Do you lock the doors on your car and/or home?

[ZombieHorde]

RE: all men are potential rapists.

37 votes, 1 pass | Time left: Unlimited
	Yes, because people could potentially try to rob me or hurt me.
	28 (76%)
	No, we should just give everyone the benefit of the doubt.
	8 (22%)
	I don\'t have a car or a home.
	1 (3%)
	All pets should be outlawed and confiscated, especially pretentious gold fish. (other)
	0 (0%)
	1 DU member did not wish to select any of the options provided.
Show usernames Disclaimer: This is an Internet poll

[Wait Wut]

1. Uh...

...why do you want to know, huh?

[darkangel218]

2. Why you ask, do you plan on robbing us?

[hlthe2b]

5. Perhaps they are training pretentious goldfish to rob us.

[ZombieHorde]

6. They're more orange than gold, yet they act like they won at the Olympics.

So pretentious.

[hlthe2b]

3. I remember growing up and not necessarily needing to do so (in a small town setting)...

but, I can scarcely imagine not locking just about anywhere. I don't always lock the car when at home, though.

[Warpy]

4. I've always lived in shitty neighborhoods

and I'm talking about the level of shitty that produces sporadic gunfire and deaths from ODs. I have a couple of floor looms to house and shitty neighborhoods have more bang for the real estate buck.

So yeah, everything is locked up tight. Even if it's a neighbor I like (and I do like mine now), I don't want to be surprised by a visitor when I'm getting out of the shower or taking a dump.

[JVS]

26. What do you weave?

W

[Warpy]

36. These days I'm spinning more than weaving

but eventually I'll do a series of hangings and runners from the luxury fiber I'm currently spinning up.

It's hard to get motivated to finish the last few rugs on my big rug loom because my ancient kitty isn't as precise in her toileting as she was in her youth and I'm being forced to live with bare floors while I contemplate a closet stuffed with hand woven rugs.

[ismnotwasm]

44. Me too

Although I prefer to call them 'ethnically mixed working class neighborhoods'

Sounds better to suburbians.

I couldn't live in a neighborhood without a good mix, truth to tell.

One of the reasons I don't hide my last name at work as many nurses do is because a neighborhood like mine, in a way, carries its own protection. That being said, we lock up tight own a big Rottie/lab mix, and a small-yaps at everybody-pair of dogs.

My husband keeps track of where the registered sex offenders live-- there's always a lot of them in living in neighborhoods like mine. Other types of neighborhoods run Them out if they can. That's the registered ones. We help our Spanish-speaking neighbors with safety ideas as well and we actually have a nice little street, except for the gang wannabes next door. My husband yells at them to 'get your hand out of your pants and pull them up' then he used to hire one of them to mow the lawn. It was pretty funny.

[Warpy]

47. I get along with the gangstas, the few that are left

because my neighborhood is coming up in the world a bit since it's a buffer zone between a fancy area and gang city. It's incredibly convenient to everything, so it's attractive for people who want to cut the commute, a lot of them with these gas prices.

Even gang city has improved a bit because of a bunch of people who banded together in the late 90s to gather outside known drug pits and bang pots and pans all night while they collected license plate numbers of the customers.

But yes, it's a rainbow area with a lot of immigrants from all over, including the Middle East.

I did hide my last name at work. I had a stalker. I didn't want another one. Living in a bad neighborhood doesn't prevent crazy people who hang your face on their fantasy life from doing what they do.

[ismnotwasm]

51. This is true

But I have other protection and am aggressive as hell.


To be honest, I also don't drive-- I hate it--I get chauffeured around by my husband or I might not be quite so blasé

[tularetom]

7. We have three extremely large and scary looking dogs roaming the premeses

And they are utterly worthless as watchdogs.

So yes, the house and outbuildings stay locked at night and if we are away.

Sometimes I forget to lock the car.

[Gravitycollapse]

8. Every night I say a little prayer that my motorcycle will be there in the morning.

[frylock]

11. is there a patron saint for that?

[Gravitycollapse]

17. Motorcycle Jesus

[frylock]

42. riding a gixxer no less..

sweet!

[Gravitycollapse]

45. That is an SV650.

[frylock]

48. ahhhh..

what do I know. I ride a Triumph.

[Gravitycollapse]

49. Do you enjoy blood sausage?

[frylock]

52. blehhh

[JVS]

31. Patron saint of Motorcyclists

http://saints.sqpn.com/saint-columbanus/

Miracles ascribed to Columbanus include

to obtain food for a sick brother monk, he cured the wife of the donor
once when he was surrounded by wolves, he simply walked through them
at one point he needed a cave for his solitary prayers; a bear lived there; when Columbanus asked, the bear left
when he needed water in order to live in the cave, a spring appeared nearby
when the Luxeuil Abbey granary ran empty, Columbanus prayed over it and it refilled
he multiplied bread and beer for his community
he cured several sick monks, who then got straight out of bed to reap the monastery‘s harvest
gave sight to a blind man at Orleans
he destroyed a vat of beer being prepared for a pagan festival by breathing on it
when the monastery needed help in the fields, he tamed a bear, and yoked it to a plough


So he's kind of like Grizzly Adams with a keen interest in grain-related food and beverages.

[frylock]

43. i was totally down with this guy till i read the part about him destroying the vat of beer..

not cool, dude.

[pinboy3niner]

67. Every night I say a little prayer that I will be there in the morning

[Gravitycollapse]

69. I interpret that as you always standing next to my bike when I walk out in the morning.

[HereSince1628]

9. I don't lock my car. I don't keep things of value in it

Cars from last century are pretty easy to break into so locking is something of a joke. And rather than leaving a broken window to chance I just leave all 5 doors unlocked.

Take what you will.

If it helps you go forward, Jean Valjean, please remember to pay it forward.

[hobbit709]

10. I lock the door to my house when I leave. Most of the time when I'm here I don't

My truck is usually unlocked.

[Marr]

12. Yes... because people have robbed me. :p

[liberal_at_heart]

73. I was robbed once too, right before Christmas when my daughter was about 1.

It was just me and her at home. I was in the back bathroom cleaning. My daughter was in her bed asleep. I heard a noise and went into the living room. There were two young guys and they took off as soon as they saw me. They dropped the camara bag they were carrying as they went back out the window. My dad had left his window unlocked. That's how they got in. Now I make sure everything is always locked. I don't consider myself a paranoid person, but I am a cautious person. I lock my car and my house even when I'm home, my doors and windows are locked, and when I am out in public alone I am always aware of my surroundings.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

13. We always lock our house and car.

But not because men are potential rapists. Because we don't want strangers who might harm us getting into our personal space.

[11 Bravo]

22. I just remembered why I love you (in a "my wife totally approves" kind of way, of course)!

[CaliforniaPeggy]

29. How sweet of you; thank you...

[dixiegrrrrl]

53. I have locked both automatically for years and years no matter where I live.

Probably live in one of the safest areas ever, right now, and still automatically lock the doors, out of habit, no so much out of fear of anything specifically.

[Art_from_Ark]

62. I could probably leave my house unlocked and unattended for several days

and no one would bother it. Same for my car, which is a very basic, 20th century model. But I still lock up everything when it is not attended.

[Sherman A1]

14. Today is Vitamin C Day

enjoy!

Yes, I lock my car & home.

[GoCubsGo]

15. Other: Why else would one lock their doors?

Other than to keep people out of your house or car? I suppose one might do it to keep out the Jehovah's Witnesses or other BuyBull-thumpers, but they don't tend to try to force their way inside.

[Robb]

35. When I lived in a small town, the only reason I locked my front door

...was to keep my idiot friends from letting the dogs out when they'd "pop by."

[AsahinaKimi]

16. Yes...

and I own a shinai...too.

[Trajan]

18. Some men are potential rapists

More are potential thieves ....

I have had my house broken into, and I have had my car broken into ... not going to make it easier ...

[NV Whino]

19. No

I only lock my car when I leave my iPad in it. The only thing that breaks into my house is the raccoon, a d he is more intent on cat food than rape.

[sadbear]

20. Yes, because my wife makes me.

No one wants to hurt us and we don't have anything anyone would want.

[CokeMachine]

21. Always lock both.

Also make sure the alarm is armed and the gun safe locked.

[shanti]

70. both, always

even when i'm home. you can't be too safe, imo.

[CokeMachine]

75. Yep --

I grew up in a small town in Idaho. We never locked anything. Left the keys in the ignition. We were more concerned with loosing keys than someone stealing things. After moving to CA and having my house ransacked I keep everything locked. I do believe the dog helped the ransackers but I can't prove it. He just looks at me and says, 'What was I supposed to do'. He's ten pounds of pure Pomeranian.

Take Care,

[840high]

79. Yes.

[SoCalDem]

23. The car..always.. the house (not when I am home)

I know I should, but I forget

[JVS]

24. I lock the door because twice in the last 3 months the wind has blown the door open when unlocked.

[cbdo2007]

25. We had our GPS taken from our unlocked vehicle in front of our house a few weeks ago.

We try to lock every time.

[Deep13]

27. easy precaution, that's all nt

[1-Old-Man]

28. We usually lock the house if we will be gone more than a few hours

The house is never locked if anyone is here. I don't lock up the cars or truck in front of the house but I will lock them if I'm in town, just because we carry expensive tools lots of times as well as a GPS up on the windshield - pretty tempting.

[Squinch]

30. Excellent point made, ZombieHorde. Well done.

Except I take umbrage at your anti-goldfish sentiments.

[dionysus]

32. i lock both. one time, after work, i ran into the house to change into shorts and grab my golf shoes

forgot to lock the car. in the few minutes I was inside, some dipshit swiped my sunglasses off the dash. that was the last time I forgot to lock the car.

[Raine]

63. I forgot to lock the car one time. I ran back out as soon as I realized I had

forgotten ... someone had stolen my cell phone from the pocket of the car door. I found the cell phone in a trash can on the corner next to the bus stop. Apparently some ass just took it for the hell of it.

[Politicalboi]

33. Where I live

I could leave my 42 inch TV in my driveway and nobody would steal it, but the neighbors would probably complain.

[shenmue]

34. But I like goldfish

[madrchsod]

37. i have a very good watch dog

[Shrike47]

38. At night, yes on both.

After my bowling ball got stolen, I started locking the car. We keep some doors locked when we're home, and others not. We have great neighbors and keep an eye out for each other.

[immoderate]

39. It prevents honest people from taking my stuff.

--imm

[sarisataka]

40. Nothing worse than pretentious goldfish

And I do lock my doors. You look pretty silly explaining you didn't lock a door when filling out a burglary complaint.

[Douglas Carpenter]

41. if pets were outlawed - only outlaws would have pets

[Earth_First]

46. Our cars, no...

It's not worth the hassle of a broken window/windshield/sunroof to lock a vehicle that does not have valuables in it.

If they look and see the change in the center console, try the door; it's open...it's not worth a busted window over a few dollars in change.

My home, it may be open; it may not be. Do you really want to find out?

[benld74]

50. Growing up in my hometown,

never did. My sister and brother-in-law never lock the house when they leave. He states if they want in I'm saving the cost of a new door. Nothing in here that cant be replaced anyhow.

[txwhitedove]

54. Yes to both because although the cul-de-sac is quiet, I do live in Houston suburb, work in Houston

Greenspoint area better known as "Gunspoint".

[leveymg]

55. The dog will eat them if they come in the house. My car's a 20 year old convertible, so no point.

Usually not.

[pipi_k]

56. Out here...

in the middle of the woods, yes. We lock our vehicles up.

Doors...the one in the cellar rec room leading up to the master bedroom and the one out on the sun porch are locked all the time. The front door is locked at night and when we leave.

There are motion alarms and cameras scattered all over the house and yard.

One of the cameras is for our amusement, like the one pointed at the deer feeder. Four others are for monitoring the dogs in their fenced yard because one of us has to go out and clean up dog poo whenever one of the girls leaves a pile...or else they'll eat it. The rest show various places in the house and driveway and back yard.

I don't worry all that much about human intruders, but do keep in mind what happened in 2001 to the Zantops in New Hampshire. My neighbors are even farther away than theirs were. Can't take chances.

[Zorra]

57. Yes. I don't ever want to say, "Darn, I really wish I'd locked the doors!" nt

[Sissyk]

58. Other for me.

We rarely lock our house up. Just if going out of town over night. But, always lock the car door.

A few times I've tried to unlock the house door with the damn car thingy dooey.

[Fumesucker]

59. Don't even have a key to the door

If they get past the dogs they can have it all, I don't have much anyone would be interested in stealing anyway.

[Jamaal510]

60. Why not?

It takes less than 30 seconds to lock the house doors, and less than 5 seconds to lock a person's car. The few seconds it takes is well worth keeping people honest.

[Raine]

61. Absolutely. The house all the time whether I'm home or not and my car is locked when

I'm in it or when I'm not. House and car locked ... ALWAYS.

[Grey]

64. About half the time,

totally depends on my mood.

[SummerSnow]

65. My dad would leave his car door unlocked at night...

He said this way the thieves won't break his window. And they never did break his window.But the neighbors car window would be broke

[panader0]

66. Nope.

I leave my keys in my truck. That way I don't ever have to search for them.
I leave the house unlocked when I'm gone because where I live, no one could see a burglary. If someone wanted to steal what meager stuff I have, they could break a window or kick in the door. So I leave the door unlocked.

[Throd]

68. Home always. Car 95%.

[Sadiedog]

72. Yes, since I have been ripped off so many times! Even got my planted flowers stolen out by our

mailbox! Yep, mother`s-day weekend. I suppose someones mom got stolen flowers. Sad actually.

[FreeJoe]

74. Yes...I also wear a seat belt, keep my money clip in my front pocket...

use long, cryptic passwords that are unique for each site, and do all the simple things that I'm aware of that are easy and significantly enhance my safety. It costs virtually nothing to lock my doors, so I do it as a habit. Actually, my car does it for me.

[stevenleser]

76. To the point you are attempting to make, I dont think anyone regards all people as potential thieves

The locking is for those few who are. That is very different from saying all people are potential thieves.

[opiate69]

77. Yes.. however...

it's not because I think all outsiders are potential thieves, rather I acknowledge that thieves exist.

[The Straight Story]

78. No

I have not done so for years, and I live in a 'bad' area.

My dad does though, he is a RW'er and thinks there is always someone out to get him,us, etc.

[Bonobo]

80. No, but then again I don't live in the U.S.

BTW, you can lock the doors without assuming everyone around you may be out to rob you.

[Major Nikon]

81. My car is in the home (the garage anyway)

So I don't lock the cars. The home is always locked unless one of us is outside in the yard.

[TDale313]

82. Yes, I do.

Honestly, I find it kind of amazing that it's a controversial idea that a woman's ability to be and feel safe trumps any "obligation" she has to give someone else, someone she may not know well or at all, the benefit of the doubt.

[MADem]

83. I do not lock my car in winter. I don't leave anything worth stealing in it, though, either.

It is over a quarter century old and the locks freeze shut when I lock them. I have to play a mad game with WD 40 to try to unlock the damn things--it's just too much of a pain in the ass.

The vehicle is a standard--most thieves can't drive them these days, and why would they want the old thing, anyway? In the winter, they'd have to spend a half hour chipping all the damn ice off the windshield....and the windshield washer distribution mechanism is a bit squirrelly; you've got to know how to play with it to get some fluid over on the driver's side.

Of course, my two Shitting Burglar Alarms (very alert terriers) would be barking to beat the band and wake the neighborhood if anyone tried to make off with my car, too. Plus, as often as not, a household member who locks their car is most often parked behind me in the drive, making it difficult if not impossible to swipe my car.

[quaker bill]

84. House usually, car sometimes

I have largely driven cars that are very unlikely to be stolen. My '74 impala rust bucket I could not have paid someone to steal. I never locked it and could have left the keys on the front seat. My current '97 minivan drives pretty nice, but is at little risk. I do lock it if I am carrying my inventory of art jewelry, as that is worth several times as much as the vehicle.

[LWolf]

85. Other:

At home? No, because I live rurally, at the dead end of a private road, and nobody is around. As a matter of fact, when I bought this place, the previous owner had to put new locks in; she hadn't seen the keys to the place in 15 years.

The car? Usually. Unless I forget. Not at home, but when I go somewhere.

[HappyMe]

86. We usually lock the door.

We have forgotten to quite a few times though. It has nothing to do with the 'all men are potential rapists' meme. We live in a pretty safe neighborhood.

We never lock up the van. It's old, there's nothing in it and we're afraid if we lock it, we won't get back in!

[Tracer]

87. Never lock either.

The one time I decided to start locking up the house, I locked myself out.

As for the car -- it's one of those that doesn't ever make the list of "most stealable".

[ecstatic]

88. When my car is in the garage, I don't lock it

But there have been one or two times when I accidentally left my garage door open or left my keys (including car keys) in my front door. I do exercise caution when receiving packages from unfamiliar men. Only one man has struck me as creepy enough to worry about.

[dmallind]

89. Having finally worked out what you are trying to do, it still makes no sense

Several reasons:

1) there is no simple push button mechanism that makes it much harder for someone to rape you and much easier to claim insurance if they do. If there were, it would also make sense to universally use it.

2) locking doors does not imply thinking all passers by are potential thieves, just implies that thieves exist and why should we make it easy? (see 1)

3) taking simple precautions against getting wet, like carrying an umbrella or wearing a hat when it's cloudy, is not akin to building an elaborate shelter in the case of a meteor strike. One is an equivalent reaction to a common event, the other an overreaction to rare events. Larceny rate per 100k is 1967. Burglary 762. Car theft 228. Rape 26

4) all (well most - there are exceptions due to disability etc) men ARE potential rapists, in the same way that all humans ARE potential thieves. Potentiality is not probability. I have the potential to become 500lbs. It's not all that likely I will (300 however...). There are both sensible and ludicrous ways to dealing with that risk. Analogs in the first case would be locking your doors and not getting drunk alone with rowdy frat boys in their house. No you shouldn't be a victim of theft just because you leave your doors unlocked (and usually aren't) and you shouldn't be raped if you are drunk alone with rowdy frat boys (no way to get stats here but we can be fairly confident it is certainly not a universal result of doing so), but these are easy sensible steps to reduce the risk that's all. However you can also overreact, like refusing to leave your house without triple steel bar locks, a guard dog, an alarm system and tripwires, or treating every male in every situation as if he's one random testosterone spike away from raping and pillaging all and sundry.

[ZombieHorde]

90. You have some well-made points that I want to address, but I am feeling very grumpy today,

and I don't want to say anything snippy, since you don't deserve that, so I'll try to come back latter and give your post the reply I think it deserves.