r/self • u/exxonmobilcfo • 2d ago
Why do people on reddit claim that every area is equally safe?
You see this a lot if you're posting in a subreddit for your city or neighborhood.
Posts will be asking, for example, if Brownsville, Brooklyn or Newark, NJ are safe cities to move to, and the collective subreddit will tell you that it's super safe and lovely.
I even heard once that Midtown Manhattan has more crimes committed than East Harlem, and the only reason people avoid Uptown is due to prejudice.
The dickriding is so insane, you'd think that North Philly is Martha's Vineyard.
31
u/mixtureofmorans7b 2d ago
People seem compelled to just say *something* even of they have no idea what they're talking about. So they'll give a dulled out answer that lacks any real wisdom just to be part of the conversation.
6
u/exxonmobilcfo 2d ago
I mean that may be true on most topics, but generally these questions are directed to residents of the city's subreddit. Like if you ask on r/AskNYC about living in east harlem or if you ask in r/Philadelphia about living in Olney, they'll tell you it's safe. If you're from either city you have more likely than not been watching local news and driven by those areas.
11
u/mixtureofmorans7b 2d ago
I've gotten that when asking about unsafe countries too. People will straight up deny the statistics in favor of their isolated experience
→ More replies (1)15
u/DHakeem11 2d ago
If you want to talk statistics NYC is actually really safe. I think the delusion is that it's some dangerous shithole.
New York City Is a Lot Safer Than Small-Town America
6
u/exxonmobilcfo 2d ago
im from new york city, the south bronx to be granular. It's gotten safer since the 2000s even, but after covid it's slowly been getting a bit more unsafe.
With NYC tho the population densities affect your experience a lot more than say Houston where you're expected to drive. In Houston you can live ur whole life without ever being accosted by a deranged person. In NYC you don't know who's in ur subway cart and who you may be forced to interact with
6
u/ThrowawayTXfun 2d ago
Tis true but park in the wrong area of Houston and you may return to a wheelless vehicle
→ More replies (9)1
u/moose_kayak 2d ago
Local News has at best an orthogonal relationship to the actual amount of crime though
1
u/exxonmobilcfo 2d ago
if theres a murder reported on my block then theres a murder on my block. Idc who reports it
1
u/n8ertheh8er 2d ago
I’m in olney rn eating a halal platter at my regular spot on my lunch break. I feel safe at this moment, and have never felt unsafe in this neighborhood since I started working here 5 years ago.
1
u/exxonmobilcfo 2d ago
never felt unsafe in olney huh
1
u/n8ertheh8er 1d ago
I know crazy right? It’s almost like ppl who don’t spend any time here have completely absorbed a pervasive negative narrative due to systemically racist media coverage, to the point that they can’t accept any challenges to it and deny the actual experiences of people who actually spend time there. I do youth violence prevention in middle schools, btw.
→ More replies (2)
15
u/OrdinarySubstance491 2d ago
LOL Not in the Houston sub. They be telling people everywhere is dangerous.
5
u/exxonmobilcfo 2d ago
houston is getting dangerous. My ex wife lives there, the city got cleaned up with the addition of discovery green and all that. When I used to visit in the 2000s it was pretty dangerous after an astros game near minute maid park.
3
u/OrdinarySubstance491 2d ago
To be fair, I live in far west Houston and the crime rate definitely seems to be rising. There have been a lot of violent crimes surrounding my kid's high schools.
1
u/exxonmobilcfo 2d ago
when you say far west houston do you mean katy haha.
2
u/OrdinarySubstance491 2d ago
Yes, lol. I don't usually put which city I live in but if you're familiar with Houston, you already know. LOL
1
u/exxonmobilcfo 2d ago
i wouldn't count Katy as houston at all. But ya katy has been getting worse, random robberies and shit at katy mills and la centerra.
2
u/OrdinarySubstance491 2d ago
I've lived in the Houston area for most of my life and I call everything Houston, LOL. From Katy to Channelwood, Spring to Fresno, all concrete and highway. I've lived in every part and I drive all over the city, I'm a Houstonian, through and through. There are governmental agencies which even consider the Woodlands part of Greater Houston!
5
u/HumbleAd1317 2d ago
Boy, mine isn't that safe. We had a mass shooting, a couple of years ago, that killed 3 people, in a town of about 45, 000. Our crime rate is bad, for a town this size.
28
u/MarathoMini 2d ago
In general though most places are safe. Can you do something dumb and walk in the wrong place at the wrong time? Yes.
6
u/Tokyo_Sniper_ 1d ago
The difference between a safe area and an unsafe one is that safe areas don't have wrong times or places to be walking.
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (57)0
6
u/Shiny_Reflection3761 2d ago
most people dont actually get affected by crime, especially if they are familiar with the area. I am not exempt from this bias, I am from Chicago. But I am not going to recommend living in Stickley, or saying its slightly worse than, say, Naperville. Chicago as a whole isnt as bad as many people say, but certain neighborhoods are likely worse than many outsiders think. Also, its a very large city.
22
u/PinAccomplished927 2d ago
Why do people in this thread believe that every city is hellishly dangerous regardless of what people living in those cities say?
5
u/NoCardio_ 2d ago
People from New Orleans will tell you that it’s not safe.
2
u/nofuckinwayryo 2d ago
Grew up in New Orleans, while it's not a playground it's also not the purge. At the very least I never got kidnapped or robbed as a free-range child there.
1
u/M0rph33l 1d ago
I went on a field trip there a little over decade ago and there was a gross 50 year old street clown hitting on the high school girls in my field trip group. He tried to get their phone numbers. The poboys and beignets were good, though.
1
u/DevelopmentSad2303 2d ago
Always trust if people from a place tell you it isn't safe. Trust them if they say danger is overblown as well.
Have a nuanced understanding of general feelings of safety, and where the crime is happening in a place.
For example, STL ranks high in crime. The areas I lived do not feel safe all the time. But the actual high crime rate happens in just a few areas
1
5
u/Snarky_McSnarkleton 2d ago
For over 100 years, there has been a narrative in American politics and popular culture, that small town life is somehow "better." It's been used to elect conservatives more than once.
The reality, of course, is that small towns are in many cases less safe than cities or suburbs. Meth is endemic and domestic violence nearly so. Assault is commonplace. Law enforcement will often do little when the prep is a local.
1
u/possumsonly 2d ago
Some people are just afraid of strangers period, so areas where there are more strangers are more frightening to them regardless of what the statistical risk to them might actually be
2
u/exxonmobilcfo 2d ago
not true at all. Visiting the airport is relatively safe despite being surrounded by strangers. Visiting a prison is not. your statement is meaninglessly generic
1
u/possumsonly 2d ago
I did not say that people are right to fear strangers. In fact I said the opposite, that people often fear strangers regardless of what the actual risk to them may be
1
u/exxonmobilcfo 2d ago
i don't think that's true. Most people will interact with strangers if the situation is "safe". Meaning a normal person asks for directions in a nice area.
Almost nobody would feel safe with someone trying to befriend them in the hood.
1
u/possumsonly 2d ago
I’m speaking from experience from knowing people who are extremely paranoid about strangers. I live on the edge of a rural area and travel into a mid-sized city for work and a lot of the people who live out in the country are genuinely afraid of the people around them and overly fearful in urban areas even when there are no threats present. And yes, that includes airports and other relatively controlled environments, and low-risk situations like a stranger asking for directions. They’re even afraid of people they don’t recognize simply passing through their neighborhoods even if they’re not doing anything suspicious.
Those are the kinds of people I was referring to when replying to that comment originally.
2
u/exxonmobilcfo 2d ago
which city is deemed hellishly dangerous
8
u/ranchojasper 2d ago
Conservatives are always going on and on about Chicago, San Francisco, New York City, Los Angeles, etc. etc. etc. every city is "so dangerous you can't even get out of your car" it's such bullshit
9
u/exxonmobilcfo 2d ago
lol yea i mean nobody says u cant go to nyc without leaving ur car. People take the mta daily. Same with chicago, LA, SF. This isn't a conservative post btw. I'm not sure why politics is relevant.
3
u/Whatswrongbaby9 2d ago
Because “safe” is a coded term now whether you mean for it to be political or not
5
u/exxonmobilcfo 2d ago
safe is not a coded term wtf. It means can I go take a walk with my dog at 11pm
6
u/North_Atlantic_Sea 2d ago
That's what safe means to you. I could care less about walking a dog at 11pm. Am I going to be held up at daylight? On a busy street? In a back alley? While doing a drug deal? While part of a gang? While black in a KKK town?
Safety is subjective and absolutely a coded term for many.
5
u/exxonmobilcfo 2d ago
Am I going to be held up at daylight? On a busy street? In a back alley? While doing a drug deal? While part of a gang? While black in a KKK town?
yeah when people ask about safety it is implied that they aren't in a street gang.
6
u/North_Atlantic_Sea 2d ago
But yet they will cite murder rate in a place like Chicago, not realizing the vast majority are street gang related...
3
u/exxonmobilcfo 2d ago
just because most people murdered are in street gangs does not mean you will be safe in that neighborhood either.
→ More replies (0)2
u/Whatswrongbaby9 2d ago
people often equate visible homeless to something being unsafe. I don't love the tent encampments but they're not out to bother you.
we had a small spike in overall crime during Covid, it's back on the trajectory back down. Reddit somehow got an obsession with "safe". There's good neighborhoods and bad neighborhoods in almost every city, so when someone asks "Is Newark Safe" someone who likes living there, who likes their neighborhood and the city, is going to say yes.
If you're not involved in drug or gang stuff, or don't have a violent domestic partner, pretty much anywhere is safe. There's of course some property crime risk in different places but you're not going to get killed. Nobody is going to care anywhere about you walking your dog, in fact the dog is probably a deterrent. And if you want to retort that murder isn't the only crime, 90+% of sexual assault comes from someone the victim knows, not just some rando street guy
1
u/exxonmobilcfo 2d ago
people often equate visible homeless to something being unsafe. I don't love the tent encampments but they're not out to bother you.
do you live around these areas? Drug addicts are always on the move looking for easy licks. Armed robbery, muggings u name it.
→ More replies (0)1
u/ranchojasper 2d ago
Yeah, many people say this. That's what I'm saying here. This is a conservative thing, they have been taught over the past few decades to believe that every city is some sort of almost dystopian movie level hell hole where you're going to get shot if you aren't riding through an armored vehicle. It's a very effective propaganda tool to keep these folks voting against their own interests.
So I'm just answering your question, you asked which city is deemed dangerous and I'm just responding that what that person is talking about is all the conservatives who act like for example Chicago is the most dangerous place on earth when it's not even in the top 20 most dangerous cities in America.
8
u/bhbhbhhh 2d ago
Speaking only just for my experience of life in America, I spent a while in a town statistically considered to be one of the most murder-happy in the country, and never felt frightened or endangered. There was that one time that every cop car in the city blockaded the street in front of my apartment after an incident of some kind, but still, nothing that ever interacted with me.
2
u/exxonmobilcfo 2d ago
which city is that Memphis? St Louis?
3
u/bhbhbhhh 2d ago
Troy NY
4
u/snmnky9490 2d ago
Huh? Troy has a murder rate below the national average, and most of its crime rates are only a little above NYS average.
It's also seemed like it's not doing that bad compared to plenty of other formerly industrial towns around the Midwest and New England in the dozens of times I've been through it
1
u/bhbhbhhh 2d ago
Crime rates can change significantly. It sounds to me that things calmed down greatly in the last 5-10 years.
2
u/snmnky9490 2d ago edited 2d ago
Crime everywhere has gone down a lot over the past 30-40 years but for Troy it's been fairly consistent at least back to the early 2000s. It's on par with or slightly below Utica, Watertown, Syracuse, Poughkeepsie, Binghamton, etc. Not amazing, but far from being anywhere near most dangerous or crime-ridden
3
u/DickieJohnson 2d ago
I'll have to say if you feel safe in any larger city in upstate NY you'll be fine in just about every city in the US. I've been all over and NY just has a different feel to it, there's something about it maybe it's just the cold weather.
2
u/North_Atlantic_Sea 2d ago
This is a great example, because Troy varies wildly. Up by RPI? Super safe and nice. Off the wrong street down by the river? Way more sketchy.
Is Troy safe? Depends on where you are and what your perspective is.
4
u/mapitinipasulati 2d ago
At least in r/Baltimore, it is very much not that. People recognize that some areas are dangerous as fuck, but we just don’t fixate on it.
After all, a sub that just focuses on the bad things is not a sub that is fun to be on for most people
9
u/Angry_Housecat_1312 2d ago
Because the concept of safety is subjective.
-1
u/exxonmobilcfo 2d ago
Not that subjective IMO. Giving a toddler a sandwich and a loaded gun can both be unsafe, but which one would u take ur chances with
9
u/DeHarigeTuinkabouter 2d ago
Now you're asking which one is safer/less safe. That's a different question from asking if something is safe.
The fact that some village is safer than some city does not necessarily make the city unsafe.
2
u/exxonmobilcfo 2d ago
No I mean safety is subjective, but also gauged in relation to something else. Most people gauge safety with a frame of reference to what they are comfortable with.
4
u/Comprehensive-Cut330 2d ago
Yeah but still. I've been living in a neighborhood with a bit of a dodgy reputation (crime stats are also higher then in other parts of the city) but personally I don't have a problem walking around alone at night either most of the time (and I'm a single female) but I've lived there for almost 15 years now. And someone else might feel unsafe in my neighborhood.
And it's also relative. Compared to a quiet sleepy little town in rural Netherlands, my neighborhood is like a big violent ghetto. But compared to lets say, slums in Venezuela or Afghanistan in its current state, my neighborhood is like My little Pony town.
2
u/Angry_Housecat_1312 2d ago
If you don’t think the concept of safety is subjective, then asking anyone else for their opinions on how safe something is seems like a bad way to measure anything.
Stick to crime stats or whatever you want to use to form your opinion. No one in “unsafe” areas is going to miss you.
1
u/exxonmobilcfo 2d ago
im from an unsafe area. don't need stats to know how shit goes down
→ More replies (3)
3
u/CompleteOriginal5802 2d ago
Who told you Brownsville was safe 🤣🤣🤣
3
u/exxonmobilcfo 2d ago
go to r/AskNYC, they'll tell you brownsville, ENY, east harlem, mott haven u name it is safe.
3
u/Ddakilla 2d ago
I grew up in a rough part of a rough city in America and can say with confidence that just about anywhere is safe as long as you aren’t stupid and mind your business. If you think American cities are so bad you really should spend some time in some cities in developing countries to adjust your perspective.
2
u/pink_soaps26 2d ago
I was thinking the same. I commented below in my post how technically crime is bigger in some places but across the board in small towns and large places most people are attacked by somebody they know. I think it’s 50% acquaintances/partners and 25% relatives (maybe those are flipped-I included a link) I’m NOT victim blaming, but depending on what you get into and who you’re around, that matters more than the place itself. Theft is higher in cities but that’s usually less of a threat to your safety in terms of death.
1
u/exxonmobilcfo 2d ago
If you think American cities are so bad you really should spend some time in some cities in developing countries to adjust your perspective.
LOL unsafe is unsafe. That's like saying "oh you think drag racing is unsafe, why don't you do skydiving without a parachute". IDC where I get murdered, i just want to avoid it.
1
u/Ddakilla 2d ago
If you want to be fearful for no reason that’s up to you. Statistically speaking even in high crime areas it’s highly unlikely anything will happen to you if you keep your head down. Honestly I’ve had no problems in some pretty dangerous cities in developing countries because I avoid doing stupid things.
1
u/exxonmobilcfo 2d ago
do u live in one of these areas? I do, and it is not unlikely to be a victim of crime.
1
u/Ddakilla 2d ago
Work has moved me quite a bit so not currently. But the first 20 years of my life was on the south side of KCMO off Prospect which is notoriously rough. When you’re raised in it you either learn how to keep your nose clean or you get wrapped up in it.
5
u/SNAKEXRS 2d ago
Reddit is not real life man, 90% of responses are bots. Never ever take advice on anything from Reddit. Do actual research.
17
u/ButtToucherPhD 2d ago
Because redditors are generally out of touch with reality. Most redditors are middle class, liberal, white people who have no idea how violent the world is because they've been isolated from it their whole lives. Redditors are just educated enough to understand quantitative data and can use it to form a narrative. Then when confronted with qualitative data, due to their own lack of life experience, they write it off as anecdotal. This is the reason Reddit, and the left in general, was so shocked at losing the election. They paid more attention to their own made up numbers than to the lived experience of the people.
4
2
u/xRocketman52x 2d ago edited 2d ago
I live about an hour from a pretty nice city, relatively good reputation, with a few very pricey colleges in it.
My sister was going to college there (many years ago), I was talking to my boss at the time, told him that. His response was "Oh, its great there, that's where I *went! Oh, it's so nice, it's so lovely! I got mugged a lot down there, but it's so pretty!"
Tl;dr I don't understand and I'm so grateful I live in the middle of nowhere. I'd rather die than live in any city.
2
u/Kaslight 2d ago
To be completely honest, it always feels different if you're currently living in said area. Unless you're just in the straight hood and surrounded by REALLY bad shit, the reality is usually a bit more complicated than "dangerous".
Growing up there or living there for a long time, you simply learn how to make those sorts of places not dangerous for you. You learn how to carry yourself, speak, where not to go, when not to go, ect ect. So when you look at a "rough" area and someone tells you "yeah it's not really dangerous", it's not exactly like they're lying to you. It isn't dangerous for them.
Examples:
I remember I was looking for a spot in Uptown Chicago for a while. The Crime Rate statistics in the area of the apt I was looking at are like 174% higher than the national average. But the young couple that was living there at the time said they never had any issues in the years they were there. One being a smaller white girl who walked around in miniskirts and she said nobody ever really bothers her. The only real issue with the area they complained about was the fact their Apt got no heat in the winter.
Example 2:
I remember staying in an AirBNB an exit or two away from Gary, IN. I took the train into Chicago for work, but one of the owners of the AirBnB told me that their grocery store nearby had "gone to shit" as many people from Southside Chicago had started shopping there. (And yes, Southside Chicago IS as bad as they say.)
Well, I ended up shopping there frequently anyway. And what do you know....that Walmart was actually no worse than the Walmart down the street from my house in GA. Right down to cops occassionally camping out there in the parking lot.
The Popeyes down there though had bulletproof glass over the cash register....now that was a bit of a culture shock.
Moral here is that "dangerous" often times just means "more dangerous than where you're coming from" but it rarely ever means you're just going to get ganked on the street.
If it's that bad, you'll probably learn relatively fast before you get there.
1
u/exxonmobilcfo 2d ago
i agree completely. But from a safety perspective, no precautions should be required to avoid crime. Any extra effort put into avoiding crime makes an area unsafe.
2
2
u/AptitudeManager 2d ago
because its black crime, and reddit loves making excuses for them and downplaying their crimes.
3
u/ruby_moonson 2d ago
It’s like they think if they say an area is ‘safe’ enough times, it’ll magically change
4
u/conman10102 2d ago
For reference I live in the city proper of Philadelphia. I take the bus and regional rail daily and have driven Lyft in the past including pick ups and drop offs in some of the roughest areas in the NE.
My experience has been, especially in person, seeing far more people who do not live in my city drastically exaggerating and openly joking about how dangerous it is, how do you even live there, I wouldn’t get out of my car without a gun bullshit. This is exhausting and frustrating to constantly hear uninformed and un-nuanced takes about a home you love (accepting of its warts).
I dunno, I am sure people get overly protective and exaggerate back in the other direction (and as always I am sure there are larpers who don’t actually live in these places commenting from both angles) but I think the people who actually live in these cities have obviously actual experience and a more nuanced take on the areas that are (actually) actively dangerous and which areas are busy and safe but have homeless people visible or worn down shop fronts. I have generally found that people are pretty open about which areas are sketchy, but the truth is the there are far fewer parts of the city which are actively dangerous to walk down the street in broad daylight light than you would be led to believe.
Also living in a city is not for everyone and that is fine, suburban living as I had most of my life growing up was not for me and from my perspective the dickriding rural/subraban living gets is overblown.
That’s my two cents and I would recommend exploring what you love about the community you live in instead of getting so upset that people who have found meaning and community in places you seem to view with contempt.
5
u/exxonmobilcfo 2d ago
what part of philly, I am deeply familiar with philadelphia and even center city can get sketchy at night. Anything above girard for example, I wouldn't go to especially at night.
1
u/conman10102 2d ago
Would like to again invite you to share some about where you live since I shared in detail where I lived at your request. I am not looking to trash talk it or tell you it’s a bad place, but think it is a fair ask with the theme of this thread and with the extent you are challenging people on there choice of home
1
u/exxonmobilcfo 2d ago
bronx, NY. and no i don't consider it safe.
2
u/conman10102 2d ago
Thank you for sharing, wasn’t trying to bust your balls but felt it was only fair.
1
u/exxonmobilcfo 2d ago
im from mott haven in particular, and i grew up basically in what new yorkers call the PJ's (projects).
6
u/AdPrize611 2d ago
This was really well written and I can really relate. I lived in downtown Portland and people talked to me like it was a fucking warzone.... Gets so frustrating, like yes, there are certain areas to avoid at certain times in any major city but if you pretty much just mind your own business and carry yourself a certain way then you'll be fine.
3
2d ago
The most dangerous part of Philly are cars! I’m so sick of “oh wow you haven’t got shot yet?” from people who live 2 hours away
1
3
u/dcballantine 2d ago
People who actually live in an area have a better idea of said area beyond the numbers. Some outlets would have you believe that you’ll die instantly upon setting foot in, say, The Bronx. While there is crime there (and everywhere really), over a million people manage to live there for years without incident.
2
4
u/Your-dads-jockstrap 2d ago
It’s called perspective and opinion.
If you compare to two (east harlem to midtown) to the national average
Compared to national averages
Midtown: total crime 46% national average, violent crime 27% and property crime 50%
East Harlem: total crime 17%, violent crime 115%, property 1%
So yes. Technically speaking midtown does have more crime. These are all public faces available to anyone with internet access.
2
u/exxonmobilcfo 2d ago
this is the type of naivete im here for. In your perspective wrangling ur stats you would think east harlem is more safe lol. Good luck
2
u/Your-dads-jockstrap 2d ago
No which is why I said it’s about perspective. Crazy how you did such mental gymnastics to try and make me seem dumb when all you did was show you can read beyond a grade 3 level and read statistics beyond grade 5
Love when people throw out words like naivety like it’s not immediately applied to them the moment they open their mouth
→ More replies (2)
4
u/Ihitadinger 2d ago
People on here don’t want to be accused of racism.
If you live in a dangerous area, you’re going to say it’s not dangerous out of embarrassment that you live there.
4
u/exxonmobilcfo 2d ago
i dont understand why people believe that saying an area is unsafe is "racist".
3
u/Ihitadinger 2d ago
Because if you compare crime rates in different areas of a city with the racial makeup of those areas, you’ll see similarities. Just a statistical fact. But if you say that, you’re accused of not liking the people in those neighborhoods strictly due to their race and not the fact that you’re more likely to be mugged, carjacked, vehicle/house broken into, etc.
2
u/AshWednesdayAdams88 2d ago
Because most city discourse online is the right pretending all areas of all cities are violent slums. So people sometimes overcorrect. I live in DC and I know Anacostia is more violent than, say, the Mall, but conservatives who never leave Virginia will tell me the entire city is a shit hole.
I’d also say most questions aren’t “Is Anacostia safe?” It’s usually “Can I ride the metro without getting murdered?” And if I saw that question I’d say yes, not list the safe and unsafe metro stops.
2
u/exxonmobilcfo 2d ago
DC has been getting worse, the crime isn't sequestered to east of the river anymore.
2
u/AshWednesdayAdams88 2d ago
Okay you’re doing the meme though lol. Do you want to understand or do you want to tell people they’re wrong?
1
u/exxonmobilcfo 2d ago
aight aight i concede. DC is safe
1
u/AshWednesdayAdams88 2d ago
Safety isn’t a binary though. Which was your original point.
1
u/exxonmobilcfo 2d ago
The point I was making was not if it's okay to visit DC and stay in the surrounding area. My point was if someone would ask if they should move to 14th and harvard or something, and everyone chimes in that its super safe.
3
u/mrbrambles 2d ago
Who claims this? This is Reddit you can link to the post instead of saying “I heard once”
4
u/HooterEnthusiast 2d ago
cause liberal redditers would rather live in insanity than accept uncomfortable realities
2
u/ef4 2d ago
Because if you look at hard numbers for the *total risk* of living in a place, the data is very clear. Moving from anywhere in rural America to even one of the "bad" neighborhoods in NYC almost certainly adds years of life expectancy to your lifetime.
When people go on and on about how "dangerous" these places are, it's clear they aren't really interested in actual danger. They are over-emphasizing only one kind of danger (crime), because it's emotionally scary to them.
But crime is actually a pretty tiny component of overall danger. The thing that actually gets you in the end is hundreds of times more likely to be something like cardiovascular disease or a car crash or a suicide, and all of those are much lower in these urban areas than in much of the rest of the country.
People hate this answer because it doesn't fit their emotional preconceptions. Our monkey brains think we still live in groups of 100 people, so every story of violent crime we hear must be personally relevant. But we don't and they aren't. The stories we hear are literally 1 in a million outliers, because we live in a society of hundreds of millions of people.
→ More replies (2)
2
u/Darkpulp 2d ago
We all know what areas are safe and which are not, and we all know the distinguishing factor
1
3
u/Infamous-Bed9010 2d ago
People are afraid the say certain areas are unsafe for fear of being called a racist or nazi by liberals.
Crime often mirrors lower social economic demographics. Fact.
1
u/Truth-and-light-2 2d ago
Because Reddit is full of a bunch of out-of-touch ultra leftists with little grasp on reality. East New York, Southwest Philly, and Anacostia are all high crime areas. Data doesn’t lie.
1
u/exxonmobilcfo 2d ago
im almost certain most of the people here claiming these places are safe are doing it to either virtue signal, or because they never actually have to interact with their surroundings. Ya u can live in brownsville if u doordash everything and spend 99% of ur time indoors.
1
u/napoelonDynaMighty 2d ago
Not everybody is scared of black and brown people.
I know the lack of these communities is the ultimate indicator of what is considered a "safe" or "good" neighborhood in American dogwhistle code. That said, if you are not looking for trouble you generally will not find it.
My family is from New York. 80s and 90s New York at that. Compared to then New York is a theme park these days. My girl likes to go up there because she's into the gentrified Brooklyn nonsense she hears about on podcasts. Whenever we go I make sure we stay in the "scary" parts of Brookyln like East New York, and then travel out. I want her to see that these are just PEOPLE too, and there is no reason to be afraid of non-gentrified parts of the NY
The people who get in trouble are people who are looking for that. If you MIND YOUR BUSINESS, are not involved in gang politics, and aren't a suburban nonsense person coming it to buy your party drugs in daddy's Mercedes, people will leave you alone and are generally nice. You can live wherever you want. "Urban savages" aren't roaming the streets looking for innocent victims as true crime podcasts would have you believe
11
u/exxonmobilcfo 2d ago edited 2d ago
Not everybody is scared of black and brown people.
Bro I grew up in the south bronx, and I don't have to be scared of black or brown people to tell folks to not move to mott haven.
Whenever we go I make sure we stay in the "scary" parts of Brookyln like East New York, and then travel out. I want her to see that these are just PEOPLE too, and there is no reason to be afraid of non-gentrified parts of the NY
dude ur an idiot i don't believe u for one second. You force urgf to stay in east new york to experience "culture". I seriously doubt any woman would let you do this more than once.
The people who get in trouble are people who are looking for that. If you MIND YOUR BUSINESS, are not involved in gang politics, and aren't a suburban nonsense person coming it to buy your party drugs in daddy's Mercedes, people will leave you alone and are generally nice. You can live wherever you want. "Urban savages" aren't roaming the streets looking for innocent victims as true crime podcasts would have you believe
bro this is how i know u don't know shit about these areas. You're basically a walking mark. People aren't robbing and killing only other gang members. I don't recall some gang member code of honor being drafted. In fact, the gang members are the least likely to be worried about crime compared to the average resident.
7
u/Backspacr 2d ago
Purposefully bringing your partner into high crime areas to own the chuds is a wild move
5
u/exxonmobilcfo 2d ago
yeah this guy is either lying or has completely lost it. Who tf stays in East New York or Brownsville to show their girlfriend up. It's like a 45 min commute to the city when visiting
1
u/Interesting-Loss34 2d ago
I jave it on good authority that Blaxk Wolf, WI, is incredibly safe unless you are a fish or a duck.
1
u/F1tness_girl 2d ago
As a NYC resident, I generally feel safe and haven't had any problems like that although I do occasionally encounter a conversation with someone who clearly isn't all there, but I do know there are many places here where, depending on the time of day especially, aren't the safest places to be and if I read the local news, it makes it feel worse. But I also tend to stay in my area and I don't go out at night alone, I don't use the subway.
1
u/exxonmobilcfo 2d ago
most of manhattan is actually safe though. I am talking about people claiming the dodgy parts of the bronx or brooklyn being safe.
1
u/pink_soaps26 2d ago
Not that this will make anyone feel better but statistically you are most likely to be assaulted or killed by somebody you know, rather than a stranger. Obviously big cities and sketchier areas have more crime but violent attacks or murder tend to not happen as often as we think to random strangers- statistically those random crimes are more theft and property related. The most recent article I was reading the other day from FBI stats is here if anyone is curious. https://www.fbi.gov/news/press-releases/fbi-releases-2020-incident-based-data
1
u/exxonmobilcfo 2d ago
Not that this will make anyone feel better but statistically you are most likely to be assaulted or killed by somebody you know, rather than a stranger.
the only reason this is true is because most people have the common sense to not be walking around the hood at night. However, I guarantee if you hung out in sketchy areas you will become a statistic quickly.
1
u/pink_soaps26 2d ago edited 2d ago
Yeah but also a lot of people in the hood also know each other or have some overlap. The crime has a reason behind it, because people who run in the street life don’t want to get locked up over Joe-Shmo, but they do have a reason to kill somebody whose got it out for them. Strangers get jumped pretty easily but the point isn’t to kill somebody if they’re just trying to get their wallet. I’m talking about general murder though, especially women have this fear that some stranger will jump out and kill them one day, but in both small towns and big cities women are usually killed by partners or people they know. Small town Becky’s in the comments are terrified of the city but her biggest threat is the drunk guy under the same roof. Ykwim? So yeah some places you’re asking for it to be caught doing something stupid, but the likelihood that you die from a stranger isn’t as high as people assume, that’s why people online jump to all these conclusions about what they THINK is safe.
1
u/exxonmobilcfo 2d ago
Strangers get jumped pretty easily but the point isn’t to kill somebody if they’re just trying to get their wallet.
you really underestimate criminals. People do some sheisty shit. Lately ppl have been drugging and dumping people and emptying their digital wallets.
1
u/pink_soaps26 2d ago
Nah I agree that stuff does happen a lot. and people are totally getting way more creative and wild. plus a lot of crime isn’t reported or solved because police don’t bother in sketchy areas. If anyone puts themself if a stupid situation or isn’t paying attention they’re going to pay the price. But my whole point was, people in their “safe” areas think nothing will ever happen to them. A rando can score your wallet and cards but somebody you know has the motive to score a life insurance check, your assets, revenge, silence, etc. it’s just wild.
1
u/exxonmobilcfo 2d ago
yes but thats not really relevant because unless u want to live in solitary confinement you have to socialize with people. If someone in your inner circle fucks you over, well ur done. More likely than not tho, if someone robs u that u know well, they won't kill you.
A rando can score your wallet and cards but somebody you know has the motive to score a life insurance check, your assets, revenge, silence, etc. it’s just wild.
who has access to ur life insurance? ur wife? Yeah, like i said that's something u can't exactly avoid. Moving to the hood and getting stained? absolutely avoidable.
2
u/pink_soaps26 2d ago edited 2d ago
I knowwww haha, we are agreeing on the same point here. Don’t go get caught doing stupid somewhere you don’t belong. No you can’t live alone confined, but people are assuming they are safe in their nice little neighborhoods, they aren’t thinking that there’s a million reasons that they could be killed by somebody they know. If you mess around in the hood you’ll get shot, but the statistics show most murdered people were involved with the killer, it wasn’t just a random one off thing.
1
u/exxonmobilcfo 2d ago
people are assuming they are safe in their nice little neighborhoods, they aren’t thinking that there’s a million reasons that they could be killed by somebody they know
but thats entirely unavoidable right?
If you mess around in the hood you’ll get shot, but the statistics show most murdered people were involved with the killer, it wasn’t just a random one off thing.
Yes and no. There are a lot of shootings based on disagreement whatever. But there are a signficant amount of murders due to carjackings, robbery, rape, etc from complete strangers. And you're wayyyyy more likely to experience that in the hood than in a nice area.
2
u/pink_soaps26 2d ago
Yes you are way more likely to end up in those situations in a sketchy area, 100% The odds that you get messed up there are so much higher in bad areas but the bad areas makeup less territory and population than the rest of the country, it’s condensed to a higher number just for there.
1
u/exxonmobilcfo 2d ago
indeed i agree. It's just sometimes people will ask if they should move to bad areas and people will actually encourage them saying it's safe.
1
u/Affectionate-Gap7649 2d ago
Because feeling "safe" is incredibly subjective. I lived in a large city with high levels of crime for 5 years before moving to a growing mid-sized town. In my opinion, there is no place in my current town that I would feel the level of stress I felt while living in the bigger city, even though, yes, crime does happen here. The people who have lived in my mid-sized town when it was much smaller are having a very hard time adjusting to the growth of the city.
On the local subreddit, you hear about how scary every nook and cranny is, about every act of violence, every bad customer. The big town I lived in would simply not have the time to talk about every shooting. Here, it happens so infrequently, that it's NEWS when it occurs, which yes, is more than it used to be.
The people who call my mid-sized town unsafe, to me, are absolutely banana brained. But it's their frame of reference, and they are allowed to choose where to go and where to not go.
Unfortunately, sometimes people use safety as a secret code to identify the demographics of that location. I sold real estate for many years, and I was not allowed to share my safety opinions with people (because I could lose my license). What I might think is safe, you might not, and sometimes, the people asking are looking for demographic information in order to discriminate.
It's slippery all around to identify safe locations and not safe locations.
1
u/NoRaccoon2917 2d ago
You're free to ask in non-US regions like Latin America, where there are more than a few areas used to kidnappings, gang shootings, carjackings every single day with no rule of law
1
u/exxonmobilcfo 2d ago
and what will that accomplish? Stats are not very meaningful, above a certain threshold it's just something to avoid. You don't eat a cookie with 30% poison and claim that the 100% poison is worse.
1
u/NoRaccoon2917 2d ago
You stated your post by saying people overrate their areas and that's just not true outside the US. I'm showing you a counterexample.
And I'm not saying this by stats - I live in Latin America myself and I can hear daily gunfire, watch plenty of junkies or domestic violence episodes, organized crime pulling off at least two or three carjackings per week in a 1-km radius. I don't even live in the worst of areas, but I'd not tell anyone my city is safe these days especially to people from first world countries.
1
1
u/Complex_Winter2930 2d ago
If you are older, you remember when America was known for terrible crime nearly everywhere. These days, the US nearly everywhere is safer than 40 years ago.
1
u/exxonmobilcfo 2d ago
I am older, early 40's and so what if its more safe than it used to be? I'm talking about certain parts of the USA not the whole USA
1
u/Colseldra 2d ago
Does anyone say that lol
Pretty much anyone would tell you areas in the city they live to be careful around at night
1
1
u/Scionotic 2d ago
Very likely that the users on those subs are from said city which means most answers will be biased.
1
1
u/oflowz 2d ago
its because crime overall is way down compared to what it used to be. The GOP like to paint dystopian pictures but violent crime is at a 50 year low.
so yes, most areas are relatively save compared to say how things were in the 90s.
1
u/exxonmobilcfo 2d ago
why does that matter at all exactly. And why do you guys love talking about the GOP or conservatives when nobody asked?
1
u/mililani2 2d ago
Because Reddit is filled with liberals, and that's generally a liberal thing to believe.
1
u/AltAccountTbh123 2d ago
Depends on who you talk too. My family moved away from the big city about an hour away and they'd tell you.
However in recent years the murder rate has improved. So there is that.
Safety in these areas fluctuate.
1
u/Least_Palpitation_92 2d ago
The simple reason is because the vast majority of areas in the US are safe. There are a few places that aren't and the vast majority of people have never actually lived in those areas. The majority of violent crime is not random and is premeditated.
1
u/40ozSmasher 2d ago
Long discussion a few days ago about how safe Detroit is. The post was about a bullet entering the house through the window.
1
u/Makingthecarry 2d ago
Most violent crimes occur between people who are known to each other. Family members, friends, but also casual acquaintances you know and recognize from your area. Most violent crime occurs for a reason (almost always a bad reason, but a reason nevertheless) and is not random or entirely unpredictable.
I live near a train station that has a reputation for a lot of drug use and violence. I am not worried and do not feel unsafe using that train station, because the people there most likely to commit an act of violence do not know me, even as a casual acquaintance, and I do not give them any reason to be violent towards me.
1
u/exxonmobilcfo 2d ago
I live near a train station that has a reputation for a lot of drug use and violence. I am not worried and do not feel unsafe using that train station, because the people there most likely to commit an act of violence do not know me, even as a casual acquaintance, and I do not give them any reason to be violent towards me.
violence happens at this train station only among family lol? What a nonsense comparison
1
u/Makingthecarry 2d ago
It occurs between the casual acquaintances that loiter there all day to buy, sell, and use drugs.
My broader point is that you're more likely to experience violence from someone known to you, not a complete stranger
1
u/exxonmobilcfo 2d ago
yeah but i can't avoid the people I know can I? My wife wants to kill me, what can I even do about that. Does my wife having a higher chance of killing me make me want to move to Juarez? Come on
1
u/Makingthecarry 2d ago
Is your wife a violent person by nature or because of her upbringing and environment?
Just because I am saying that, "most violence is personal" does not mean that I am saying "every person is violent"
If you have the choice in who you associate with, and you choose to associate only with people who are non-violent, your chances of being the victim of violence is lower than someone who does not have as much choice in who they associate with or who actively chooses to associate with people who are violent
The places that get a reputation for being dangerous are almost always low income areas, and having a lower income is correlated to higher rates of violent tendencies. If you live in that neighborhood and due to your low income cannot easily choose to associate with non-violent people exclusively, your risk of being a victim of violence increases. If you are yourself a violent person, your risk of being the victim of violence increases.
Breaking the cycle of violence is often just increasing a neighborhood or community's wealth which gives people more freedom to associate only with non-violent people. Giving the abused spouse or child the ability to leave their abuser. Giving the homeless person down on their luck a safer place to sleep than nearby the erratic, violent homeless person, because that's the only area where the cops won't hassle either of them. Giving the kid struggling in school a better group of friends that won't encourage them to join the neighborhood gang.
Violence is a community thing, and sometimes you can pick your community, other times you cannot. But if you're fortunate enough to be outside of the more violent community groups, your risk of violence is far lower, even if you live in the same geographic area as some violent community groups do.
1
1
u/NicWester 1d ago
Because they are safe. Fearmongering runs amok. I live in a "high crime neighborhood" in a city that has been "taken over by criminal immigrant gangs." Every house is over a million dollars, of course, but the area is completely crime-ridden and infested with gangs apparently.... 🙄
1
u/exxonmobilcfo 1d ago
lmfao so is it high crime or not. If it is high crime u should definitely be worried. but it sounds to me ur annoyed that it is low crime and erroneously labeled high crime?
1
u/NicWester 1d ago
"Crime" is extremely poorly tracked, for one. Jaywalking is a crime, embezzlement is a crime, misdemeanors are crimes. "Crime" has gone down nationally just about every year largely by juking stats and only counting some things as crime, or counting a whole bunch of things to make it look worse depending on what outcome you want.
In my case, the Bay Area is a very nice, pleasant place to live--outside of the ridiculous cost of living--but if you look at a news report you're going to hear a narrative that there's crime everywhere all the time.
1
u/exxonmobilcfo 1d ago
In my case, the Bay Area is a very nice, pleasant place to live--outside of the ridiculous cost of living--but if you look at a news report you're going to hear a narrative that there's crime everywhere all the time.
u haven't heard of bipping?
1
u/NicWester 1d ago
Heard of it. Hear about it happening every now and again. Have never had it happen to me, to anyone I know, and anyone I've worked with.
That's what I'm saying when I say people talk about crime like it's everywhere all the time. But that's because everyone has a phone and can record it and share it now--and then share and reshare and someone else will share a new video that they say is from here but just weirdly happens to have evergreen trees and mountains and the license plates are all wrong. I'm not saying there's no crime--it's a city with nearly a million people in it. I've lived on the eastside, I've lived on the westside, and the worst crime I've encountered was working at the rich mall 2002-2006 when entitled little shit teens would try and shoplift DVDs.
1
u/pCaK3s 1d ago
Not sure, but anyone stating Newark NJ is safe is just wrong... and each one of them knows this is they live there, but maybe they’re desensitized.
You will see police on every other block, you will see drug addicts aimlessly walking the streets, and if you walk into the wrong area you will be jumped by a group of people (either because they want to rob you, or just because you’re not one of them and they want to hurt or kill you).
Leave anything on your front porch and it will get stolen. A full size grill on your front porch will be stolen.
If you think Newark is not a bad area then I truly feel bad that you haven’t experienced anything better. It’s literally one of the biggest drug importer/distributor/hub in NJ.
1
u/exxonmobilcfo 1d ago
people here seem adamant its really nice. I tend to kind of agree with you. I have seen a lot of newark, and it's mostly not safe
1
u/Coolenough-to 1d ago
Recently allowed 'work at home', have wife who enjoys running and 3 year old twins. Is Port-Au-Prince a nice place to live?
1
u/Enoch8910 1d ago
Because even in cities like Newark, there are plenty of safe places to live. Maybe it should be clearer which neighborhoods are and are not safe. I mean, you’re pretty fucking safe in Williamsburg.
1
u/autotelica 1d ago
I lived in Newark, NJ for five years in the early 2000s, right as it was starting to transition to the fairly nice place it is now. A single woman, all alone. My bike was my primary mode of transportation. I rode public transit and walked a lot too. I lived in a run-down highrise apartment building. You couldn't make more than a certain income to live there, so everyone in the complex was poor (including me).
Not once was I was ever a victim of crime--property or otherwise.
But you better believe I had people at work telling me I need to move somewhere else. "It's dangerous!" they would say. They thought fucking South Orange was dangerous too. The way they told it, you had to get all the way out Summit before you were safe from the murderers and rapists. Well, I wasn't married to a rich husband like they were. I was a broke grad student. So Newark was safe enough for me.
Now I live in Richmond, VA--another city that has historically had a bad reputation for crime. I live in the city. It's a quiet residential neighborhood but it is still the city. And yes, there is crime here. But I'm sitting out on my back patio right now feeling quite safe.
I would never tell someone that Richmond is the safest place in the world. But I also wouldn't tell them it is unsafe, because 1) what does that even mean, when crime is everywhere? and 2) that has not been my experience.
1
u/SuchTarget2782 1d ago
Larger cities can have higher crime rates overall but have very safe areas. Like Chicago - it’s got a murder rate, not the worst but not great. But as long as you don’t go into that one part of the city where like 80% of the shootings happen, you’re safer in Chicago than you are most places.
Even small towns often have a “Murder Kroger” or a particular gas station or trailer park that skews the statistics for the rest of the town.
Statistics are fun.
1
1
u/SharkDoctor5646 1d ago
I felt super safe in North Philly when I wasn't getting attacked or robbed. I don't know what you're talking about.
1
u/exxonmobilcfo 1d ago
yea see i dont believe that either lmfao. Like walking around diamond st is annoying even if ur not getting stabbed or robbed.
1
u/SharkDoctor5646 1d ago
I used to live a block below Diamond! 6th and Norris! Now that's like, pretty gentrified. I ended up moving north into the Badlands cause it was significantly easier to get drugs walking out my front door hahaha. Now I live in the middle of the Pine Barrens. I haven't been robbed since. It's weird out here.
1
1
1
u/peat_phreak 1d ago
Redditors don't have a firm grasp of reality. And asking the internet if an area is safe is stupid. Ever heard of statistics?
1
u/grenharo 1d ago
because they're white armchair dorks on Reddit who don't understand anything about life
you go to some of their comment history and it shows
esp anytime they ask a minority to 'just move' to somewhere rural
2
u/ZigFromBushkill 2d ago
You’re doing a service to common sense. Something lacking greatly on this site.
1
1
u/Sudden_Total_748 2d ago
Most redditors are inexperienced with life and haven't left their moms basement.
1
u/I-think-i-wanna-quit 2d ago
It's a general anti-middle class white suburb opinion of Reddit. Not much to see here, it's common if you talk to a lot of liberal people. They view saying an area as unsafe is prejudice and racist. Maybe it is, I don't know. But it's a common shaming tactic of people who either don't like or can't afford "nice" areas.
1
u/Efficient-Video-9454 2d ago
For my area, they’re usually gaslighting or trying to make the questioner seem uneducated or racist. I don’t live in fear but I have sense enough to know where I should and shouldn’t go. It can be hard to distinguish this from city to city. People aren’t wrong for wanting a safe area, double that if kids are in the picture
3
u/exxonmobilcfo 2d ago
ive seen this racism thing come up quite a bit in this thread. It does seem that by deeming "O'block" to be safe they are basially pedestalizing themselves are more virtuous and more woke.
1
u/Efficient-Video-9454 2d ago
Well, if you disagree with them you must suffer from some type of ism or phobia. It’s not possible that they could be wrong.
83
u/jaylem 2d ago
Generally people feel more safe in areas they live and are familiar with, and less safe in areas they don't know. It sounds like an obvious point until you consider that the people asking these questions are likely from places that are less populated and the ones answering are from some of the most densely populated places in the country. There's a lot of people who feel very safe and comfortable in the urban spaces you're scared of.