Times have changed, my have they

[NoPedestrians]

People think things are a lot worse than they may be. Probably because of the ever present stream of soul sucking bull shit we get through media and devices.
Since being dumped by the foster system at 18 (and well before) I've survived years as a street kid and traveler. Hitched thousands of miles, rode far more, and slept in the a lot cities and got stuck in small dangerous towns (Salinas anybody?).
No trouble besides the trouble I've started. And that's even from police.
As long as you aren't a shit head and put out what you would like to get back from life you'll be fine, right?
Guess it depends on where you are too. For me the west is the best as far as safety goes.

 

[that one guy]

Goddamn right nopeds!!! I've had the same expierences, I actualy prefer the small towns.

@Primitive Lemme ask you this; if a child hits another child, should you in turn hit that aggressor child?

 

[Mankini]

Salinas!!! Thats my hometown. I left in 91 and didnt return till 96. In those 5 years it went from being a sleepy little ag community to being one of the worst hellholes in the North. What did you experience there, man? (NoPeds)..Were you in Chinatown?

At any rate, That one guy: Dont get depressed with the media: it is a filter: and thats all it is. All you can do is ignore it. And conduct direct action/Project Mayhem type sh-t when possible. We need information, but I've found that there are sources that lift you up and make you feel hopeful, unlike the corporate media...I like Mother Jones, Atlantic, Foreign Affairs, and a few others along those lines. Investigative, authentic journalism isnt dead: its just submerged in the strip-mall horseshit of the pop media. Naomi Wolf is a great, and ''real'' journalist.

 

[Primitive]

@that one guy i dont see how your question relates to anything i said. But i would simply tell the kid to hit em back.

 

[that one guy]

Yea I can't follow the logic I was leading through, too much time has passed, I'm a completely different person now.
I seek new source and solace in old source. Music. introspective thought. I don't watch tv as its a drain on my deep cycle batteries.

 

[NoPedestrians]

Salinas!!! Thats my hometown. I left in 91 and didnt return till 96. In those 5 years it went from being a sleepy little ag community to being one of the worst hellholes in the North. What did you experience there, man? (NoPeds)..Were you in Chinatown?

At any rate, That one guy: Dont get depressed with the media: it is a filter: and thats all it is. All you can do is ignore it. And conduct direct action/Project Mayhem type sh-t when possible. We need information, but I've found that there are sources that lift you up and make you feel hopeful, unlike the corporate media...I like Mother Jones, Atlantic, Foreign Affairs, and a few others along those lines. Investigative, authentic journalism isnt dead: its just submerged in the strip-mall horseshit of the pop media. Naomi Wolf is a great, and ''real'' journalist.

I remember coming into Salinas and dropped on the north ramp and having to hitch to the second ramp to try to get back out. Ramp 2 was by a FoodMax where a nice lady tossed me a couple chimis. But that night there was a robbery and double homicide a block away from me and I had water thown on me where I was sleeping behind a dumpster.
Had trouble getting out. Waited days before walking out on the freeway just to gtfo. Plus side I found a wrist rocket there ^o^

 

[Mankini]

Street homicides; AK fire lighting up the skies....Aaahhh nothing like Little Beirut to warm the cockles of any true Norteno's heart. LOL

 

[Tony Pro]

It's a statistical fact that there's less violent crime in the US and Europe than in the 'golden age' of hippies and hitchhiking. Still, maybe modern scumbags are allocated more to the road where we've an increased likelihood of encountering them. I'd be willing to accept that tramps today have a harder time than we once did.
Or maybe we don't really encounter many unsafe scenarios, but we hear so many stories about them it changes our worldview for the worse. Where do we hear those stories from? From people so convinced the world is a horrible place they go around trying to convince others. It's a self-feeding cycle of pessimism. So what's the cure? Well I've always said hitchhiking can save the world. Trust others and encourage others to do so.