In which strangers tell her how to keep safe from strangers

[zeborah]

I really can't understand why so many strangers are so convinced that I should take strangers' advice on personal safety. One day I'll actually squelch my rage long enough to get past my politeness reflex and ask them whether they're aware that the most dangerous person to me at that moment is the one trying to make me afraid.

Anyway, this is something I'm curious about (meaning I have a really strong hypothesis that will be evident from the form of the questions, but would like some actual pseudo-scientific data to back it up or I guess to refute it) so feel free to link to this from far and wide.

(If you're not logged into DreamWidth then log in with OpenID (eg username.livejournal.com) and then come back here to fill out the poll.)

Poll #3940 Unsolicited advice on safety

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 8

View Respondents

At times when the public would mostly have considered me to be male:

View Answers

I've often had random strangers offer unsolicited advice about keeping myself safe.
1 (12.5%)

I've occasionally had a random stranger offer unsolicited advice about keeping myself safe.
2 (25.0%)

I've never had such an experience.
2 (25.0%)

n/a
3 (37.5%)

At times when the public would mostly have considered me to be female:

View Answers

I've often had random strangers offer unsolicited advice about keeping myself safe.
1 (12.5%)

I've occasionally had a random stranger offer unsolicited advice about keeping myself safe.
4 (50.0%)

I've never had such an experience.
1 (12.5%)

n/a
2 (25.0%)

At times when the public would mostly have been confused about my gender:

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I've often had random strangers offer unsolicited advice about keeping myself safe.
1 (12.5%)

I've occasionally had a random stranger offer unsolicited advice about keeping myself safe.
1 (12.5%)

I've never had such an experience.
1 (12.5%)

n/a
5 (62.5%)

If I have had the above-described experience (if you've had the experience multiple times, tick all that apply):

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I've experienced ill effects, or a narrow escape from, the danger they perceived which could have been avoided by their advice.
1 (20.0%)

I've experienced ill effects, or a narrow escape from, the danger they perceived which could not have been avoided by their advice.
1 (20.0%)

Their perception of danger and advice has some validity.
2 (40.0%)

Their perception of danger has some validity; their advice not so much.
2 (40.0%)

Their advice has merits for other reasons (but not including that it might stop them offering me unsolicited advice).
1 (20.0%)

I still can't figure out what they were smoking.
2 (40.0%)

(Comments are very welcome but if you don't know me, know that I have a policy whereby I'm quite happy to delete posts that are abusive or so full of fail that I don't have the energy to respond to them as they'd otherwise require. You're free to exercise your free speech but I'm not required to host it; you should however be able to find somewhere else on the interweb that will.)

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

I'm too lazy to go find this on a computer instead of iPod so I can use
openid but the only unsolicited advice I've had from strangers has
been about the state of the roads, e.g. ice, deep water, that kind
of danger. Given the weather conditions they may not have had much
idea of my gender.

Mary Anne in Kentucky