Crazy Japanese at it again...

[shadesofmauve]

Fearing Crime, Japanese Wear the Hiding Place

The really weird thing is how low their crime rate is. The paranoia is really a visible issue, though - Kiyo really dislikes a certain part of the walk from her apartment to the station, and it's genteel feeling compared to, say, parts of downtown Seattle (or Vancouver, or San Fran). It's not really well lit, but it isn't a dark alley either, and it feels as safe as an Oly-size town, even though it's in Kawasaki, a packed city jammed between Yokohama and Tokyo.

It's so strange...they're overly paranoid there, but when they traveled here, we had to tell them normal city things to keep them safe - please don't walk through dark alleys waving the $200 you just got out of the ATM, for instance.

Of course, we have our own paranoias and paranoiacs, and paranoia is by nature irrational. There are people who won't go to downtown Olympia because they're mindless self-centered corporate tool shut-ins it's not safe. These people tend to talk loudly and often to the Daily Zip reporters, who then write articles about how we need to clean up and revitalize our town, full of quotes from Good Community Member X, Who Hasn't Been Downtown in Seven Years.*

Y'know, for the most part, personal paranoia just pisses me off. You are not victim-central of the universe, and most of the people don't give a shit about your stuff/money/questionable virginity. So there.


*You think I'm joking. I'm totally serious - there're a ton of Olympian articles siting people who, by their own admission, haven't seen the place they're talking about in five years or more.

Comments

[fenmere.livejournal.com]

And the thing is, if I were a mugger in Japan, I'd strongly consider using the Hiding Place to ambush my next victim.

[shadesofmauve]

No kidding! Not only is it concealment, but the shock value alone will do half your work for you! It's straight out of cheezy horror - Oh my god, I AM BEING CHASED DOWN THE ROAD BY A HOMICIDAL VENDING MACHINE!