I just finished reading through ten pages of a thread in the Etsy forums (Etsy is the online shop where I and other artisans sell our wares). The thread was entitled “Would you allow local pickup”, and the questioner wanted opinions on allowing a buyer in her hometown to come to the artist’s house to pick up a purchase, thereby avoiding the expense of shipping.

Ninety-four posts at last count, and about 90 of them said the same thing: No, no, don’t ever let anyone come to your house, it’s much too dangerous, don’t ever go to anyone else’s house, much too dangerous,… meet them at a public coffee shop, bring your husband along, make sure it’s daylight…

My 21-year-old daughter biked from Rhode Island to New Orleans last year alone with one girlfriend. They found places to stay (with strangers) via couch-surfing websites, and were put up by various other nice strangers that they ran into along the way.

Everywhere, people told them how dangerous the outside world was, and how “everyone else” was really scary. They met with nothing but kindness in the 2000 mile trip.

God. No wonder half the people in the country vote Republican, because they’re the party that keeps promising to “keep us safe.”

Has there EVER been a time when people have lived in such fear of their neighbors?