ![stegon66](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee59a6/32.png) [@stegon66](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stegon66)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2011, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-dont-carry-a-house-key-yeah-youre-an-idiot/603030/107 "2011-11-20T00:17:37Z")
> [@](#): > > 1. They are willfully stupid Pretty much. I have the same problem at work. Just about every shift I have to make some dipshit a new Micros card. Those are the plastic, credit card-sized cards employees use to clock in and out and to swipe before taking orders. You would not believe how many of these fucking morons don’t think to stick their cards in their wallets or purses when they leave work. “Oh, I think mebbe I lef’ it in my fren’s car but I dunno, mebbe I throwed it behind my couch or sumpthin’. I dunno.” “Why don’t you keep it in your wallet?” “Huh?” I mean really, it just makes sense to keep the card in your wallet or purse when you’re not at work. God, people are fucking careless and flakey. Drives me nuts. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2011, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-dont-carry-a-house-key-yeah-youre-an-idiot/603030/108 "2011-11-20T16:09:43Z")
> [@D\_Odds](#): > > My car does not need a key at all, just the fob. My car does not HAVE a key (sorta - the key to lock the glove box, situated within the fob, can open the door in an emergency). I hate things in my pants pockets to begin with, but at least the fob is not stabby like keys. > > That said, I don’t have a garage. And because I use public transportation (walking to the subway or bus, depending on which part of Manhattan I’m going to), I keep my house key separate from my car fob. This way, I only carry the minimal amount of junk. My car is the same. I haven’t carried a housekey in fifteen years. I haven’t had a problem. The car fob is at the bottom of my purse. There IS a collection of keys kept in my car - to my other house which the resident locks, to my parents place. There MIGHT be one to my own house in there, just in case. Fifteen years ago I lived in a not so nice neighborhood and had to replace a hundred year old solid oak door once and a window once and once a garage door. My experience with locking your doors is that its more bother than its worth. ---
**Author:** ![RaftPeople](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@RaftPeople](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RaftPeople)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2011, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-dont-carry-a-house-key-yeah-youre-an-idiot/603030/109 "2011-11-22T02:39:58Z")
> [@rachelellogram](#): > > The thread topic is generalizable. I’ve yet to hear a convincing argument for not carrying a housekey that isn’t insecure or stupid as fuck. I don’t think you are going to get a convincing argument. Mostly because this is an issue that, for most people, is competing for brain processing time with the equally important issue of whether to drop off that extra penny in the little change cup or not. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-dont-carry-a-house-key-yeah-youre-an-idiot/603030.md?page=5)