
The Lost Art of Pickpocketing (2011) - keiferski
http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/culturebox/2011/02/the_lost_art_of_pickpocketing.html
======
donretag
I remember a pickpocket trying to pick my front pocket on the NYC subway in
the late '80s. The subway car was packed since it was after the July 4th
fireworks. What amazed me is that he realized were my cash was. Not in my
wallet, but in my front left pocket.

I caught the pickpocket and wrapped my fingers over his and looked in his
eyes. I didn't say anything since I knew thieves can roam in packs and my
parents were not too far away. I was going to warn them (in a different
language) when someone else caught the same pickpocket and started yelling at
him and he finally left the train.

We were taught to wrap a rubber band around our wallets since it would create
friction if someone tried to remove your wallets. Ah, the '80s.

~~~
wslh
A group of Argentinians in Buenos Aires city run a full web site with videos,
images, and tips against subway pickpockets:
[http://www.peesba.com.ar/](http://www.peesba.com.ar/)

They have even links to some of the pickpockets facebook pages!

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nthitz
Here's an fascinating article from Jan 2013 in The New Yorker about Apollo
Robbins, someone for whom Pickpocketing is very much still alive.
[http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2013/01/07/130107fa_fact_...](http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2013/01/07/130107fa_fact_green)

~~~
samstave
There are a number of great vids of him doing his "act" now as well; including
this one with the writer of the article you linked to:

[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoUSO_Mj1TQ](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoUSO_Mj1TQ)

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SilasX
Anyone else kind of creeped out by this? Mourning that people don't cleverly
commit a particular (victimful) crime anymore?

What if I wrote an article about the lost art of child molestation, talking
about how children are now much better prepared against being lured away by
strangers? And then sagely asked if "we should miss" the decline of child
predation?

~~~
sp332
Pickpocketing used to be romanticized, and requires some skill to carry off.
That's the difference.

~~~
FiddlerClamp
One of the characters in the sci-fi show Crusade was a pickpocket, and her
first scene demonstrated her prowess...I'm thinking she was supposed to be
mostly likeable.

~~~
jlgreco
Pick-pocketing is basically a form of street magic (used for evil) so I think
it is understandable that it delights people in a way when they aren't the
victim. IIRC one of the characters in the remake of Oceans Eleven was
introduced as a pickpocket. In fiction they are like jewelry or art thieves
dressed in all black repelling down into a museum.

Now when you're just trying to walk down the street and some kid gets your
wallet, it becomes a _wee_ bit harder to appreciate...

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icambron
Sort of amazes me that you can write an entire article about the dying art of
pickpocketing and not interview any of the old picks. Would have made the
article a lot more interesting than just some quotes from criminologists.

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bayesianhorse
It's the old story: Crime and violence are on a multi-scale decline since the
dawn of civilization, but nobody believes it.

~~~
joe_the_user
Interesting.

Made me go out and find a reference:
[http://blogs.berkeley.edu/2010/06/16/a-crime-puzzle-
violent-...](http://blogs.berkeley.edu/2010/06/16/a-crime-puzzle-violent-
crime-declines-in-america/)

At the same time, the decline in picketing in particular seems a bit
different. It's a much extreme decline in a behavior that's criminal but not
necessarily violent.

~~~
contingencies
_the decline in picketing_

The government doesn't exactly encourage picketing, but I do belive it has
traditionally been considered a valid, non-violent form of protest and not a
criminal act.

Let us join together and mourn the loss of the multi-century tradition of
picketing... from the old country.

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PhasmaFelis
I'm guessing the person who wrote this is upper-middle class and has never
known anyone poor enough that the loss of one paycheck would utterly destroy
their family's lives.

Should we _miss_ pickpockets. Should we be _sad_ that American children are
less likely to go hungry or become homeless when some scumbag takes the rent
money out of Mom's pocket. WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU.

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GrinningFool
They forgot the most obvious reason of all:

Increasing prevalence of tight-fitting clothing for both genders.

~~~
hayksaakian
Tight fitting clothing is not a new idea. There was a time when both
pickpockets and tight clothes were in style.

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slim-
fit_pants#The_1980s](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slim-fit_pants#The_1980s)

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valisystem
I see many reaction around the indulgence towards pickpockets you can read in
the article.

It reminded me about Vidocq, that at some point in his memories denounce the
behavior of high society towards thieves that, he says, could even ask police
to get a thief out of prison to let him demonstrate his skills to amuse guests
for an evening.

Thieves were glamorized and victims were seen as fools by a great deal of
society. Until one of those would be a victim himself.

It's not new, and more visible in cruder societies of the past, and I suspect
it finds its roots in the very common, and almost reflex, respect given to
ones that can show great dexterity and cleverness. Which is totally lost when
brutality is involved, tools of the lesser mind. Well, except for war, where
you can find respect even if violence is involved.

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malkia
Ask some of the gypsy/roma population in Bulgaria - by the time you are done
asking them, they might be done with showing their talent.

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dromidas
It just proves that the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles successfully dealt with
the Foot and their network of pickpockets.

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DanielBMarkham
I recently read a book on capital punishment through the years, and
pickpocketing got so bad in the middle ages that it was punished by death.
Every week the cart would bring the condemmed pickpockets through the street.
The criminals would jeer at the crowd, the crowd would cheer and pick
favorites. The soon-to-die would make a big speech before their death, often
bawdy and unrepentant. All the while, more pickpockets were working the
celebration, making their living.

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zalew
thread from 2011
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2258922](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2258922)

btw watch Scam City
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scam_City#Season_1_.282012.29](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scam_City#Season_1_.282012.29)
Barcelona episode. the art is not dead.

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kwijibob
I got pickpockets in Bryant Park (Manhattan) in the summer of 2010. It was a
surreal experience, at least two people involve (one bumped).

I realised what had happened about 15 seconds afterwards, but it was too late.
Just crowds.

They did an excellent job!

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GruppeC956
While I have never been a victim of pickpocketing, I have always been
fascinated with the techniques & strategies involved. Attention, or lack
thereof, is the key.

[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoUSO_Mj1TQ](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoUSO_Mj1TQ)
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTa7rC1oUnk](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTa7rC1oUnk)

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lightblade
Why pickpocket when you can rob someone over the wire?

~~~
ddunkin
Exactly, they've gone electronic.

People carry less cash these days anyway, we're all electronic/plastic.

~~~
finnw
Except that many of us carry smartphones that are worth more by themselves
than the amount of cash we would normally consider carrying _and_ expose you
to further online fraud if stolen.

~~~
moheeb
A smartphone isn't worth anything until you sell it.

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dobbsbob
Pickpocketing is alive and well in the UK/europe where they have entire teams
of pickpockets especially around transit and subways.

~~~
merlincorey
If you read the article, it establishes that the practice flourishes in Europe
still.

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pydanny
Wow, I wrote about this today: [http://pydanny.com/travel-tips-for-geeks-
preventing-theft.ht...](http://pydanny.com/travel-tips-for-geeks-preventing-
theft.html)

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e40
I remember seeing _Harry In Your Pocket_ when I was 13 and I was mesmerized.

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CleanedStar
> In a 2001 story, the New York Times reported that there were 23,068 reported
> pickpocketing incidents in the city in 1990, amounting to nearly $10 million
> in losses. Five years later, the number of reported incidents had fallen by
> half, and by the turn of the millennium, there were less than 5,000. Today,
> the NYPD doesn't even maintain individual numbers on pickpocketing.

NYPD crime statistics become more and more bogus every year. Just Google "NYPD
statistics" and read the articles which pop up on the front page. Every mayor
and police chief wants to point to statistics showing that crime is falling,
and promotions and such are all related to statistics looking good, so
naturally enough, the statistics are being fudged all over the place.

There may be more or less pickpockets now than in decades past, but NYPD
statistics are nothing to go by.

