Sheriff calls for guns on campus

[Undertoad]

UG: Guns make people polite.

DanaC: Britain has no guns but is very polite.

Indeed, one of the outstanding things about Britain is its polite culture. It's as built-in to the people as America's individualist streak.

Within cultures there are traditions and teachings and approaches that give the people their basic make-up. What we were taught as children, we will teach our children, and they will teach their children. And this will determine who we are at the very root, and whether or not we will queue ("single file") for a bus or train or elevator.

Brits: Of course we will stand in a queue. We are British.

Americans: Of course we will bunch up at the entrance, fighting to get in, barely letting the departing people off. We are American.

So what UG is actually saying -- although he doesn't realize it -- is "Guns make the American people polite", quite a true statement.

[lumberjim]

Originally Posted by Undertoad

.

Brits: Of course we will stand in a queue. We are British.

I just love how queue is spelled. 4 vowels, one consonant, 1 syllable. That has to be some kind of record.

[piercehawkeye45]

Originally Posted by Undertoad

So what UG is actually saying -- although he doesn't realize it -- is "Guns make the American people polite", quite a true statement.

I don't completely agree with this and will hopefully build off it. While "Guns make the American people polite" does apply to many (most could possibly fit too) it does not apply to every sub-culture that is considered American.

UG's example, a gun range, is only one sub-culture of America and his example is very true for that sub-culture.

If you go to other sub-cultures, such as gangs, you will see the opposite.

Maybe it isn't being "American" or "British" that makes someone polite with guns or no guns but how they react to the power they get from guns. The people that go to gun ranges have been taught to react differently to the power of guns opposed to the people that join gangs. The people that go to ranges see guns as something greater than just a tool, but as a symbol of peace and/or respect. The people that join gangs see guns as a tool to enforce their lust for power.

In the hands of one sub-culture, guns can and will make society safer, but in the hands of the other sub-culture, it makes society much more dangerous. I will also assume that these sub-cultures or trains of thought are not just limited to America, but the entire human race.