Re: Nasty Blackmail @ Squander Two
See, all your examples are simply displaying your underlying assumption that the victim is to blame. But you don't know that. You haven't seen all the photos and you don't know where they're from. You just assume that they must be exclusively of stupid people who had it coming. The evidence in cases like these is against you.
> Don't want to get mugged - don't go waving an iphone about in in downtown Jo'berg at 3.00am
Or, as happened to a friend of mine recently, don't take the wallet containing your Oyster Card out of your pocket when entering the Tube, like tens of thousands of people do every day.
> Don't want to get burgled - don't go on holiday with all your windows and doors left open.
Except, since the widespread use of burglar alarms, home invasions have become extremely popular with criminals: much easier to just beat the residents up when they're in than have to deal with an alarm. So this could as well be "Never answer the door."
> Don't want to be a victim of fraud - If it sounds too good to be true then it is.
Well, that covers a small number of fraudsters, sure, but most of them simply operate fake companies selling apparently legit goods and services at normal prices. For instance, there was that second-hand car dealer in the US who was making a bit of extra profit by reconditioning airbags by putting sand in them instead of propellant powder. Until the police caught on to what he was doing -- investigating a number of deaths -- he was a perfectly reputable businessman. All the victims did was buy cars at normal prices.
> Don't want to get run over - look the both ways when you cross the road.
Vehicles mount the pavement all the time. Drivers lose control. People stamp on the wrong pedal. So don't leave the house.
> Don't want to get lung cancer - don't smoke
And don't play the trumpet for a living, like Roy Castle.
> Don't want to die from a drugs overdose - don't do drugs
And don't trust the doctors or nurses who are administering your IV drip.
> Don't want to end up front page News of The World - don't go to spanking parlours
God, don't you watch the news? The trial going on right now? This one should be "Don't leave anyone a private voicemail message."