graywolf wrote:
Well, one of the reasons people wind up living in a police state is that they call the police about everything and nothing. Soon the police are so used to inquiring about everybody's business they think they that is their job. I still think this is a result of so many people having moved here from countries where that is the norm (not you personally, Eleanor), so that they do it without thinking.
I'm guessing TV-induced fearfulness; I don't think it's the newcomers to America who are doing all this calling. But consider this, Graywolf. As a man, first you consider confronting the nuisance (noisy people in your example) or the "questionable characters" (assume for a moment that you actually think somebody is creepy and want to be sure he's not a threat) yourself. So, you might go talk to the person yourself, as you said. But sad to say, there are a lot of women who don't get out much and read horror stories in magazines, they watch docudramas on TV, and they receive, believe and forward all those emails beginning "Share this with all the women you care about!! This email could save your life!! ... " -- well, those women are not going to confront ANY strange man. They might possibly work up the courage to ask questions of another woman, but you know, the word is bogeyMAN not bogeyperson! (And the same emails recommend going to the cops if you feel unsafe. And obviously that's what they're for, but some people are getting a very exaggerated idea of when they should be feeling unsafe.) The newspaper story about the guy in the football stadium in San Antonio said the cops were consulted by a mother and daughter. And if I were a gambling person, I would bet that the person who called the cops on Shel was also a female, and probably one who's led a sheltered life. With all respect, I disagree with your conclusion that this will lead to a police state, by the way, but I don't think we need to bother arguing about it. I'm sure we at least agree it *does* tend to make life a bit more awkward. I still think the police probably don't like it any more than the rest of us do. Wastes their time, after all, having to either go annoy Shel or else face grumbling that they didn't follow up on the complaint.
ERN
