• prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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    6 hours ago

    “If someone rings my doorbell and runs away, they’re targeting my house for a burglary” is a thing lots of people unironically believe.

    Is this really a commonly held belief? The fuck? Makes no goddamn sense whatsoever.

    • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world
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      5 hours ago

      It’s less a commonly held belief and more an urban myth that gets circulated via Facebook copypasta and local news elevated crime gossip.

      Makes no goddamn sense whatsoever.

      The theory is that you ring the doorbell a number of times and if nobody answers the door then the person must not be home. It is therefore safe to do a break-in and steal all the stuff. More elaborate and sinister theories entail a burglar who is exhausting their prey with sleepless anxiety, hoping to break in an assault/rape the homeowner once they’ve been burned out from sleeplessly monitoring their front door night after night.

      Slap on some fluff about this being a cartel strategy or the sign of a kidnapping ring in your area or whatever other bells and whistles you want to throw on the tale. If it’s a TikTok meme, they’ve brainwashed kids to gather information on behalf of the Chinese/Russian government. This is a prelude to an MS-13 blockwide invasion. Lizardpeople. The sky is the limit.

      Plays on mental illness like a fiddle.