I'm sorry, but I think some people are stupid

[left-of-center2012]

On one of my forums a couple weeks ago someone had their car stolen.

She had to leave early for work and it was still dark outside. She started the car, which was parked in her driveway in front of her house.
Went back into the house “just for a few minutes - no more than five”,
having left the keys in the car’s ignition,
car running,
driver’s door open
and she was SHOCKED
to find her car gone when she came back outside.

Today something similar was posted about an expensive sports bike.
The owner put it on the side walk in front of his house.
Went back inside to put his ‘peddling cleats’ on his shoes,
grab his backpack and a few things --
he was inside just for a couple minutes and was SHOCKED his expensive bike was stolen.

[Scrivener7]

1. There is always someone who will pipe up with, "That kind of thing just doesn't happen around here!"

after "that kind of thing" just happened around there, and as if they should, somehow, be exempt.

[Moostache]

2. I tend to think of that differently...

In a just and civil society, the theft of property is not justified by the ease or difficulty of the illegal acquisition...

Is it smart to do those things? Maybe not...
Does it justify the occurrences? Definitely no.

I don't want to live in a locked at all times society.
I don't want to have to keep anything I have in my hands or eyesight at all times, lest it be swiftly stolen...

Thieves are gonna thieve and making that easier for them is probably not the best idea...but the fault is still on the criminals that feel entitled to take what they do not own simply because there is an opportunity to do so.

[skypilot]

19. Thank you.

[Polly Hennessey]

3. I was thinking you said "some" are stupid.

I would broaden that to almost all people. Maybe we are being too harsh and we should say too trusting. Uh oh, I might fall into both categories. 😊

[hlthe2b]

4. Police in CO have to issue warnings every year when early morning temps turn cold...

Unless I pull out the valet key, I can't even lock the car with the engine running, but more so than ThAT...

IT IS ILLEGAL (due to air quality considerations) to leave a car running in Colorado. My guess is that may be true in other areas too.

So, just don't. With a'holes stealing catalytic converters left and right, we don't need MORE auto thefts. (yet, they will keep on doing it... sigh... )

[Walleye]

5. Any self-respecting thief would think it's their duty to steal something in those circumstances

[radicalleft]

6. If she didn't dress like that...

[left-of-center2012]

10. You think that equates with leaving your running car unattended?

Or leaving an expensive bike alone on the side walk?

[radicalleft]

11. Blaming the victim...

amiright

[sanatanadharma]

7. I remember having been taught...

I remember having been taught that it is unkind, unfair and thoughtless to put or leave temptation before others, possibly leading to their downfall.

People stumble or fail, not because they are thoughtless, but rather because they are too full of their own thoughts.
Living too much in one's own subjective world causes objective problems in our shared world.

Problem causing subjectivity can be subtle, "There has not been a crime in the neighborhood for a decade." Perhaps this is true.
Or, such subjectivity can be simple minded, "There are cannibalistic child traffickers in democratic neighborhoods."

[beemerphill]

8. MOST people ARE honest and will not steel.

The reason I capitalized MOST is that honesty is not universal. We do have thieves and criminals in our society, as does every society on the face of the earth. Living in fear and locking everything down would be a horrible way to spend your time on earth. However, exercising a little common sense and caution at times will pay handsome rewards for most of us. You will not find my car idling and unlocked sitting for anyone to take it. Something as easily stolen and quick to sell with no questions as a nice bike should be watched. We should all exercise reasonable caution in such matters. The thief is wrong for stealing, but there is no justification for making it easy for him.

[CrispyQ]

9. VW has a new Jetta with manual transmission & one of their ads touts it as a theft deterrent. -nt

[Ocelot II]

12. I have heard of several instances where car thieves were thwarted

by manual transmission when trying to steal an older car. I learned to drive on a manual, kind of miss it.

[mnhtnbb]

20. I had a neighbor--with a manual transmission in a Jetta--who found her car

down the street one morning, apparently abandoned when the car thief couldn't get it over the speed bump!

[Omnipresent]

13. It's probably just space aliens...

You know, people who are alien/strangers to us, who leave us the empty space, where our possessions used to be.

[IA8IT]

14. Most people don't think like criminals.

[markie]

21. well, at least

people who aren't criminals, don't think like criminals... hard to say the percentage these days

[bottomofthehill]

15. Growing up in Boston, my dad would occasionally toke us to mass with his old pal Fr Hugh

He was at a Catholic Church in the south end. The churches doors were open and often people would be there taking shelter from the elements. Fr Hugh would often say the motto of his Parrish was lead us not into temptation. Meaning, don’t leave it in the pew unless you don’t want to see it again. There were many have nots there and a new coat or pocket book could and sometimes would quickly go missing. Fr Hugh was a realist. There were people in need and unless you took responsibility for your possessions, they could go missing.

Fr Hugh was a beautiful guy.

[Kaleva]

16. It's common to see unoccupied vehicles left running in the parking lots during winter

For years I left the keys in the ignition when at home. I couldn't lock the house as I didn't have the keys for the door locks.

That was until about 2010.

Now I no longer leave the keys in the ignition when at home but it's rare we lock the doors to the house

[SharonClark]

22. Unlocked houses creep me out - it's too much opportunity for a criminal to pass up.

You may not have had a career criminal open a window, walk around inside your house, and take stuff like my 3 neighbors did. We all lock our doors AND windows at night. We don't live in a high crime area either.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

17. The other thing is that modern cars, by which is pretty much a lot of cars built since 1980,

and pretty much all of them since 1990, need to be run -- brace yourself here -- for about 30 seconds before starting to drive. So she did two totally stupid things, the first thinking that she needed to let the car run to warm up. And of course the second was leaving it unlocked with the keys inside. Next time, she should simply make a large sign that says STEAL ME and leave it on the car.

[3catwoman3]

18. Why be sorry? Some people...

...are stupid. More than I used to think.