Robbed

[gpop]

Please, don't be offended, but you are seriously underestimating what I posted. You are also underestimating my own experiences.
I've lived here for more than 10 years now, I have never been robbed (save for a usb drive I had in my pocket on a busy colectivo, quietly pick-pocketed).

Sir, you know nothing about me so be aware or the challenges your propose.
I've been robbed more times in my home city in Canada; violently at that. I've had facial reconstruction surgery, and 9 month physio to regain the use of my right hand; all for walking home down the wrong street, 6 blocks from my home.. Then, speaking of [more] of the world, I was born and raised in communist era eastern-block country and became a refugee to Italy with only the cloths on my back before Canada. I've seen some things.
My experience is considerable or even less by some measures. Not once did I complain about the electronics I lost in the process.

The lifestyle you speak of is not a lifestyle, it is a life choice because of the opportunities that are afforded to you either by birth or by earning. So when you say that you miss your electronics and feel tragedy for your experience; I'm sorry for your experience, but I haven't sympathy for your loss. The world should not be this way, but the fact is that it is. If you want to not have this, then what can you do to feel at ease?

 

[ARbound]

Times are tough. People steal.

See, times are tough, but that's not always why people steal here and a majority of the time
it's not people lifting Joe Shmo's iPhone to feed their kids choripan or they'll starve. A lot of
the theft is committed strategically by groups because 1 phone pays a bit more than I make
working 4 45 hour weeks a month.

 

[Davidglen77]

My personal belief is that the reason this type of petty crime is so prevalent here is due to the lack of consequences for these actions. A non-violent street robbery / pickpocketing / armed robbery of a business or home simply will be ignored by the authorities and even in the few cases where the perpetrator is aprehended, these crimes are what they call "excarcelable" (not punishable with jail time a/k/a "bailable". So there is no risk to the thief EVEN IF they are caught. They simply go before a judge and get released, many times just with in a few hours. There are judges here called "juez garantista" these are judges that are supposed to "preserve and uphold the law as a guarantee to all citizens", however the penal code does not provide jail time for non-violent petty theft, so the judges, by law must let these thieves free. In essence it's not the judges fault, the laws are flawed. But of course the politicians here (ALL OF THEM, NOT ONLY THE ONES CURRENTLY IN OFFICE, THE OPPOSITION IS THE SAME WAY) are too busy promoting themselves, so why would they worry about the average citizen on the street? Furthermore, most of them are "Peronist" (partido justicialista) which as a foundation has a robin hood mentaility so don't expect this to change in our lifetimes.
Both human and animal brains work on a reward / gratification basis, if you do something, and get a positive result, you tend to repeat that action, on the contrary, if you do something and get a negative result, you tend not to repeat this action (animals usually learn this faster than humans). Example, I used to have a cat that scratched the armrests of my couch. I learned that to train him, when he did this, to mist him with water. I did this a few times and he eventually stopped, next to the couch, I bought a nice scratching post and sprinkled it with catnip, he was all over it, every time I saw him scratching the post, he got a lump of hamburger meat, tuna fish, etc. Never scratched the couch again. Another example are employees in customer service positions in Argentina, they know how difficult and costly it is for an employer to fire them, so they don't usually bother (some do though) to treat the customer well. In the US, if a customer complains a few times, the business owner knows that employee is a liability and will cut them loose quickly. Again action = appropriate consequence....a winning formula.

 

[Farenheit]

I never had a smart-phone or fancy electronic equipment or nice clothes, and still I had a home invasion armed robbery. We didn't even have much cash to give the robber. It's not always about show-off tourists with equipment.......

And actually once, after we were broken into before (but nothing was taken, they guy only got into a locked empty outer room), the police came in to check all was well and stole our portable dvd....that says it all for me!

 

[Tommy1978]

Please, don't be offended, but you are seriously underestimating what I posted. You are also underestimating my own experiences.
I've lived here for more than 10 years now, I have never been robbed (save for a usb drive I had in my pocket on a busy colectivo, quietly pick-pocketed).

Sir, you know nothing about me so be aware or the challenges your propose.
I've been robbed more times in my home city in Canada; violently at that. I've had facial reconstruction surgery, and 9 month physio to regain the use of my right hand; all for walking home down the wrong street, 6 blocks from my home.. Then, speaking of [more] of the world, I was born and raised in communist era eastern-block country and became a refugee to Italy with only the cloths on my back before Canada. I've seen some things.
My experience is considerable or even less by some measures. Not once did I complain about the electronics I lost in the process.

The lifestyle you speak of is not a lifestyle, it is a life choice because of the opportunities that are afforded to you either by birth or by earning. So when you say that you miss your electronics and feel tragedy for your experience; I'm sorry for your experience, but I haven't sympathy for your loss. The world should not be this way, but the fact is that it is. If you want to not have this, then what can you do to feel at ease?

look man, I wasn't trying to undermine your life experiences at all. sounds like you have lived. I found your story interesting and you must be stronger for it. no one on here should underestimate the other - agreed. we all have stories.
electronics come and go. these days with cloud and google (if you are smart - you lose nothing valuable)
I was more hoping someone would sell me a phone just so I can whats app my family.......

as for lifestyle, birth or earned..... what other ways? interested in discussion not argument!

i feel my robbery was my fault. my street is dangerous. the bar i foolishly was in gave ample opportunity for the set up..

I have been here nearly 3 months and no issues. it is not as dangerous as they say in my humble opinion... but I am over 6 foot and walk around with game face.
that's it, I got robbed. and let it be in the past. I am not hurt. I chased - but no luck. just hurt pride.

beware on Cordoba late at night folks.

if you are drunk for Gods sake get a cab.

 

[BsAsFan]

I had a friend down a few months ago who would pull out her Samsung Galaxy Note to use the GPS, show me photos, etc. while we were walking around Alto Palermo area. After about 1 minute, I told her to please put the phone away. She was surprised but understood when I told her that phone sold for $1,000 U.S. here which is a couple of months salary for many people (who are working anyway.) Its easy cash for these guys.

Also, this isn't just an issue here...

Last year more than 3 million people in the U.S. had their smart phones stolen.

http://www.cnbc.com/id/101589854#

and in the U.K. 300 iphones stolen per day (from 2013)
http://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/shocking-rise-in-iphone-theft-with-300-mobiles-stolen-every-day-in-london-crime-wave-8451693.html

Most cell phone theft goes unpunished in those countries as well -- easy and lucrative crime at least until these kill switches become more of the norm.