red dots and thieves

[pgs@thillana.lcs.mit.edu (Patrick Sobalvarro)]

Every time I read about people covering the red dots on their cameras
to avoid attracting the attention of thieves, I find it a little
bizarre.  The snatch-and-run thieves I've encountered or heard about
do not seem to be brand chauvinists -- usually they're not very good
at fine distinctions like Leica vs. other brands.  One sees Leicas so
infrequently that it seems unlikely it'd be worth a thief's time to
learn about this particular obscure brand, especially because stolen
examples are not worth much more than top-end Canon or Nikon hardware.

Of course, my experiences with snatch-and-run thieves have mostly been
in North Africa and the Americas.  I haven't encountered them in other
parts of the world.  Perhaps snatch-and-run thieves in other parts of
the world are better educated?  Maybe the whole cover-the-red-dot-
with-black-tape thing is a relic of an earlier era when Leica sold
more cameras?  Or possibly it's just inspired by a fantasy of the
special value of Leicas as compared to other brands?