red line isn't "dangerous," is it?

I've received very strong mixed opinions about it... To start, I'm a suburban 19 year-old who likes going downtown. Me and my equally naive suburban friends wanted to take the red line from the loop to chinatown, but I have heard it's dangerous. These people say I should be afraid of getting mugged either on the train or at the Cermak Platform. This sounds overblown to me; I think these people are concerned with the people on the train from neighborhoods other than loop and chinatown. Also, it's me and 3 or 4 male college friends, travelling on what would be lunch time on a weekday. I'm sorry if this sounds like an incredibly stupid question to hardcore urban people, but your opinion is appreciated.>