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Victim of petty crime
So yesterday I came onto campus to find that my bike had been stolen. I work at a large university and find that having a bike makes it easier to get around. This is not a hugely big deal as it was a bike that I bought at a garage for $10 and just rode around campus, but it got me thinking about crime.
Yeah, that bike wasn't hugely expensive. But it was my bike dammit! And I will miss it.. and the cable lock that it was secured with. And yes, even a small theft like this is a crime. I reported it to the campus police office just in case, the extremely unlikely case, that something turns up.
I have been the victim of petty crime like this several times in my life. I've had a car stereo stolen out of my car. Another car was broken into and rifled through. A roommate used my credit card to buy online porn. Another bike was vandalized and the seat and post stolen. None of these crimes happened in particularly 'high crime' areas, or so I thought. What is interesting for me is that I never thought, 'Oh NO! I'm the VICTIM of a CRIME! Next their going to be knocking down my doors and raping my cat!' My reaction was more of a, 'Oh, that's unfortunate' and a shoulder shrug and carrying on with my life. While the previous reaction is obvious hyperbole, is my actual reaction too mundane? Should I be more outraged?
How many of you have had some crime committed against you? What was the outcome? How did you feel about being a victim? Does petty crime make you feel unsafe in the area where you live?
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You do not really understand something unless you can explain it to your grandmother.
- Albert Einstein
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