Comment by xltk | Hacker News Reader

Comment by xltk | Hacker News Reader

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While I sympathize with your position, this feels a little misleading and lacking in perspective.

I’ve lived all over San Francisco and am now in the Inner Richmond. It’s easily my favorite place I’ve ever lived. Amazing food, easy access to two of the more incredible city parks in the country (Golden Gate and Presidio), and very safe [1]. I’ve gone for many a walk listening to music after midnight with no threat of danger.

Though I’ve never been to Colombia, I’ve been to Tijuana, Mexico City, San José, Buenos Aires, Bangkok, Saigon… in none one of those places would I want to walk around with AirPods, take pictures with a nice digital camera, or have my phone out in public for more than a few seconds. There’s simply too big of an income disparity between you and the average citizen.

[1] https://www.trulia.com/real_estate/San_Francisco-California/...

That’s like saying “I’ve never been to Manhattan, but I’ve been to Baltimore, Detroit, and St Louis and I wouldn’t feel safe in Manhattan”

Baltimore, Detroit, and St. Louis have the three highest murder rates in the U.S. [1]. If you’re implying the cities I listed have higher rates of murder or violence than Medellin, that is only true of Tijuana. Medellin has a murder rate of roughly 25/100,000 people [2], more than double any of the other cities I listed.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_cities_b...

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crime_in_Colombia

It’s wild that you say that my comment is lacking in perspective when you haven’t been to one of the two cities I’m comparing.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but it sounds like you lived in one of the more crime-ridden parts of SF (Tenderloin/SoMa/Mid-Market/Mission) while living in a relatively good neighborhood in Medellin (estrato 4 or above from my limited research). If that’s the case, I don’t see how that’s a fair comparison.

And you’re right - I can’t say for sure what Medellin is like because I’ve never been there.

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