I'd like to add to Chuck's response to this:
> This is what would make me very nervous and a further reason why
> visiting the US is not on our agenda :
The news media routinely takes one event and makes it sound like all 320
million and all 3 million square miles are exactly like that.
It would be like assuming that events in Ukraine or Paris (ahh, bombings?)
completely describe what Europe is like. Or events in London from time to
time (ahh, bombings?) completely define the UK. Or murders in Norway, or
assaults in Marseille, or street robberies in Milano, etc. Read only
those reports, and I'd never go.
Based on Europe-based events as reported by the media, I'd surely be even
more nervous about going out my door anywhere in Europe compared to the US.
For example, a couple of years ago the Economist reported that, per capita,
the UK is much more afflicted by violent crime than the US, and the
Netherlands Is much more afflicted by burglary/robbery than the US.
(Violent crime meaning little things like assault, battery, unsafe streets
.)
On a personal note, I've worked and traveled extensively in Mexico, the US,
and Europe. In my experience, nowhere comes close than Europe in having its
hotels advise its patrons, "better not walk over there" (referring to some
neighborhood near the hotel.) This have never happened to me in the US .
not to say it doesn't occur some places, but it hasn't happened to me.
I have traveled (mostly by car) to all 48 lower US states, and every big
city . meaning all top 250 metropolitan areas other than in HI. Like Chuck,
I have never experienced or even seen any "ugly" event . I haven't ever seen
even a minor traffic accident. But I have experienced some in Europe:
been robbed, been assaulted on the street, been pickpocketed a few times.
So I suggest that a reasonable person would see media events for what they
are: attention grabbing, and splashy, but not worthy of broad
generalization. And, to put a point on it: Europeans seem to think
they're somehow superior in these matters. Not in my experience. For
example, why don't we take a stroll together through some of Paris's
suburbs, or Eindhoven's central business district, or Milano's train
station, and see what we experience .
BB
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