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General => General Discussion => Topic started by: Tick on October 07, 2014, 06:08:08 AM
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A curious question...
Its 8:15pm. You are sitting at home with your family watching TV. The doorbell rings. You look at each other puzzled. An unannounced visitor is ringing your doorbell at 8:15 in the evening. I walk to the front door and look outside from the window on the top window of the door. A man is standing on my front porch in the dark. Are you answering the door? I did not. I went back to the couch and sat back down. I don't trust this world much anymore and whoever that person was has no business ringing my doorbell at that time in the first place. If I open the door to ask what he wants anything could possibly happen, and considering I have no interest in whatever he wants I am not answering the door. What would you have done?
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But you could've been a sweepstakes winner!!
I see your point. I'd've answered. Life ain't that rough in my city yet.
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Funny. I was just talking to my dad about days of past when if your car broke down you would have to knock on someone's door and ask to use the phone.
I would have talked through the door to him.
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I would have talked through the door to him.
Wasn't worth the effort. Whatever he wanted, I had zero interest.
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I get you but my interest would be there to see why he's at my door.
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But you could've been a sweepstakes winner!!
I see your point. I'd've answered. Life ain't that rough in my city yet.
Well Chad, the first thing I looked out into the darkness to see was whether or not he had any balloons. He didn't so I'm pretty sure I'm good.
As far as my city being dangerous. I live is suburbia. Fairly affluent middle class city, but honestly that doesn't matter anymore. Cheshire CT. is very affluent and the home invasion there was horrible when a doctors wife and two children were brutally murdered. You never know who that stranger is, so why bother taking any unnecessary risk? Not worth it. Plus I don't have any interest in what that man wanted at 8:15 on a Monday night. Nope.
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I get you but my interest would be there to see why he's at my door.
Maybe to shoot and kill you, so fuck him!
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It's a liberating feeling when you realize a doorbell is just a request and not a requirement. Isn't it?
Anyway, the exact same thing happened to me Saturday night. I live in a similar neighborhood to what you describe. I could clearly see the man on the porch--our front door has a glass oval in the center--and he was looking none to clean or even sober.
So, I opened the door and asked if I could help him. Turns out he was new to the block and he'd let his car run out of gas. He payed me a few bucks for a gallon of gas so he could get to his night shift job. He was sober, by the way, he just had some sort of nervous tick that went away once I started talking to him as a neighbor.
Like I said, it was an epiphany, years ago, when it dawned on me that I didn't have to answer the doorbell if I didn't want to. That being said, I usually choose to.
Unless it's those damned missionaries! Those guys have no sense of humor.
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I would answer the door, because if I needed help, I would hope that someone would answer their door. Golden Rule, and all that.
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I would have at least tried to communicate through the door or would have gone upstairs and talked to him through an open window. When I was a kid, we had a guy come to our door at about 10:30. Keep in mind, people weren't carrying cellphones around then. Turned out he had flipped his car and his wife was stuck in it.
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I answer. Matter of fact, last night I knocked on a neighbor's door who I don't know because their car lights were on. If he doesn't answer, he has a dead battery in the morning, so talking through the door is always a first step if you don't recognize them.
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All he wanted was a copy of your last water bill. Or to see your furnace warranty. Just give him these things, he's from another country - he's an expert - he has a clipboard.
He is there to help.
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I hate answering the door unless I know who it is. So i'd have ignored it too.
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I'm with the talking through the door camp, but would be a dick about it. My window is right next to the front door, so I would just turn my head and shout "WHAT??"... if it was help needed or something, I could be available.
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I probably would chose not to answer either. I get kind of freaked out by unannounced and unknown guests. Maybe based on his appearance (like if he looked injured or something, thats a different story) I would try to talk through the door first, but my initial reaction is to not answer.
In college one night someone started knocking on my apartment door at like 4am and wouldnt stop and it concerned my roommate and I so we got our machetes out and waiting by the door in case this person tried to do something, but they stopped and left. I was really freaked out by that. I lived a bit off campus so it wasnt just random drunk students wandering the hallways.
At the end of the day, I'd rather be safe than sorry and if someone knocking on my door was making me uncomfortable, I would not answer it.
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I live in a secure apartment building, so if I looked through the peephole and didn't recognize the person as a neighbor, I probably wouldn't have said anything. If I was in a house, I'd probably talk to them through the door to see if they needed help...but I wouldn't open the door because I live alone and fuck that.
It's election season- maybe he was trying to get your vote for something/someone.
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It's kind of a shame that society has gotten to the point where not only are we afraid to open the door, but we won't even try to establish communication through it.
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Yeah, there is a middle ground between "ignore" and "open the door and invite a can of whoop ass into your home".
I'll give you the sensitivity in the Chesire area (though I can tell you, it hasn't extended up this way) but that is a sort of individual thing.
I do know that the world has changed in other ways; when I was a kid, you didn't call after 9. You didn't ring the bell after dark. It was sort of a 'respect' thing, and as a result things had their own code. Phone call at 11:30? You answered it, because it WAS bad, important news. Knock at 10:30? You answered it, because it WAS someone in true need. Nowadays we've trampled, obliterated those sort of norms - and in some cases it is a situation where the scumbags among us have abused and violated those norms - so that you have circumstances like this.
it also depends where you live; in Philly, many of the row houses have intercoms, so you can have the sort of conversation that needs to be had to figure out what's what, though even that isn't fool proof, because if someone wants in your home for nefarious reasons, they are obviously not above lying to you through the intercom. There it was easy because I could poke my head out on the second floor balcony.
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A curious question...
Its 8:15pm. You are sitting at home with your family watching TV. The doorbell rings. You look at each other puzzled. An unannounced visitor is ringing your doorbell at 8:15 in the evening. I walk to the front door and look outside from the window on the top window of the door. A man is standing on my front porch in the dark. Are you answering the door? I did not. I went back to the couch and sat back down. I don't trust this world much anymore and whoever that person was has no business ringing my doorbell at that time in the first place. If I open the door to ask what he wants anything could possibly happen, and considering I have no interest in whatever he wants I am not answering the door. What would you have done?
Are you positive it was someone standing in the dark? I mean, I wasn't there, but I'm sure there's a much more reasonable explanation for all of this than what you've offered, having been there and all. It was probably a man sized package left by Fed Ex, in their new "Look At Me, I'm a Human BeingTM" packaging line, that they just delivered to the wrong house.
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I answer. Matter of fact, last night I knocked on a neighbor's door who I don't know because their car lights were on. If he doesn't answer, he has a dead battery in the morning, so talking through the door is always a first step if you don't recognize them.
Did the same thing a week or two ago. It was daylight though. If it's daytime then I answer the door (and usually regret it). If it's after dark I generally ignore it. While my preference would be the altruistic route, my peephole doesn't work. Besides, it might be the fucking cops.
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A curious question...
Its 8:15pm. You are sitting at home with your family watching TV. The doorbell rings. You look at each other puzzled. An unannounced visitor is ringing your doorbell at 8:15 in the evening. I walk to the front door and look outside from the window on the top window of the door. A man is standing on my front porch in the dark. Are you answering the door? I did not. I went back to the couch and sat back down. I don't trust this world much anymore and whoever that person was has no business ringing my doorbell at that time in the first place. If I open the door to ask what he wants anything could possibly happen, and considering I have no interest in whatever he wants I am not answering the door. What would you have done?
Are you positive it was someone standing in the dark? I mean, I wasn't there, but I'm sure there's a much more reasonable explanation for all of this than what you've offered, having been there and all. It was probably a man sized package left by Fed Ex, in their new "Look At Me, I'm a Human BeingTM" packaging line, that they just delivered to the wrong house.
And then someone stole it
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:rollin
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Tick has a neighbor who is stuck on the phone with FedEx trying to figure out where the manikin is that he ordered a few days ago. "You said it was guaranteed yesterday by 8:30! No... if it was delivered... I WOULDN'T BE CALLING YOU!... What? no.... none of my neighbors have it either. Yea.. I trust them. Especially that (Tick) guy. He would have held on to it for me..."
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I usually open the door and see what they want. My area is very safe.
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I usually open the door and see what they want. My area is very safe.
Well... who's gonna mess with a goat?
Ok. joking aside... I'd answer the door.
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I would get the shotgun and fire half a dozen shots through the door and scream "I DON'T LIKE KNOCK-KNOCK JOKES!!!"
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What if it was Kevin Moore at the door?
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Then I'd go for the full dozen.
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I'm moving in a few days and plan on installing one of these.
(https://www.barbourproductsearch.info/2.%20Door%20Restrictor%20Use-file029990.jpg)
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It's kind of a shame that society has gotten to the point where not only are we afraid to open the door, but we won't even try to establish communication through it.
Yeah, I hear you. When I was a kid we have the door open when we went to bed in the Summer cause we had no air conditioning and we had a screen door.
While it’s not beyond the realm this person was in need of help my judgment was not to answer and ignore him.
First of all I have my wife and daughter home with me, which is different than if I was home alone. So I had that on my mind in that moment.
Second, I don’t own a gun or any real form of protection at all so that makes me feel vulnerable.
Third, we live in an age where everyone has a phone to call for assistance, and many have Triple A if it’s a car issue. So call a family member or AAA.
Forth, he probably is a handyman trying to see me replacement windows so I don’t want him to take up a minute of my time cause I’m not interested.
Fifth, I have two doors to try and talk through and my alarm system was armed so I can’t open a window to talk unless I disarm it, and frankly I’m not that interested. I would rather the person move on.
So for me, the ignore option was my chosen path.
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What if it was Kevin Moore at the door?
It'd never be opened
again
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I'm moving in a few days and plan on installing one of these.
(https://www.barbourproductsearch.info/2.%20Door%20Restrictor%20Use-file029990.jpg)
Yeah, we have had those for awhile. Although, initially, it was mainly for keeping the kids in rather than keeping unwanted company out. Seems like they all learned how to undo the deadbolt and open the door when they were pretty little, so we had to take additional measures.
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A curious question...
Its 8:15pm. You are sitting at home with your family watching TV. The doorbell rings. You look at each other puzzled. An unannounced visitor is ringing your doorbell at 8:15 in the evening. I walk to the front door and look outside from the window on the top window of the door. A man is standing on my front porch in the dark. Are you answering the door? I did not. I went back to the couch and sat back down. I don't trust this world much anymore and whoever that person was has no business ringing my doorbell at that time in the first place. If I open the door to ask what he wants anything could possibly happen, and considering I have no interest in whatever he wants I am not answering the door. What would you have done?
Are you positive it was someone standing in the dark? I mean, I wasn't there, but I'm sure there's a much more reasonable explanation for all of this than what you've offered, having been there and all. It was probably a man sized package left by Fed Ex, in their new "Look At Me, I'm a Human BeingTM" packaging line, that they just delivered to the wrong house.
Yes, because he is on video from my on house alarm camera, I know what he looked like and what he was doing.
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Then I'd go for the full dozen.
reported
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Tick has a neighbor who is stuck on the phone with FedEx trying to figure out where the manikin is that he ordered a few days ago. "You said it was guaranteed yesterday by 8:30! No... if it was delivered... I WOULDN'T BE CALLING YOU!... What? no.... none of my neighbors have it either. Yea.. I trust them. Especially that (Tick) guy. He would have held on to it for me..."
Nope, not the case. Got him on camera.
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Tick has a neighbor who is stuck on the phone with FedEx trying to figure out where the manikin is that he ordered a few days ago. "You said it was guaranteed yesterday by 8:30! No... if it was delivered... I WOULDN'T BE CALLING YOU!... What? no.... none of my neighbors have it either. Yea.. I trust them. Especially that (Tick) guy. He would have held on to it for me..."
Nope, not the case. Got him on camera.
Ah.... well... I've got nothing.
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It's kind of a shame that society has gotten to the point where not only are we afraid to open the door, but we won't even try to establish communication through it.
And what's particularly interesting is, it's not for particularly good reason. By most measures, crime is down to an all-time low.
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No doubt. This book is a fine read if anyone would like to explore what rumborak is talking about. The Better Angels of our Nature (https://stevenpinker.com/publications/better-angels-our-nature)
In my neighborhood someone is more likely to be assaulted because they knocked on a door after dark than they are likely to suffer a home invasion.
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We're so hipster up here in MA, the most likely cause of personal injury probably comes from insulting the Red Sox, and the injury would come from a lukewarm Grande Mocha Frappucino being thrown in your face.
We're also so decidedly heathen that we rarely get any Jesus Freaks at our door. They're probably afraid that by the end of the street they're agnostic :lol
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:lol
That does it, I'm moving to Massachusetts.
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No doubt. This book is a fine read if anyone would like to explore what rumborak is talking about. The Better Angels of our Nature (https://stevenpinker.com/publications/better-angels-our-nature)
In my neighborhood someone is more likely to be assaulted because they knocked on a door after dark than they are likely to suffer a home invasion.
Even if that is the case, so what? If I have a 1% chance of my family being in danger its 1%. I would prefer to avoid by not answering the door. All it takes is a fluke where you open the door and someone with a gun forces there way in to your home
No unannounced visitors at night, period.
and as I said, I have a camera that showed this was not a Fed Ex driver delivering a package.
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Maybe you should have had your wife stand by the door with a rolled up magazine... worked for Kramer. Or the phone book if it's thick.
When I was 18, I happened to be home alone during the day and two younger boys (maybe 14-15) came to our door selling donuts for school (they had donut boxes); having been in that situation before myself, I answered the door (big door was open, glass door was closed so they could see me in the house) and said, "Sure, I'll buy a box. Stay here on the porch and I'll get some cash for you". I proceeded in the door, the door shut, and one of the guys opened the door and came on in; when I heard the door open, I immediately went into "Rambo" mode (as my Mom called it) and asked the boy in a very polite VERY LOUD voice "what are you doing? I told you to stay outside; GO OUTSIDE" He proceeded to stand there an just look at me; he said nothing. I noticed that the other boy was no longer on the porch.
I promptly grabbed my key from the table beside the door, escorted the silent boy (see what I did there?) outside, and shut the locked house door behind me. I looked the boy in the eye and said "now lets go find your friend". He took-off running and I went to the back of the house were I saw the other boy trying to open our (locked; thankfully) garage door. I said (again in a very loud voice) "you'll need the key for that". He promptly took off running as well.
I called the cops and reported it. Turns out these two had used the same trick a few times in our neighborhood that afternoon; and they were actually caught using that trick on a Sheirff's Deputy... who was home at the time (meaning his cruiser was parked in the driveway. Stupid is as Stupid does.
The point? That experience made me change the way that I answer the door when I do not know the person regardless of the time of day. I do answer the door, but I'm usually armed (concealed) and I'm polite and soft spoken. I look back on how I handled that situation; had I not been older than those boys, or had one of them been larger than me, I could have gotten my a$$ kicked by challenging them the way I did.
BTW, I've been asked for everything from a spoon (really) to a roll of paper towels (I guess to clean up the mess made by not having a spoon).
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No doubt. This book is a fine read if anyone would like to explore what rumborak is talking about. The Better Angels of our Nature (https://stevenpinker.com/publications/better-angels-our-nature)
In my neighborhood someone is more likely to be assaulted because they knocked on a door after dark than they are likely to suffer a home invasion.
Even if that is the case, so what? If I have a 1% chance of my family being in danger its 1%. I would prefer to avoid by not answering the door. All it takes is a fluke where you open the door and someone with a gun forces there way in to your home
No unannounced visitors at night, period.
and as I said, I have a camera that showed this was not a Fed Ex driver delivering a package.
I'm not judging Tick. In fact, my first post in this thread was praising the idea that one has a choice to answer, or not. I think you would be a fool not to recognize the potential danger and act accordingly (see the post above by vtgrad). The thread title asks what you would do, and I've said I would answer the door in hopes that I could help someone in need. That's my way but I don't expect anyone else to agree.
Still, I also like to factor in the fact that Rumborak points out. Statistically speaking (per capita), there is no safer time in history to answer your door than now (depending on where you live, of course)
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I have a camera that showed this was not a Fed Ex driver delivering a package.
I wasn't there, but I insist that I know better. It was totally a Fed Ex driver.
Also:
(https://i548.photobucket.com/albums/ii324/jawkjaw/Decorated%20images/409243_10150475751757583_534642582_9014735_1322834148_n1-1-1.jpg)
Possibly it was lens flare?
Seriously though, I probably would turn the lights on all over the person and open the inner door and speak to them through the outer door to see what they want.
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I have a camera that showed this was not a Fed Ex driver delivering a package.
I wasn't there, but I insist that I know better. It was totally a Fed Ex driver.
Also:
(https://i548.photobucket.com/albums/ii324/jawkjaw/Decorated%20images/409243_10150475751757583_534642582_9014735_1322834148_n1-1-1.jpg)
Possibly it was lens flare?
Seriously though, I probably would turn the lights on all over the person and open the inner door and speak to them through the outer door to see what they want.
One could certainly go that route, but because I don't give a fuck what they want and they are at my doorstep unannounced and uninvited they can pound sand and move on. If its June and its 8:15 its still daylight and MAYBE I treat the situation different but in all honesty, probably not.
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I think my rationale behind it would be to make some sort of judgement as to whether or not I feel like it's someone up to no good, i.e. someone who may choose to come back later when I'm not home (or worse, when I am), or if it's someone trying to sell something or in need of help. While that distinction is not always clear, most people tend to pick up the vibe if someone is acting at all "off", which would give you some sort of credible information to give police, if it turns out later that the person hit up my house or someone else's house. Then you've at least got a description and possibly a voice to give the police, some info on his demeanor, or mannerisms. Anything, really.
That said, I also completely get your rational for saying they can go piss up a rope. Tough call.
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I would probably at least communicate with them instead of ignore them. If it turned out it really was someone who needed help, and I found out later that they took a turn for the worse, I would feel awful.
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One could certainly go that route, but because I don't give a fuck what they want and they are at my doorstep unannounced and uninvited they can pound sand and move on.
Obviously your choice, but a rather lamentable attitude. Life, to a good amount, is about *making* it a better place, not waiting until it becomes one.
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One could certainly go that route, but because I don't give a fuck what they want and they are at my doorstep unannounced and uninvited they can pound sand and move on.
Obviously your choice, but a rather lamentable attitude. Life, to a good amount, is about *making* it a better place, not waiting until it becomes one.
My home, my domain, my call. As I said, unannounced, uninvited...not welcome in night time hours. 2:00 in the afternoon and I would have a perspective where I don't feel all that threatened.
I'm not saying my approach is the right one, its just mine. We all handle things in our own way. I don't feel guilty about not answering the door to someone ringing my bell uninvited in the evening when my family is home.
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What if it was the aliens coming back to attempt second contact?
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One could certainly go that route, but because I don't give a fuck what they want and they are at my doorstep unannounced and uninvited they can pound sand and move on.
Obviously your choice, but a rather lamentable attitude. Life, to a good amount, is about *making* it a better place, not waiting until it becomes one.
I'm not saying my approach is the right one, its just mine. We all handle things in our own way. I don't feel guilty about not answering the door to someone ringing my bell uninvited in the evening when my family is home.
Just curious, would you have opened it if you were home by yourself?
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it also depends where you live; in Philly, many of the row houses have intercoms, so you can have the sort of conversation that needs to be had to figure out what's what, though even that isn't fool proof, because if someone wants in your home for nefarious reasons, they are obviously not above lying to you through the intercom. There it was easy because I could poke my head out on the second floor balcony.
Yeah, we have an intercom but I never answer mine unless I'm expecting company... the reason being that when someone is trying to get into my building and they press the directory button, my apartment comes up first- so people just press the "call" button hoping I will randomly let them in, which is not fucking happening. Last weekend someone called me on the intercom at something like 3:45 AM. There is no way in hell I'm even answering that- if the person IS trying to get into the building for bad reasons and I say no, they now know which apartment I live in, etc. I also have an outstanding camera speeding ticket that's only legit if it's hand-delivered to me, so another reason not to answer the buzz :lol
Tick has a neighbor who is stuck on the phone with FedEx trying to figure out where the manikin is that he ordered a few days ago. "You said it was guaranteed yesterday by 8:30! No... if it was delivered... I WOULDN'T BE CALLING YOU!... What? no.... none of my neighbors have it either. Yea.. I trust them. Especially that (Tick) guy. He would have held on to it for me..."
:lol
This actually reminds me of something my brother told me last night. He and his wife had ordered a bunch of stuff from Soap.com. UPS came to deliver it, and my sister-in-law saw them drop the package off but was busy with something else at the time and didn't grab it right away. When she came to grab it, it was gone. They were able to get the package replaced free of charge, but they then started to notice that every time the UPS truck came down the street, there was a white van behind it. They're pretty sure this van is following the UPS guy and taking packages from porches. It was there again then the stuff got re-delivered. Crazy.
Third, we live in an age where everyone has a phone to call for assistance, and many have Triple A if it’s a car issue. So call a family member or AAA.
The problem with this assumption is that cell phones die all the time, or people forget them, or whatever. I've locked my keys in my car twice. Both times, I also locked my phone in there. Both times, I had to borrow someone else's phone to call State Farm roadside assistance. Luckily it was daytime and in one case I was at the store so I just used theirs, but if I had been in a residential neighborhood I would've had to count on someone's kindness/willingness to open the door.
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One could certainly go that route, but because I don't give a fuck what they want and they are at my doorstep unannounced and uninvited they can pound sand and move on.
Obviously your choice, but a rather lamentable attitude. Life, to a good amount, is about *making* it a better place, not waiting until it becomes one.
I'm not saying my approach is the right one, its just mine. We all handle things in our own way. I don't feel guilty about not answering the door to someone ringing my bell uninvited in the evening when my family is home.
Just curious, would you have opened it if you were home by yourself?
Probably not but certainly a better chance I may have. Not with my girls home though. Nope.
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Maybe the guy just really had to poop.
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^^^ Yeah, I'm a door opener, but THAT is not happening. I'll spot you a roll of TP and take it to someone else's property, but a complete stranger is not laying cable in my bathroom.
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^^^ Yeah, I'm a door opener, but THAT is not happening. I'll spot you a roll of TP and take it to someone else's property, but a complete stranger is not laying cable in my bathroom.
:lol
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it also depends where you live; in Philly, many of the row houses have intercoms, so you can have the sort of conversation that needs to be had to figure out what's what, though even that isn't fool proof, because if someone wants in your home for nefarious reasons, they are obviously not above lying to you through the intercom. There it was easy because I could poke my head out on the second floor balcony.
Yeah, we have an intercom but I never answer mine unless I'm expecting company... the reason being that when someone is trying to get into my building and they press the directory button, my apartment comes up first- so people just press the "call" button hoping I will randomly let them in, which is not fucking happening. Last weekend someone called me on the intercom at something like 3:45 AM. There is no way in hell I'm even answering that- if the person IS trying to get into the building for bad reasons and I say no, they now know which apartment I live in, etc. I also have an outstanding camera speeding ticket that's only legit if it's hand-delivered to me, so another reason not to answer the buzz :lol
Tick has a neighbor who is stuck on the phone with FedEx trying to figure out where the manikin is that he ordered a few days ago. "You said it was guaranteed yesterday by 8:30! No... if it was delivered... I WOULDN'T BE CALLING YOU!... What? no.... none of my neighbors have it either. Yea.. I trust them. Especially that (Tick) guy. He would have held on to it for me..."
:lol
This actually reminds me of something my brother told me last night. He and his wife had ordered a bunch of stuff from Soap.com. UPS came to deliver it, and my sister-in-law saw them drop the package off but was busy with something else at the time and didn't grab it right away. When she came to grab it, it was gone. They were able to get the package replaced free of charge, but they then started to notice that every time the UPS truck came down the street, there was a white van behind it. They're pretty sure this van is following the UPS guy and taking packages from porches. It was there again then the stuff got re-delivered. Crazy.
Third, we live in an age where everyone has a phone to call for assistance, and many have Triple A if it’s a car issue. So call a family member or AAA.
The problem with this assumption is that cell phones die all the time, or people forget them, or whatever. I've locked my keys in my car twice. Both times, I also locked my phone in there. Both times, I had to borrow someone else's phone to call State Farm roadside assistance. Luckily it was daytime and in one case I was at the store so I just used theirs, but if I had been in a residential neighborhood I would've had to count on someone's kindness/willingness to open the door.
Jackie, to address the portion of the post addressed to me...
If you came to my door looking for help you have a great shot at me answering the door to assist you, but a dude is out of luck. Sorry.
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Jackie, to address the portion of the post addressed to me...
If you came to my door looking for help you have a great shot at me answering the door to assist you, but a dude is out of luck. Sorry.
Well, depends on whether she's dressed as the pervy nun or some other crazy freak-weirdo. :lol
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If she was dressed as a Na'vi, I'd probably let her in.
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If she was dressed as a Na'vi, I'd probably let her in.
If I were dressed as a Na'vi, you'd probably let me in.
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:rollin
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I would have reacted the same way. You would assume if it was someone you know they would have called out, and also if it was someone who needed help they would have called out as well.
Maybe reaction comes down to whether you have a family at home, have an outer security door between you and the person etc.
If it was a delivery guy they would leave a card at your door.
I have to be honest I feel that way during the day sometimes....just yesterday I had a knock at the door at about 2pm, it was a guy 6 foot tall and when I opened it I recognized him it was Geoff Shaw (anyone who lives in Melbourne Australia would know the name, he is a State Member for Frankston, we have elections coming up in November....first MP I have heard of going door to door)
I think with what we hear on the news, read in books and see in the movies it is hard to trust people knocking on your door late at night.
Recently I sold some books/dvd's that meant buyers were coming into my home, one guy was great he had worked in the music industry and through injury was meant to be homebound so he purchased my copy of the dirt, guns n Roses, powderfinger etc he spent $100 and spent an hour chatting he was really nice...then an hour later another guy was really creepy and I couldn't get him to leave...finally he did but it really put me off advertising anything else.....after the donut story I think I will stop.
So did the guy stay there for long or just walk away? Main thing is you are safe. :smiley:
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lol, I actually rang the doorbell of a stranger's house the other week. Luckily for me, I look 12, so it's I'm not too intimidating. Person probably thought I was like a boyscout or something.
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I'd probably answer it if it was daytime. But definitely not answering it at night.
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Maybe the guy just really had to poop.
About 4 years ago when my son was 13, we were driving in a semi-rural area on a two-lane state highway. We came through a residential area and came upon a very serious accident. EMS and the local police and fire were already at the scene. Traffic had been light, but after we stopped began to back up behind us. There was no way for us to turn around. There was an embankment to our left, and a guy in a 4x4 truck tried it, and actually rolled his truck, which necessitated that EMS and the police now check on him (he was okay) and had to deal with his dumb ass now too. They were extricating someone from one of the vehicles. As we waited, and waited, my son says "Dad, I really have to go to the bathroom, and I can't hold it." I didn't have anything for him to pee in, and seeing as how it was in broad daylight with no woods or vegetation around, I suggested he ask one of the people who had come outside to watch the accident clean-up and rescue. So he climbs out of the car, and asks one of the people standing around. He was 13, and they were very obliging. They let him into their home through the side door, and then they all (about 5 of them) walked over and sat on their patio outside by the door. Well, I sat there, and sat there. They got the person out, and loaded them into the helicopter, and I'm still sitting there. They moved all the cars, and still....no son. I'm starting to wonder if something happened to him. Traffic began to move, and then all of a sudden, here comes my son tearing out of the "FRONT DOOR" of the house, and sprinting towards the road. The people were still sitting outside, probably thinking he was still in their bathroom. He hops in the car as we started to move. I leaned out and yelled, "Thanks!" and waved, and they waved back, and I turned to him and was like, ''What the hell was going on?" He said ,"I had to poop, then the toilet got clogged; and I couldn't find a plunger so I just washed my hands and ran!" :facepalm: :facepalm: :facepalm: :facepalm: :facepalm: OMG!! I thought he had to pee!! "Well at least you washed your hands..." was about all I could say. Tick, so sorry that happened to you. My son didn't mean for you to NEVER help a stranger in need ever again. Now we know, that was your house! :lol
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I was going to say something criticising the whole 'not answering the door without some kind of protection' but I realised I have a baseball bat handy for the same exact purpose. Things aren't as drastic around here, usually. Although I did read a couple months ago about a woman on my street who had someone knock on her door, she opened it and he forced his way in.
I never would've come into this world if I knew I needed a weapon to open the front door. Fuck.
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Yeah, that's what I'm talking about and why I'd rarely open it. Also, I've seen Funny Games :|
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I never would've come into this world if I knew I needed a weapon to open the front door. Fuck.
You don't need one. Movies, television, and modern media have convinced you that you do.
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I never would've come into this world if I knew I needed a weapon to open the front door. Fuck.
You don't need one. Movies, television, and modern media have convinced you that you do.
I disagree. I think it's more mine and my families experiences that convince me.
A really close friend of ours, 19 year old girl, was home alone during the day when a guy just walked into her home and attacked her with a hockey stick when he realised someone was home. This was three houses down from where we lived.
One time I got blocked off from getting into my street (the same property as above) by some cops as they had a report of some guy running around the street with a gun (guns aren't as commonplace here as they are in the states). I had to go and wait at my mother in laws house while my wife and baby were at home, which was fucking terrible as you can imagine (not the mother in law part :lol ).
This is in Australia, but just last night my wife was telling me that her brother, his son and his son's girlfriend were attacked by a group of young guys while walking home, in broad daylight. It was a racially motivated attack. Reason #1 why I will never move there, despite a lot of my family joining the mass exodus from NZ to Aus; I feel like there's a deep seated racism in Australia that I've experienced firsthand and I worry for my family over there, constantly. Of course it may be a few bad apples spoiling it for the good people, but from what I've seen its not a place I would feel safe in. Perhaps if I were a white man I'd be fine, but I stopped wishing I was Stone Cold Steve Austin years ago.
tl;dr: the threat is very real, so while I would most probably open the door to a stranger, I would do it with extreme caution... with a baseball bat handy.
"Certainly in the topsy turvy world of rock and roll, having a good solid piece of wood in your hand is quite often useful" - Ian Faith.
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Yeah, exactly. It's not paranoia- shit like that happens every day, unfortunately.
PS, Tick- how long have you had that terrifying avatar?? :o
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I would probably at least communicate with them instead of ignore them. If it turned out it really was someone who needed help, and I found out later that they took a turn for the worse, I would feel awful.
Yeah, that's what I would probably do too. I find that making conversation with people that I run into seems to cheer them up/brighten up their day most of the time, so if a stranger came to my door and asked for help, I'd start by talking with them and try to decide whether to let them in based on how that goes.
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I guess my feeling is almost everyone has a cell phone so its pretty easy to make a phone call for help. I personally would not walk up to an unlit house in the dark and ring the bell. That's just me. I have a phone. I have AAA.
In all likelihood he was not looking for help, he was soliciting some kind of service.
At the end of the day as Podar said, its not a requirement to answer your door. I chose not to.
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I guess my feeling is almost everyone has a cell phone so its pretty easy to make a phone call for help. I personally would not walk up to an unlit house in the dark and ring the bell. That's just me. I have a phone. I have AAA.
What if you had spotty service, or your phone was dead? Or something had happened to your phone?
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I guess my feeling is almost everyone has a cell phone so its pretty easy to make a phone call for help. I personally would not walk up to an unlit house in the dark and ring the bell. That's just me. I have a phone. I have AAA.
What if you had spotty service, or your phone was dead? Or something had happened to your phone?
Yeah. For example, I ran into trouble a few years back when I had appendicitis on Valentine's Day. My mom and I figured something might be wrong, since I had woken up in pain, so she told me to call her by 9 or 10 am after my first class if the pain continued. But when it came time for me to call her, I discovered that my phone had died already, even though I had spent the whole night charging it.
It took several hours for me to find someone who would let me borrow their phone and by then, I had to wait until 5 pm for my mom to come and get me. It ended up being a close call, since my appendix was apparently really close to erupting when I had surgery that night. I only made it in time because someone ended up lending me their phone.
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I don't have to worry about answering the door, because my dog is going to be barking so loudly that whoever is at the door is not going to want to stick around for long. Even if I did open the door, my dog will still bark at unannounced visitors and thus cause some unneeded headaches that is not worthwhile. It's for the best, honestly.
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I guess my feeling is almost everyone has a cell phone so its pretty easy to make a phone call for help. I personally would not walk up to an unlit house in the dark and ring the bell. That's just me. I have a phone. I have AAA.
I had to once ring the doorbells of most of the houses on my street (most of whose inhabitants I don't know) because UPS had misdelivered a package. I guess your house would have been the "why the f**k doesn't he answer; the lights are on." house.
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I guess my feeling is almost everyone has a cell phone so its pretty easy to make a phone call for help. I personally would not walk up to an unlit house in the dark and ring the bell. That's just me. I have a phone. I have AAA.
I had to once ring the doorbells of most of the houses on my street (most of whose inhabitants I don't know) because UPS had misdelivered a package. I guess your house would have been the "why the f**k doesn't he answer; the lights are on." house.
I guess so, and I don't give a fuck. It will work out without me answering my front door. Not my problem. Leave a note and I'll get back to ya.
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I will quote myself, since you didn't respond to it before and you mentioned the phone thing again :p
The problem with this assumption is that cell phones die all the time, or people forget them, or whatever. I've locked my keys in my car twice. Both times, I also locked my phone in there. Both times, I had to borrow someone else's phone to call State Farm roadside assistance. Luckily it was daytime and in one case I was at the store so I just used theirs, but if I had been in a residential neighborhood I would've had to count on someone's kindness/willingness to open the door.
And like hef said, if you don't have reception that's another issue as well.
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I blame A Clockwork Orange for this whole thing.
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I also feel like mentioning to all those who want to paint me as a guy who has no desire to help a person in need of help that I don’t live in a cabin in the woods where a poor soul in need would have to walk miles to the nearest house. A 5 minute walk down the street brings you to convenience stores, fast food, supermarkets, etc…
All the help you need!
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I also feel like mentioning to all those who want to paint me as a guy who has no desire to help a person in need of help that I don’t live in a cabin in the woods where a poor soul in need would have to walk miles to the nearest house. A 5 minute walk down the street brings you to convenience stores, fast food, supermarkets, etc…
All the help you need!
OK.
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Dats srite!
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So its 7:30pm and pitch black out and faint knock comes on the door. Of course the first thing that comes to mind is this thread :lol
Well, my neighbor who is a good friend, will occasionally come over to return something or whatever, so I thought it was him and opened the door.
There stands a super creepy looking dude who called himself "brian". Said he was working to unite people in effort to save creek water or some shit. He's got a clipboard he wants me to look at "his goals" and I'm like no thanks, shut the door and turn off the light fairly abruptly.
WTF people. Pitch black out and coming to my front door with this stuff. Geez
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I thought of this thread the other night! There was a friendly knock at my door and I assumed it was my neighbor across the hall who I talk to a lot (we live in a secure building so you rarely get knocks without a buzz from downstairs first). I was in my underwear, so I yelled "Hold on a sec!" and grabbed my robe. Well, turns out it wasn't my neighbor, it was some dude. I had already spoken so he knew I was home, so I opened the door a little. He was trying to get me to talk about who I was voting for and sign a pledge. I told him I'd rather not discuss it and had filled out most of my ballot already so there was no need to sign a pledge. He then revealed he had a neighborhood quota to reach. I told him sorry, but I did not feel comfortable signing it. He looked surprised but thanked me and went on his way. I'm tired of being overly nice to people. It was at least 8PM, he somehow got into my secure building, and I was in my goddamn underwear. Bastard.
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What an asshole.
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I thought of this thread the other night! There was a friendly knock at my door and I assumed it was my neighbor across the hall who I talk to a lot (we live in a secure building so you rarely get knocks without a buzz from downstairs first). I was in my underwear, so I yelled "Hold on a sec!" and grabbed my robe. Well, turns out it wasn't my neighbor, it was some dude. I had already spoken so he knew I was home, so I opened the door a little. He was trying to get me to talk about who I was voting for and sign a pledge. I told him I'd rather not discuss it and had filled out most of my ballot already so there was no need to sign a pledge. He then revealed he had a neighborhood quota to reach. I told him sorry, but I did not feel comfortable signing it. He looked surprised but thanked me and went on his way. I'm tired of being overly nice to people. It was at least 8PM, he somehow got into my secure building, and I was in my goddamn underwear. Bastard.
Sounds like the start of a pron movie.
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Thanks to those who helped confirm why I don't answer for door for strangers ringing my bell and standing in the pitch back of my porch. 99 out of a 100 times its some asshole not worth answering the door for.
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I thought of this thread the other night! There was a friendly knock at my door and I assumed it was my neighbor across the hall who I talk to a lot (we live in a secure building so you rarely get knocks without a buzz from downstairs first). I was in my underwear, so I yelled "Hold on a sec!" and grabbed my robe. Well, turns out it wasn't my neighbor, it was some dude. I had already spoken so he knew I was home, so I opened the door a little. He was trying to get me to talk about who I was voting for and sign a pledge. I told him I'd rather not discuss it and had filled out most of my ballot already so there was no need to sign a pledge. He then revealed he had a neighborhood quota to reach. I told him sorry, but I did not feel comfortable signing it. He looked surprised but thanked me and went on his way. I'm tired of being overly nice to people. It was at least 8PM, he somehow got into my secure building, and I was in my goddamn underwear. Bastard.
Sounds like the start of a pron movie.
bow chicka bow wow!
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Thanks to those who helped confirm why I don't answer for door for strangers ringing my bell and standing in the pitch back of my porch. 99 out of a 100[citation needed] times its some asshole not worth answering the door for.
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Thanks to those who helped confirm why I don't answer for door for strangers ringing my bell and standing in the pitch back of my porch. 99 out of a 100[citation needed] times its some asshole not worth answering the door for.
Maybe put a light on the porch?
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Thanks to those who helped confirm why I don't answer for door for strangers ringing my bell and standing in the pitch back of my porch. 99 out of a 100[citation needed] times its some asshole not worth answering the door for.
Maybe put a light on the porch?
I have one but I'm not putting on so I can just ignore the person standing in dark. Just want him to keep moving on.
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Thanks to those who helped confirm why I don't answer for door for strangers ringing my bell and standing in the pitch back of my porch. 99 out of a 100[citation needed] times its some asshole not worth answering the door for.
Maybe put a light on the porch?
I have one but I'm not putting on so I can just ignore the person standing in dark. Just want him to keep moving on.
You can ignore a person with the porch light on just as easily as when it is off. Keeping it on is safer as it allows you to actually see who is on the porch, as well as let them know they can be seen too.
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Thanks to those who helped confirm why I don't answer for door for strangers ringing my bell and standing in the pitch back of my porch. 99 out of a 100[citation needed] times its some asshole not worth answering the door for.
Maybe put a light on the porch?
I have one but I'm not putting on so I can just ignore the person standing in dark. Just want him to keep moving on.
You can ignore a person with the porch light on just as easily as when it is off. Keeping it on is safer as it allows you to actually see who is on the porch, as well as let them know they can be seen too.
I guess my point is, the light was already off when he rang so I'm not at that point going to flip it on so the dude thinks I'm answering the door.
"Here ya go dude, here's some light for ya while ya stand there for nothing cause I ain't answering. Enjoy your light, then get the fuck out."
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"Here ya go dude, here's some light for ya while ya stand there for nothing cause I ain't answering. Enjoy your light, then get the fuck out."
I don't know, I'd do that if I had a porch and a light :lol
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"Here ya go dude, here's some light for ya while ya stand there for nothing cause I ain't answering. Enjoy your light, then get the fuck out."
I don't know, I'd do that if I had a porch and a light :lol
It would be delightfully evil! :biggrin:
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Okay, since other people are sharing stories now, here's a weird one.
We'd just moved into our new house a few months earlier. The doorbell rings at 10:00 at night. I glance at my wife, tell her to grab the phone and be ready to dial 911.
It's my neighbor, the weird dude who lives next door. We'd met right we moved in. Not scary or anything, but he's obviously foreign-born, speaks English but heavily accented, and just has a different way about him. It's night time and cold (first snow of the year) so I open the front door but leave the storm door closed. He yells through it "Excuse me! Do you have seventy-five dollars?"
I'm thinking "what the fuck...?" But this is my neighbor, literally lives 50 feet from me, and if he's knocking on my door 10:00 at night asking for money, maybe he's in some kind of trouble or there's some kind of emergency.
I check my wallet. As usual, pretty much nothing. :( "Sorry man, no I don't."
"Well, in that case, you better move your car. It's snowing. If the plows come and you're on the street, you'll get a $75 ticket." He turns and starts walking away.
I take a second to process all this, then push the door open and yell "Thanks!" at him. He waves, and he wanders back over to his house. Interesting way to educate your neighbors, but it worked. I got my shoes and coat on and moved the car onto the driveway.
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Haha
Now that guy's a cool dude.
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Several years ago, I lived in one of the most dangerous areas of Oklahoma City (yes, OKC has dangerous areas). The rougher part was the back of the complex. I lived up front, next to the major street, but I still kept to myself and made sure not to start shit with anyone, even accidentally.
Parking was sparse because some of the tenants would live five or six to an apartment for cheaper rent. Because of this, some people were often forced to park alongside the wooden fence that surrounded the complex. Said fence had a very obvious "no parking, violators will be towed" sign.
One night, probably around 10 or 11, the tow truck was making his rounds. Sure enough, someone was parked next to the fence, so their car was in the process of being hooked up to the truck. One of the tenants thought he would be a Good Samaritan, so he started knocking on random doors, trying to find the owner so he could warn them. He knocked on the wrong door and was promptly shot in the face.
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Damn! :omg:
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'murica
(someone was going to say it, might as well get it out of the way)
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Ghetto
Fix'd
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Okay, since other people are sharing stories now, here's a weird one.
We'd just moved into our new house a few months earlier. The doorbell rings at 10:00 at night. I glance at my wife, tell her to grab the phone and be ready to dial 911.
It's my neighbor, the weird dude who lives next door. We'd met right we moved in. Not scary or anything, but he's obviously foreign-born, speaks English but heavily accented, and just has a different way about him. It's night time and cold (first snow of the year) so I open the front door but leave the storm door closed. He yells through it "Excuse me! Do you have seventy-five dollars?"
I'm thinking "what the fuck...?" But this is my neighbor, literally lives 50 feet from me, and if he's knocking on my door 10:00 at night asking for money, maybe he's in some kind of trouble or there's some kind of emergency.
I check my wallet. As usual, pretty much nothing. :( "Sorry man, no I don't."
"Well, in that case, you better move your car. It's snowing. If the plows come and you're on the street, you'll get a $75 ticket." He turns and starts walking away.
I take a second to process all this, then push the door open and yell "Thanks!" at him. He waves, and he wanders back over to his house. Interesting way to educate your neighbors, but it worked. I got my shoes and coat on and moved the car onto the driveway.
That's bizarre.
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Well, its about 7:30pm, pitch black out and pouring rain out and some creepy ass dude just rang my doorbell claiming that my windows were leaky and wanted to know if I was interested in getting them replaced.
WTF
In retrospect, I should have just not answered the door. I dumbly assumed it was my neighbor though.
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Here's an interesting perspective. If there was not a lot of people wanting you to offer some sort of service, every time you hear a doorbell ring, would you be more inclined to answer the door? I always think that there's always someone wanting to lend their "services" every time they ring the doorbell so I just keep ignoring it and let my dog bark loudly until they get scared and leave.
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My wife works for a security company so we now have one of those doorbells that you can talk to the person from anywhere you are. Just got installed this week so I don't know how to use it yet. We get all the latest security gadgets for free.
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It's kind of a shame that society has gotten to the point where not only are we afraid to open the door, but we won't even try to establish communication through it.
Yeah, I hear you. When I was a kid we have the door open when we went to bed in the Summer cause we had no air conditioning and we had a screen door.
While it’s not beyond the realm this person was in need of help my judgment was not to answer and ignore him.
First of all I have my wife and daughter home with me, which is different than if I was home alone. So I had that on my mind in that moment.
Second, I don’t own a gun or any real form of protection at all so that makes me feel vulnerable.
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I'm way late to responding to this, but I just recently bought three of these for my house because I too don't have a firearm. I have one behind the headboard of our bed, one on the back of the couch in the living room, and one upstairs in the bathroom.
https://www.amazon.com/SABRE-Red-Pepper-Gel-Strength/dp/B002368VJ6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1475237504&sr=8-1&keywords=home+defense+pepper+spray
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It's kind of a shame that society has gotten to the point where not only are we afraid to open the door, but we won't even try to establish communication through it.
Yeah, I hear you. When I was a kid we have the door open when we went to bed in the Summer cause we had no air conditioning and we had a screen door.
While it’s not beyond the realm this person was in need of help my judgment was not to answer and ignore him.
First of all I have my wife and daughter home with me, which is different than if I was home alone. So I had that on my mind in that moment.
Second, I don’t own a gun or any real form of protection at all so that makes me feel vulnerable.
...
I'm way late to responding to this, but I just recently bought three of these for my house because I too don't have a firearm. I have one behind the headboard of our bed, one on the back of the couch in the living room, and one upstairs in the bathroom.
https://www.amazon.com/SABRE-Red-Pepper-Gel-Strength/dp/B002368VJ6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1475237504&sr=8-1&keywords=home+defense+pepper+spray
My wife just got her pistol permit this week after literally months of going through the process, which I probably don't need to tell you is not an easy one in Connecticut.
So I would imagine we will have a firearm in the house in the not too distant future.
So now she can protect me! :neverusethis:
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The paranoia in this thread is both surprising and depressing. I can't imagine living life so terrified that a mere knock at the door is perceived as an unwarranted threat to life and limb. From my perspective, the likelihood of it being somebody looking to harm me is about 1/100th that of it being somebody seeking aid, and about 1/10,000th that of it just being some annoying missionary fuck. As I've been saying for 15 years now, we really have become a nation of pussies.
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The paranoia in this thread is both surprising and depressing. I can't imagine living life so terrified that a mere knock at the door is perceived as an unwarranted threat to life and limb. From my perspective, the likelihood of it being somebody looking to harm me is about 1/100th that of it being somebody seeking aid, and about 1/10,000th that of it just being some annoying missionary fuck. As I've been saying for 15 years now, we really have become a nation of pussies.
Well, if you think I'm terrified whatever, I'm not. I don't really care who comes to my door, if I don't know who you are, I'm not interested.
And if you consider me a pussie, I won't sweat that either. I live according to my rules when it pertains to my personal space. The only opinion that matters in that respect is mine.
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I think it's just being cautious. Yes, the odds of a knock at the door being benign are much higher than it being someone who's there to hurt you and was stupid enough to knock and give you a warning, but there are definitely areas where any knock on the door must be met with caution. I don't know anybody who would just stop by my house without calling first or having something pre-arranged. Even if they're in the neighborhood and feel like dropping in, they'd still call first to make sure we're home, otherwise they're wasting their time anyway.
I'm not "terrified" by a knock at the door, but if I'm not expecting anyone, I don't just open it up, especially late at night. I look through the window first at the very least. Also, door-to-door people selling shit or wanting to convert me to their religion or whatever, fuck that. I don't even answer the door.
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Just ask this dude.
(https://idyllopuspress.com/idyllopus/film/images/co/co_writeronfloor.jpg)
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The paranoia in this thread is both surprising and depressing. I can't imagine living life so terrified that a mere knock at the door is perceived as an unwarranted threat to life and limb. From my perspective, the likelihood of it being somebody looking to harm me is about 1/100th that of it being somebody seeking aid, and about 1/10,000th that of it just being some annoying missionary fuck. As I've been saying for 15 years now, we really have become a nation of pussies.
Well, if you think I'm terrified whatever, I'm not. I don't really care who comes to my door, if I don't know who you are, I'm not interested.
And if you consider me a pussie, I won't sweat that either. I live according to my rules when it pertains to my personal space. The only opinion that matters in that respect is mine.
I certainly don't consider you a pussy, dude. It's just that while this sort of attitude was the exception when we were all young, it seems to be the norm now.
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I think every generation gets a little tighter.
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The paranoia in this thread is both surprising and depressing. I can't imagine living life so terrified that a mere knock at the door is perceived as an unwarranted threat to life and limb. From my perspective, the likelihood of it being somebody looking to harm me is about 1/100th that of it being somebody seeking aid, and about 1/10,000th that of it just being some annoying missionary fuck. As I've been saying for 15 years now, we really have become a nation of pussies.
The operative words being "from my perspective". I live in what is considered a "nice neighborhood". The lakeside houses across the street from me go for half a million and up, yet one would believe this was the ghetto with the level of crime we experience. Vandalism, break-ins, senior citizens violently mugged while walking their dogs, etc. One of the last break-ins ended with a neighbor being gunned down and killed in his driveway for trying to run to another neighbor's house.
So, you're not going to find me using words like "pussy" and "paranoid" in reference to people who have a heightened level of awareness, cautiousness, and desire to protect themselves.
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The paranoia in this thread is both surprising and depressing. I can't imagine living life so terrified that a mere knock at the door is perceived as an unwarranted threat to life and limb. From my perspective, the likelihood of it being somebody looking to harm me is about 1/100th that of it being somebody seeking aid, and about 1/10,000th that of it just being some annoying missionary fuck. As I've been saying for 15 years now, we really have become a nation of pussies.
Agreed. If someone knocked at my door, I'd make sure to be as stealthy as possible to see if he had a gun or anything, then I'd have to settle for grabbing one of my swords since I don't have a gun YET. I'd answer it, though. I scared the last person who showed up at my door. Poor kid was just looking for my landlord. It's not everyday you knock on the door of someone wielding a sword. :lol
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To me, I see no need to label the cautious on this topic. This is not the same world I grew up in. Home invasions are out of control. Why risk a 1% chance of a problem? No thanks. I don't have to trust anyone, because I don't care why you are ringing my bell. I'm 100% not interested in what you want or have to say. If the person is in need of help its not like he is stranded on a desert island. 100's of houses all around with bells to ring. I don't care who finds me a bad person for not answering my door to strangers. Since their are as many phones around as people I'll assume the person ringing my bell has one. I don't want the person in question to sell me magazines, ask for my vote, want to groom my lawn, or any other litany of questions they might ask.
Don't care. Next house 50 ft ahead....
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To me, I see no need to label the cautious on this topic. This is not the same world I grew up in. Home invasions are out of control. Why risk a 1% chance of a problem? No thanks. I don't have to trust anyone, because I don't care why you are ringing my bell. I'm 100% not interested in what you want or have to say. If the person is in need of help its not like he is stranded on a desert island. 100's of houses all around with bells to ring. I don't care who finds me a bad person for not answering my door to strangers. Since their are as many phones around as people I'll assume the person ringing my bell has one. I don't want the person in question to sell me magazines, ask for my vote, want to groom my lawn, or any other litany of questions they might ask.
Don't care. Next house 50 ft ahead....
Huh? Do you have any data backing this up? I find that hard to believe.
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I just checked. https://www.disastercenter.com/crime/uscrime.htm
Burglary is about the same as it was 50 years ago and Property Crime is as low as it's ever been. Rape is higher than it was in the 60s but still much lower than it's been for 30 years or so. Theft, vehicle and otherwise, also down .
Go figure.
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To me, I see no need to label the cautious on this topic. This is not the same world I grew up in. Home invasions are out of control. Why risk a 1% chance of a problem? No thanks. I don't have to trust anyone, because I don't care why you are ringing my bell. I'm 100% not interested in what you want or have to say. If the person is in need of help its not like he is stranded on a desert island. 100's of houses all around with bells to ring. I don't care who finds me a bad person for not answering my door to strangers. Since their are as many phones around as people I'll assume the person ringing my bell has one. I don't want the person in question to sell me magazines, ask for my vote, want to groom my lawn, or any other litany of questions they might ask.
Don't care. Next house 50 ft ahead....
Huh? Do you have any data backing this up? I find that hard to believe.
Fine, the world has always sucked but I feel like the world is a more dangerous place than when I was young on many levels. I feel its more dangerous for kids to walk around the streets. If I'm wrong statistically, I would question the accuracy and legitimacy of the statistics. The world is a slanted bunch of lies anyhow. In any event, that aside I stand my my post.
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No offense, but that's the concerning part. I have nothing against people owning guns, but when people start to buy more of them and bring them into their homes based on emotional and completely subjective criteria, that's how I know the fear is taking over.
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No offense, but that's the concerning part. I have nothing against people owning guns, but when people start to buy more of them and bring them into their homes based on emotional and completely subjective criteria, that's how I know the fear is taking over.
What's wrong with owning a gun if you choose? Its not about fear if you choose to have arms in case of an emergency. It could happen any day of any week. Anyone who has ever had an intruder in there home, and had no firearms surely at that moment wished they did.
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The paranoia in this thread is both surprising and depressing. I can't imagine living life so terrified that a mere knock at the door is perceived as an unwarranted threat to life and limb. From my perspective, the likelihood of it being somebody looking to harm me is about 1/100th that of it being somebody seeking aid, and about 1/10,000th that of it just being some annoying missionary fuck. As I've been saying for 15 years now, we really have become a nation of pussies.
Agreed. If someone knocked at my door, I'd make sure to be as stealthy as possible to see if he had a gun or anything, then I'd have to settle for grabbing one of my swords since I don't have a gun YET. I'd answer it, though. I scared the last person who showed up at my door. Poor kid was just looking for my landlord. It's not everyday you knock on the door of someone wielding a sword. :lol
You might read up on what happened to Sean Taylor (Redskins safety). Displaying a weapon can escalate a situation that might normally have been peacefully resolved. Some guy sees you brandishing a sword and he might suddenly become very defensive himself. Consider using something smaller and keeping it out of sight when you answer the door. I'm a gun owner but in all likelihood it'll be Mr. Maglite as the first line of defense around here, and I can hold it out of view when opening a door.
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Interesting, as from what I have read, the statistical chances of "bad" things happening are far greater if you have a gun in the house than would ever happen from a home invasion. That goes for having a pool too. But I like my pool as I get to enjoy it every day for hours.....gun not so much.
I get that people think of it like insurance. But my life insurance premiums don't actually increase my chance of death like a gun does.
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The beautiful thing is we all have the freedom to choose. I have never been a gun owner. I am still not. My wife wanted to learned how to shoot and get her permit. After going through months of red tape, she got it. She wanted me to join her in getting a permit and I declined.
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The paranoia in this thread is both surprising and depressing. I can't imagine living life so terrified that a mere knock at the door is perceived as an unwarranted threat to life and limb. From my perspective, the likelihood of it being somebody looking to harm me is about 1/100th that of it being somebody seeking aid, and about 1/10,000th that of it just being some annoying missionary fuck. As I've been saying for 15 years now, we really have become a nation of pussies.
Agreed. If someone knocked at my door, I'd make sure to be as stealthy as possible to see if he had a gun or anything, then I'd have to settle for grabbing one of my swords since I don't have a gun YET. I'd answer it, though. I scared the last person who showed up at my door. Poor kid was just looking for my landlord. It's not everyday you knock on the door of someone wielding a sword. :lol
You might read up on what happened to Sean Taylor (Redskins safety). Displaying a weapon can escalate a situation that might normally have been peacefully resolved. Some guy sees you brandishing a sword and he might suddenly become very defensive himself. Consider using something smaller and keeping it out of sight when you answer the door. I'm a gun owner but in all likelihood it'll be Mr. Maglite as the first line of defense around here, and I can hold it out of view when opening a door.
I'll use a hobbit sword then
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To each their own, nothing wrong with owning a gun for home protection IMO. There's plenty of home burglaries by me. Just recently someone (a guy I went to high school with younger brother) was stealing rims in town from cars parking in driveways (he was only targetting expensive SUVs though) and got busted recently. I also live near the parkway and pretty easy for anyone to get to my neighborhood and get out quickly which worries me about home invasion. I also have no other security at my house besides door locks. I guess never having anything happen to me is the only reason I don't own a gun because I feel pretty safe overall. The day I feel uncomfortable may be the day I apply for a permit.
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If I'm wrong statistically, I would question the accuracy and legitimacy of the statistics.
Are you suggesting that "If stats say I'm wrong, it's probably the stats that are wrong, not me"? Just making sure I understood if that was what you meant.