What is the obsession with "safety" about on these forums (Boston: how much, homes)

[rranger]

I find endlessly interesting how much the topic of "safety" comes up on urban forums. And, Boston is no exception.

I'm wondering whether people live in fear of their own shadows, whether they're afraid to leave their homes, etc.

Frankly, I've lived in a lot of places in my life and there are very few (the notable exceptions being places like Bedford-Stuyvesant and Bushwick in Brooklyn in the 80's) where I actually ever felt threatened by my surroundings.

And yet, I read endless questions and ill-informed responses about the supposed safety of inner-city neighborhoods, usually from people who clearly don't have knowledge of these places.

So, really, I'd like to know. Why is this such a popular discussion topic?

[Lowerdeck]

Speaking from experience, people irrationally fear everything. There's one song that comes to mind, the line "the mind is fear".

I live in the exurbs of Worcester. Most of my family members refuse to go to Worcester alone, for any reason, at any time of the day. (If it wasn't for the Texas Roadhouse on Lincoln St., they wouldn't voluntarily go there for any reason.) There's like a six town comfort zone, and everything outside it is the the great abyss. I have many relatives who are semi-openly racist, so cities are areas with the "dangerous" elements (aka non-whites) and must be avoided.

My parents in particular are extremely paranoid. Rarely do they venture away from family property, except for work, church, the grocery store and Walmart, or going out to eat. They fear being robbed, shot, car crashes, drunks and drug addicts, non-whites: anything that can damage their bubblewrap world.

[rranger]

Originally Posted by Lowerdeck

Speaking from experience, people irrationally fear everything. There's one song that comes to mind, the line "the mind is fear".

I live in the exurbs of Worcester. Most of my family members refuse to go to Worcester alone, for any reason, at any time of the day. (If it wasn't for the Texas Roadhouse on Lincoln St., they wouldn't voluntarily go there for any reason.) There's like a six town comfort zone, and everything outside it is the the great abyss. I have many relatives who are semi-openly racist, so cities are areas with the "dangerous" elements (aka non-whites) and must be avoided.

My parents in particular are extremely paranoid. Rarely do they venture away from family property, except for work, church, the grocery store and Walmart, or going out to eat. They fear being robbed, shot, car crashes, drunks and drug addicts, non-whites: anything that can damage their bubblewrap world.

Thanks for confirming my suspicions ... I guess. Worcester is about the most innocuous city I've ever experienced including ... quelle horreur ... Main South (insert screams of horror).

I love your response, BTW. It really does summarize nicely the predicament. How can we ever expect to "move on" in this country as minority populations grow and white populations shrink with this kind of mentality? It really is a problem.

Suggestion: Take your parents on field trips to, say, Woonsocket, to get them used to a "city". It might be a good way to break them in. Gad!

[CaseyB]

A lot of the "safety" type questiions are asked by women who are considering where they should rent. What's wrong with that?

[rranger]

Originally Posted by CaseyB

A lot of the "safety" type questiions are asked by women who are considering where they should rent. What's wrong with that?

What's wrong with that is not just the question but, in particular, the response. I'm not going to go any further. Clearly you don't get it. You didn't before, and you don't now.

[RedJacket]

Is Mass... a safe US state to live in? If not, does anyone know of a safe US state to live in?

[Lowerdeck]

Originally Posted by CaseyB

A lot of the "safety" type questiions are asked by women who are considering where they should rent. What's wrong with that?

Anything can happen to anyone, anywhere, at any time. People seem to fail to realize this.

[mustmove]

This is funny. We lived on the water in Eastie for a year and some friends I grew up with in very white burbs came out to visit. They arrived at night and we went for a walk through the park and they thought it was a cool place. Pretty skyline and such. Next day driving around they kept saying what a sketchy place it was, only difference was you could see minority families out and about. I guess it is sad in some ways.

[rranger]

Originally Posted by Lowerdeck

Anything can happen to anyone, anywhere, at any time. People seem to fail to realize this.

Particularly in Worcester, or so I'm told

[rranger]

Originally Posted by mustmove

This is funny. We lived on the water in Eastie for a year and some friends I grew up with in very white burbs came out to visit. They arrived at night and we went for a walk through the park and they thought it was a cool place. Pretty skyline and such. Next day driving around they kept saying what a sketchy place it was, only difference was you could see minority families out and about. I guess it is sad in some ways.

It is sad in many ways.