Locking doors

It's crazy how the world has turned into that.
Scary to think how people have gotten rid of respect for others.
It would be nice to be able to trust people again, but I know that's unrealistic.

was watching Bowling for Columbine doco (for the first time) and I was like what. americans seeem surprised that canadians dont lock their doors. But talking to americans in general they are a paranoid bunch. Hence all the conspiracy theories, everyone is out to get them...fear mentality. its so weird.

Maybe they got restraining orders on their exes or something and thats why they say paranoid.


Im like why lock your door if you are already inside the house. Yes lock it if you are out and nobodys at home but why lock it if you are at home?!
I dont even lock the car at home. I have the keys but its just a hassle unlocking it everytime I want to get in or out. its not as if someones going to steal it when Im at home. What would they be stealing anyway they cant drive it without the key.

I worked in a gated community in a retirement village but you know what, I would be like dont complain if nobody ever comes to visit you if you live in one of those because nobody can get in. and if your body is lying dead and cold and nobody notices you are even gone then its really not surprising.
people whove got nothing better to do thatn watch news reports all day about people killing each other and being violent should just spend a day at the police headquarters and find out what the job really entails and quit being so paranoid

I remember watching a news story years ago about a man who was living in someone's attic. The family would hear noise coming from the attic at times and they noticed food going missing, so they installed a camera in their house and after leaving for work the next day, the camera caught the man coming down from the attic and making himself right at home. He was eating their food, he was using their bathroom and he was even kicking back watching TV in their living room.

I lock the house and my car. The neighborhood south of me has some very shady characters moving in from rougher parts of the state. Not long ago there was a car theft ring living there. Cops asked neighbors if they could use their property for surveillance to break that bunch.
One of them actually pulled in my drive while I was working in the garden. I think it is a friend coming for an unannounced visit and here this guy gets out of the car, opens the trunk and gets a duffel bag, then hits the automatic locks on the driver side door. He looks at me, waves, and walks across the yard into that housing area.
I'm sitting there in the midst of weeding the carrots astonished at the gall. Because his parking insured my car couldn't get out of the garage. The nerve!
I call the cops from my cell as I sit there and they show up. Long story short, the one officer walks over and informs me it is a stolen vehicle. I described the guy but have no clue where he went. And likely they didn't care since the car didn't appear damaged. Turns out, he tells me there are people out there now that when they need to go somewhere they just steal a car and drive either to or near where they need to be. What? Taking the bus never occurs to them?

Yes, I lock everything. And I have weapons in secure places at all access points too.

A paranoid bunch? Maybe check your own back yard and realize Canadians who don't lock their doors are irresponsible.

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@soggykitten -- Thank you very much for replying to Lanolin's post.

I may have read wrong, and please correct me if I did, but apparently your location is in New Zealand (?) -- as is Lanolin's -- so I found the contrast between both of your posts to be quite informative, as they are on opposite extremes.

@Lanolin -- I enjoy reading your posts but have read many, many posts from you in which you throw all "Americans" into one lump sum of mindless drones who, according to your posts, think, act, and live according to the numerous generalizations you mention.

But in these two posts, we have an example of two different people living in the exact same country (both you and soggykitten), but yet have very different perspectives and ways of living -- do you not think this is possible in other countries as well?

I point this out only because whenever I read your posts, I always feel as if you see all Americans as being paranoid (and in other thing you have written,) rich, spoiled, false or sub-par Christians, and out of touch with what you personally see as real life.

I'm not saying this not to criticize, but because I am genuinely interested in learning why it's obvious that even the people living in your own location have vastly different experiences and mindsets, so I can't help but sincerely wonder why you don't think this applies to Americans as well... ?

No, I'm in California USA. Or, as we call it, Crazyfornia USA.

Only lock my doors when I leave the property.
I have two alarms. They each weight over 50 lbs and sleep on the front porch.
If a bad guy gets past them, I have a 12 guage with OO buck shot awaiting.

I apologize.

I confused the country of location with the country of origin in your profile.

Did you live in New Zealand at one time?

Just out of curiosity, do you find Americans to be too paranoid about security?

I try to be cautious as well. I never leave anything unlocked on purpose.

But I have friends in other areas who never lock their doors unless they're going to "the big city."

Just out of sheer nosiness, because I like dogs... What make and model are these alarms?

So for me, I’ve always been taught to be careful and protective overall, since I am a girl, lol, so yeah I lock my car when I’m at my job or any place really. My mom lives in a gated community that is basically “the countryside” so I’ll leave my car unlocked there. But I’ve seen what happens when you are not careful. This one time awhile back. Me, my mom, and my brother we’re going to go walking on a trial, but when we got there, we saw this lady upset and sad because someone broke into her car and stole her pursue. My brother had to get a new cell phone in high school because someone stole his phone.

One of my favorite phrases is: “It’s better to be safe than sorry”, and I really think that phrase is important, especially nowadays.

You have a really strange set of brushes... I've seen lots of people broad-brush whole groups of people as "those people who do this and think that" but you... you take the taco ma'am.

I guess it's easier though. Instead of learning about a group of people, you can just make blanket assumptions about them based on small samples. It makes everything you say wildly inaccurate when applied to the majority of the people you're talking about... but it's easier, sure.

Lanolin, have you ever lived in a high crime area or maybe had a meth house near you?
That might explain the differences between your behavior and behavior of others.

Full blood, 100% mutts.
I only have the best!

Mutts ARE the best. Not nearly as prone to disease or unbalanced temperaments. My dog is a mutt.

Actually... I'm a mutt too. Every human I know is a mutt. Not a one is a purebred.

I was in NZ on vacation. Didn't have time to make it to Australia as I would have liked though.
Cuddling a Roo and a Koala, maybe even the precious little Quokka would have been one of those experiences I could cross off my bucket list.

I actually am an American by birth. And I don't find we are paranoid as a culture here. Times have changed drastically in the last say 50 years and not always for the better. In the last 20 in certain areas where there are transplants from dangerous cities and small towns in certain states have experienced an upsurge in violent crime.
People in certain towns in the south where they never locked their doors awakened to find the headline in the daily telling them someone just a few streets over had been raped and murdered in her sleep. Suspect at large.

Children who use to be able to play in their front yards can now disappear without a trace. Some, never to be seen again. Amber alerts don't help because the system amazingly enough doesn't generate an image of the missing child along with the blaring alert that people can get as a free App on their smartphones. How smart is that? Missing child, description of child, possibly suspect as well, and even vehicle. But no picture of the missing child?
I got one of those alerts. Missing child, stranger abduction. Red van, late model, last seen in.....No picture of the van nor child. Five minutes later I'm driving on the 1 and there's a van fitting the description two cars in front of me. I think part of my heart is still in the trunk.
I call 911 and find out that the AMBER ALERT, alarm, alarm, was two months old!

In bad neighborhoods here, which are growing to be most anywhere now days, gangs are a huge issue. They're in our schools and starting as young as elementary school if you can believe it.
Drive-by murders aren't rare. Babies are murdered while playing happily in their bouncy swing installed in the doorway of moms kitchen. Stray bullet shot by an idiot psychopath hoping to kill whomever they were targeting. Just to be safe they sprayed the entire block from start to finish.

Paranoid?

I lock my car every time I exit it.

I lock my apt whether I’m inside or out.

My car doors are locked even when I'm in it.

A few years ago a woman was at a red light with her doors unlocked. All of the sudden her passenger door swings open and a masked guy grabbed her purse that was laying on the passenger seat. They had her credit cards, debit card, and her license with her home address! Calls the cops, makes the report.
Sure enough she went home trying to get over her bad day with a relaxing bath and a glass of wine.
All of the sudden she hears her front door open because she had this string of bells hanging from a hook on the back of the door, leftover from Christmas.

Yep, it was the car purse thief come to see if she had anything more valuable than the goodies in her purse.

wow! how scary!

my car automatically locks when i reach either 10 or 15 mph. i never thought about locking it right when i get inside though.

I lived right next door to a p house one time while looking after a workmates place. I never locked then house when I was inside. I didnt even know it was a p house till some neighbours told me later, but I was looking after her dog and cat.
I only locked the house if nobody was home. The dog stayed in but could get in and out via the cat door.

just seems silly to lock a house while you are INSIDE. and totally stupid to lock a car while you are driving and INSIDE of it. YOU have to get out quickly, and people need to get in if you ever need help on your own.

They cant if its locked and requires a key.
bathroom and toilets ok. You dont want people barging in while doing your business, but generally a closed door means KEEP OUT.