The Definition of “Safe”

I was chatting with one of my cousins in China via IM last night, and we got to talking about houses. When I used the word “住宅区” — neighborhood — she asked me if Americans’ concept of that term is the same as the Chinese’s. “Your ‘住宅区’ don’t have walls, right?” she asked. To show her what a neighborhood is in America, I sent her this screencap of an aerial view of our neighborhood, the essence of suburbia.

Her response? “It doesn’t look safe at all.”

Context for her comment: Most residential neighborhoods in China consist of multiple highrises in a small area surrounded by walls, and many have security guards watching the entrances. When we visited one of my uncles’ home, we actually had to call him from outside so he can come to the gate and tell the watchman we’re safe. Also, the entrance to each highrise has its own locked metal gate. That is the Chinese concept of a “safe” residential neighborhood. When a Chinese person looks at this image, one of their first thoughts is probably, “Wow, anyone can just waltz right up to your house and break in.”

Oh, and after I explained to my cousin why my little subdivision in suburbia isn’t as dangerous as it looks, she replied, “Ah, I’ve been watching too much CSI.”