What is up with the attitude?
March 7, 2008 – 5:25 pmLately I’ve been watching “It Takes A Thief” on the Discovery Channel. If you don’t know, the premise of the show, is two ex-burglars use their skills to show people where their security is lacking, and how to improve it.
They drive around a neighborhood, looking for homes with gaps in their security. They then approach the homeowner, and get their permission to stage a break-in to demonstrate their lapses in security. They set up cameras inside the house, and tell the homeowners that one of the ex-burglars, John, will be breaking in to their house within a few days to “rob” them. When the homeowners leave, John will break in, and start hauling off electronics, paintings, keys, valuables, cars… whatever he can get away with. While he is doing this, Matthew is in a nearby van, watching the robbery on closed circuit TV, and recording it for the homeowners.
After the homeowners return, Matthew takes them out to the van to watch the robbery. After this, John returns so that the homeowners can meet him. He then points out their lapses in security, and how much loot he got away with, which he then returns. Matthew comes back the next day with a security team for a top to bottom security makeover of the home. A few weeks later, John returns to test out the new security.
What I don’t understand, is that many of the homeowners, watching the video, are making comments, such as “I’ll kill him”, “He’d better hope I never meet him”. And some of the homeowners, upon meeting John, react with anger, and in some cases even hostility. What I’m wondering is, what is up with that? Didn’t these people volunteer to have John stage a break-in? What did they think he was going to do, knock on the front door, and then give up when no one answers? The whole purpose is for him to stage a simulated burglary. That means he will break a window if necessary to get in. He will go through drawers looking for jewelry and credit cards. He will take whatever he can. So, why are the homeowners reacting with hostility? It doesn’t make any sense to me. They volunteered to let John break in, and then they’re angry about it.
