Is It Safe?

[Richard_W]

Originally Posted by Kettlewell

Murder rate and general crime rate in the USA has been declining a lot in recent decades. To get an idea of how various areas and countries compare, take a look at the statistics. USA is middle of the pack on homicide rates, and very few of those are random acts of violence, even though those are the ones that make the news.

Exactly ... the per capita numbers put USA in the lower (safer) half amongst all nations. But the perception continues ... the same with NY City ... currently it is one of the safest large cities.

[belizefamily]

Originally Posted by Rakuflames

Unfortunately things like the KKK seem to be uniquely American ...

Seriously?? That's not fair to say, that Racism and hatred such as the KKK are uniquely American Racism is endemic to every continent except Antarctica....In other countries it has other names...As just one example, Hamas in Israel and the list goes on....

As to the safety of Belize/Central America vs. USA or anywhere else for that matter, it is all about actual risk vs. perceived risk

Case in point....STATISTICALLY
Americans have a far greater danger of dying from heart disease and road traffic accidents than from KKK or school shootings...regardless of your race or demographic...…

I always say it is all about perception. I have 7 kids we have raised in Belize ages 2-15 as of now.... the 'Is it safe?" question is a CONSTANT, people worry about snakes and jaguars but ironically the leading causes of death in Belize are pretty much the same as in the USA

Safe from what? No place is safe from the risk of death your chances of dying are 100% after all, no matter where you live....

So it becomes then a question of how you live....and being aware of the particular dangers of a given area....

In Belize you have to watch out for poison snakes...and some of them walk on two legs..ie. corrupt officials, gangbangers, and hardened refugees from elsewhere in CA...we have had to flee the country due to kidnapping plots our police friends let us onto, and due to corrupt policemen plotting to kill us so there is the whole gamut there (incidentally none of us has ever yet been bitten by a snake!)

In America you have to watch out for dangerous drivers, the opioid epidemic, and FAST FOOD OVERINDULGENCE......you also probably shouldn't send your kid to public school based on the idiots being churned out by the so called educational institutions who can't tell their ass from their elbow without a smartphone to google it for them ....(liberal brainwashing of americas youth is its single biggest threat IMHO)

A more informed question might be....

What ARE the dangers one should keep in mind in *given area*?
Everywhere has dangers......

[sailorboy1]

wow, it's been over 6 years since anyone posted on this thread

what type of search were you doing to find this and make it your first post here?

[belizefamily]

LOL.....

It's true, first day here and didn't check dates....

was searching the safety/viability of traveling Florida Keys to Belize...

then the KKK remark got me, had to throw in my cents there.... danger is so much related to our perceptions of what defines safety.... anyway

See my new post (pasted below)

Hi! We are new to the Forum, have been living in Belize ~ 15 years and are beginning to look at the idea of buying a boat to travel from the Keys to Belize 1x per year or 2 to visit the Folks and family as they age. However we figure the first step, before we invest in a boat, is to find an experienced captain who would be willing to take my husband or my husband and myself on such a journey so we can get a feel for what it's like. We have not done any boating outside the barrier reef and we gather it is QUITE a different experience and that due to currents it is generally best to travel the long way around... in fact the more I read, the more it seems like there is a lot of discouraging advice out there about how rough the waters are and with the pirate risk etc... maybe it is an insane idea. Then again there is actual risk vs. perceived risk.... so that is what we are looking into, is it realistic, what are the dangers, and what would it cost us to charter a vessel from Florida keys to Belize or vice versa...… Any help or advice is appreciated!