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Hitchhiking is common in Israel, as well as a number of the European countries, but Israel, as well as many of the European countries are much smaller and more personal. Hitchhikers in these countries are more likely to be picked up by someone that they know and trust. That doesn't mean, however, that the situation in those parts of the world are perfect. I'm sure that there are occasional bad incidents in those countries, too, but the United States, being as big and impersonal as it is, carries a bigger hitchhiking risk at least in part, for that reason.
The overuse and abuse of prescription drugs can and does cause lots of problems. The inappropriate use of antibiotics is a good example. When somebody is prescribed an antibiotic for a bacterial infection, one is supposed to take all of the antibiotics, exactly as directed on the jar or bottle, every single day, until all of the medication is gone. That is because some of the bacteria that caused the infection for which the antibiotic has been prescribed are even tougher and more resistant than others. Taking the medication every single day, exactly as it's directed, is to make sure that the infection is wiped out and the symptoms don't come back.
The main reason that antibiotic resistant bacteria (or superbugs, as it's the in thing to call them these days.), arise is due to the all-too-freqent inappropriate use of the antibiotic in question. Many people take the prescribed antibiotic for a certain infection for 2-3 days, and then stop taking them the minute the symptoms go away. When the symptoms of the infection re-emerge, they resume taking that same antibiotic. This, in turn, is what creates these antibiotic-resistant bacteria, or superbugs. That's why it's important to take all of the medication that one is prescribed by a doctor for their bacterial infection, as a preventive measure, so that an antibiotic-resistant won't develop.
For starters, being aware of and paying close attention to one's surroundings is an important key to at least minimizing the chances of that happening.
In the second place, in the event that you use your gun on a person and you end up either killing or permanently maiming them (which is all too easy with a firearm), be prepared for the very real possibility of ending up with a court date, and being involved in an expensive and major civil lawsuit.
In the third place, it could be used against you.
In the fourth place, even if you don't get shoved into the vehicle, there's always somebody who'll be faster on the draw than you are. Have you ever heard the expression "No matter how great you think you may be, there's always somebody who'll be your master." ? That applies here, perfectly.
I, too, am aware that anybody can be assaulted, even in places that aren't high-crime areas. The reason that people are often getting assaulted in Wal*Mart parking lots is because there's often not enough security, or adequate enough lighting. Wal*Mart, all too often, doesn't bother with that.
The fact is that people often get guns on the Black Market...inotherwords, illegally, which is also a huge problem. There are plenty of rogue gun-dealers/dealerships that should be shut down. That, too would be a good direction to go. That's another place where the implementation of stronger, more affective gun laws here in the United States overall, would be affective.
Thank you for an excellent post, Dazed! You are absolutely spot on with everything you've said here. The trouble with the United States is that as a society and as a culture, the United States has depended upon and revolved around the gun since its founding. What we've been seeing here, in the ways of mass shootings, the highest murder rate by firearms per capita in the Western Hemisphere (which the United States, sadly, has.), frequent shootings and killings in many of our poorest, most overcrowded and already high-crime urban areas, as well as too many people shooting, killing and/or maiming during heated arguments (which turn deadly when firearms are present.), not to mention accidents that can and do occur when people are careless about keeping their firearms locked up and unloaded.
I have friends who passionately defend the right to gun ownership, and there's no putting it past them.
I think that hitchhiking is illegal in a lot of places, not so much because it's a crime, but because it puts both the driver who picks up the hitchhiker, as well as the hitchhiker him/herself, for at least a couple of reasons:
A) The driver who stops or even slows down to pick up a hitchhiker runs the risk of being crashed into by the driver of another car or other enclosed vehicle, especially on a turnpike or freeway with extremely fast-moving traffic on it, and/or during rush-hours, when there's lots of traffic around
B) The hitchhiker him/herself stands a good chance of getting hit by a fast-moving vehicle while standing on a ramp or the side of a road, especially a freeway or turnpike, as well.
Also, what I was going to add, is that hitchhiking is not at all like attending a party or a dance, or going to a bar or nightclub, where, at least if things start to get dicey, there's the option of leaving quickly and/or calling for help. Nor is hitchhiking like crossing the street, as some people claim.
Some people even claim that their faith in humanity has been restored by some lovely experiences that they've had while hitchhiking, but who's to say that the person who picked him/her up will be so lovely the next time they meet?
Getting into a car with a total stranger is too risky, especially here in the United States, which has never been a very safe place to hitchhike, due to the fact that the United States, as a country, overall, is way too big..and impersonal.
Hitchhiking is illegal in many places, at least in part because it puts the driver who stops to pick up a hitchhiker in danger, as well as the hitchhiker him/herself, especially when there's a lot of traffic around, and the hitchhiker is standing on the side or the ramp of a freeway or turnpike.
That is exactly the point that I've been trying to point out, BiffGG. You're absolutely correct on that count. I was lucky that the guys I was picked up by let me out of their cars when I asked them to. I don't know how it is now, but back then, many of these guys would take the handles off of the insides of the car doors, so that the women could get in, but were unable to get out. I had a friend at school who said she got a ride with a pervert. She, too, was lucky to be able to get out, like I was.
Many people think that it's fine to pick up or be picked up by strangers, claiming that hitchhiking is like crossing the street, or the fact that most people are assaulted or killed by people they know, be they acquaintances, friends or family members. That may be true, but that's totally missing the point, as it fails to negate the risks of hitchhiking or picking up a hitchhiker.
Many people say "Talk to the driver or the hitchhiker first". Demeanors, as well as looks, can be very deceiving, especially since people with bad intentions often put on a totally different demeanor in order to lure their victim(s) to harm.
It's true that most people are perfectly normal and honest, but the ones who are not don't have to be in the majority to present a problem. Moreover, a person that one gets picked up by, or picks up could be criminally disposed, not in their right mind, drunk or drugged out, or just plain careless behind the wheel.
Also, when one either gets into an enclosed vehicle with a total stranger, or lets a total stranger into their car or other closed vehicle, they're totally at the mercy of that stranger, thus putting themselves in an extremely vulnerable position, because the person who gets picked up, or picks up a total stranger and is in a moving car with him or her, has little or no control over what may happen if things go south, if one knows what I'm saying. It's not like going to a party, a dance, a bar, or a night club, where one at least has the option of leaving quickly.
I'm pointing out that these particular Boston neighborhoods have a long history of being quite insular, as well as being rather rough-and-tough. People can't be texting/talking on their cellphones every minute. Do you really think that texting/talking on their cellphones would really keep people from punching out, or even shooting (yes, shootings have occurred in some Boston neighborhoods over parking spaces during the wintertime, as well.) a person who inadvertently took their parking spaces that they'd reserved for themselves after a snowstorm? I seriously doubt it.
Also, if people were constantly texting/talking on their cellphones, we'd have one helluva a zombified society. Is that what you'd want? I doubt it.
If people are that upset, they either shouldn't be driving when they're in that kind of a snit, or they should pull over somewhere and stop driving until they've calmed down.
Here's another things, jamesboland: When you're talking/texting on your cellphone, you may not notice if or when the driver of another car is going to bump into you, either. You're also putting your own life and general safety, not to mention other people's lives and safety at risk when you talk/text on your cellphone while driving.
No politician has ever been squeaky clean, but I preferred Hillary Clinton over Trump, and voted for her in the last POTUS Election.
I have to disagree with you somewhat, croft_alice. I stand by my opinion that guns are designed and built to kill people and they do just that. When they end up in the hands of unstable or irresponsible people, an already dangerous situation is worsened.
Pistols also permanently injure or kill people too, however. Not as many people at one time, but they still kill or injure people, nonetheless.
Hillary Clinton the most corrupt politician to run for U. S. President? Hmm...what about the person who's now sitting in the Oval Office? I think he's far more corrupt that Hillary Clinton ever was/is.
Oh? This:
"No need to worry about me doing any of those things."
means what? That you won't kill or seriously injure somebody if you're talking/texting on your cellphone while driving, or DUI?
There's no telling when that day will come up.
Guns are all too easy, because all one has to to is pick up the gun, aim it, and fire it at the person from a distance.
Guns are weapons of war that are designed and built to kill people, which they all too often do.
Thank you for an excellent post, snepts61. You are so spot on about this. There are too many guns being manufactured here in the United States, and too many people's lives are either ended or adversely and irrevocably altered as a result of a trigger's being pulled in anger, or whatever.
Do you live in a high-crime area, kspkap? Just curious.
Frankly, I don't think that carrying a handgun or any other type of weapon is a smart thing to do, because it can be taken away from you and used against you.
Also, it's possible to be alert without being overly fearful. If someone's alert and aware of his/her surroundings and of what's happening around him/her, they're less likely to be attacked. If, on the other hand, a person's fearful or not alert, or just plain distracted by something or other, a potential assailant can sense that right away, and often enough, will attack the person. While some attackers do choose their victims at random, many, if not most people with criminal intentions choose those who seem the most vulnerable in some way or other as their victims.