craigslist horror

Let us make sure to let our unjustified fears crowd out the good life....

For instance for decades we lived in fear that our kids would be snatched off the streets by strangers who wanted to harm them, even though it almost never happens. When ever I see an amber alert interupting my day I shake my head knowing that this "emergency" is almost certainly about a non custodial parent having the kid(s) with zero desire to harm them....the freak out is completely unjustified, as so often is the case with American adults these days. But we got sold these emergency broadcasts with fear, and it worked because we tend to be overly emotional, none too bright, and we still think that we are a rich superpower that can afford to fritter away our resources on every dumb idea that comes down the pike.

I read that too, horrible thing, just horrible.

I've joined a few sites on face-book, buy and sell. Trying to basically work out "how" I can sell some of my makeovers on line. I "don't" want anyone coming to my house, so still working on a solution "for me".

What I have noted "a lot of" is puppy theft. Craig list or E-Bay or the likes don't have details, you I believe correct me if I am wrong have to provide them. Just the other day, a guy was selling his puppies on Face-book so I PM'd him and warned him of two others from the same site just got robbed of their dogs and puppies and to take down where he works as if you click on his name, his life story is there. People follow people home.

The Internet World has "never" been a safe place let's face it.

I think this is the logical change in behaviour. It makes simple sense even if you are more likely to be harmed elsewhere, if there is an easy way to prevent something why wouldn't you do it.

It makes sense if you going somewhere --- you don't really know where you be alone and vulnerable why wouldn't you bring a friend with you? It isn't hard and easy to add that amount of safety.

Driving can be dangerous - so you wear a seatbelt to help prevent serious injury if you happen to get in an accident.

If you go to a strangers house you have never met, why not just bring a friend? It doesn't mean you stop shopping, just like you don't stop riding in a car, just use some common sense things that are easy.

Do you think the Real World has ever been a safe place? You can either look at the world as full of challenges and opportunities to make something good happen, or you can look at the world as full of dangers and risks to be afraid of.

There Internet is no less safe than the real world. You can either live in fear, or you can take advantage of all the Internet (or the real world) has to offer.

You want to sell makeovers, marketing yourself online would be a logical thing to do. Have you considered the price you may be paying for giving into to your irrational fear?

I've never felt the need to take someone along for safety.

I think it's probably scarier for the seller -- inviting random strangers into their home -- than it is for buyers.

Personally, I don't think having a 2nd person there would make me feel covered. If they are going to do something to you, they'll do it to both of you.
It's more like you originally said, making sure the other person knows that people know where you are, and that you could be traced back to that location and that person.

I would think you would want someone else with you either way.

Same as I would not want to walk at night alone in an area that is remote. But that is my personal thing.

I doubt if the woman brought her husband with her that they would have cut out a fetus out of him. Also doubtful that the woman would have attacked both of them.

WT? Ah Max.... Who said I have irrational fear? There are two words in this World I don't use:- 1) Can't and 2) Fear.

I am the biggest risk taker I know of and I don't believe in fear, perhaps why I nearly got raped a couple of times, for taking the risk of walking alone, who knows.

As for Internet advertising - I think as a Real Estate Agent, who provides free make-overs all over the Internet and succeeds in gaining listings, I know how to market... Providing make-overs to "house-hold" people living in my surrounding areas which can be a bit, "rough" is sensible to establish "how" to market to them with safety in mind of my "home" and pets, like I said, I don't want people coming to my home.

Thanks for your input of your thoughts of my mind.

Really Chai? There is no need for personal attacks. What's wrong having an intelligent conversation without the childish name-calling?

It would be nice.

The question is how do we react rationally to perceived risk. Obviously there are some things that are genuinely risky, but there are other things that are not.

Risk is quantifiable, I can tell you how many people die from automobile accidents, or dog bites or food poisoning based on which activities they do.

Precautions are fine, but you can't take every precaution or you wouldn't be able to live life. Logically we should take the precautions that actually respond to real risks, rather than perceived risks.

The problem with stories like this is that they are sensationalized. People grossly overreact to them because they are shocking, even though they are highly unlikely. This make people act irrationally, responding to the a highly unlikely risk while ignoring much greater risks because they don't have the emotional weight.

We should respond to risks based on logic and reason.

In this instance, where was the risk? Logic states, saving money on babies clothes by going on craiglist and buying second hand. Reason was to save money and it was another female. Who would have thought, she was taking a risk.. Obviously she didn't, there was no logic or reason to feel it was a risk, at, that...time

Nor does logic suggest that you will be hit by a MACK truck as you step out into the street, as you have never been hit or almost hit before, but still one comes careening around the corner right into you.

This is life, anything can happen at any time, all that is within our power is to take reasonable actions to cut down on the odds of bad things happening. Reasonable. These idiots who go around spending gobs of time and money saying to themselves " Well, if it saves one life!" will end us. This is a very unwise expenditure of resources, this how how civilizations and species die out.

The disconnect between the men and the women on this thread speaks volumes, I think....

This is a logical fallacy.

It is a tragic story. But, you are making a mistake if you think there is a lesson to be learned from this.

This woman had something highly unlikely happen to her. It was tragic, and it was violent. And, it happened exactly one time (out of tens of millions of Craigslist transactions) by random chance. When you have 350 millions people living life, a few of us encounter freak tragic things (and more of us encounter more mundane tragic things).

This one woman out of tens of millions of Craigslist users was attacked for having baby clothes. To my knowledge, this has happened only once ever. Buying baby clothes from Craigslist is statistically very safe.

Over the past year dozens of people have been killed in malls, people have been stabbed at restaurants. All of these are tragic, but none of them are particularly worrisome because with a few cases are to be expected when you are looking at a population of hundreds of millions. And, this is dwarfed by more mundane (but no less tragic) losses to automobile accidents and heart attacks.

Over the past decade, more people have been killed by animals at the zoo, then have been killed buying baby clothes at Craigslist. Are we telling people to be afraid of the zoo?

So, out of the multitude of highly unlikely things to worry about, why are we obsessing over Craigslist?

I am quite sure that is coincidence, Boomerang. The old idea that women are unable to reason mathematically is not true in my experience.

That's the point, no one is saying you must worry about anything.

Taking reasonable precautions does not say you are worried per se. It doesn't mean anyone is anxious or fearful.

No more than looking both ways before crossing the street means you're paranoid.

We all, every day, make dozens, if not hundreds of adjustments to our actions to avoid harm or inconvenience. This applies to even placing your glass of water in a place where you are sure you won't knock it over while working at your desk.
Some people have more awareness of their surroundings, and as a matter of course pay more attention.

You keep talking as if letting someone know you're going into a strangers house is so extreme.

You also, in every post, and despite your words to me before, indicate the wrongness of not behaving as you would.

Yes, we all got the message max. We shouldn't bother to do something you personally wouldn't do. If we behave in any way not in accordance to what you would do in a given situation, we're wrong.

Thanks for your message.

Also, unless you also have children that have been sexually molested,and engage in risky sex practices as chicken hawk, you needn't concern yourself with my distaste for someone who obviously has let many dangers slip through the cracks. He's not someone qualified to tell someone else not to avoid risk.

Yes. The men engaging in braggadocio, the women grounded in reality.

Except for Edgar, who is level headed.

I love irony!