fandomsecrets | [ SECRET POST #4147 ]

[ SECRET POST #4147 ]

⌈ Secret Post #4147 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

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02.

[Humphrey Bogart in The Maltese Falcon, 1941]

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03.

[Teen Wolf]

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04.

[The Three Investigators]

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05.

[Brooklyn Nine-Nine]

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06.

[Brooklyn Nine-Nine]

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07.

[Silver Bullet]

Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 02 pages, 48 secrets from Secret Submission Post #594.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I'd hoped people would be sensible enough to distinguish between "things that some Americans do" and "American culture". :(

Guns are American culture though, and I say this as a liberal. Look at the history of America from the first European contact; guns have played a role in the very creation of this country.

This is a tricky subject to talk about, because it's very hard to navigate the space between something being a part of a country's culture on the one hand, and being able to use that as a generalization about the country and inhabitants on the other.

Ayart

I agree, honestly, the problem IS generalization. Less than a quarter of the population owns guns*.

* https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2016/09/22/study-guns-owners-violence/90858752/

even if only one tenth of the population owned a gun, that's still one tenth of the population more than what my country has going on. that's the whole point. the fact that this is A Thing at all.

Indeed. I'm reminded of that The Onion headline: "No way to prevent this, says only nation where this regularly happens"

nobody is disputing that fact. it is undeniably true that guns are more a part of american culture than in most countries.

the argument is a (frankly pretty stupid) argument over terms and generalizations and stuff like that

I'd say that specific aspects of gun ownership and how it relates to perceived freedom and individual rights are part of American culture. But "guns" is too general. A lot of countries have had them play a significant role in their histories, even if they now have tighter gun control laws than the U.S. And I say this as a liberal who doesn't own a gun.

You're overlooking the past that way though, which is dangerous, imo. America was settled by Europeans and others because of superior firepower. Outlaws with guns have been romanticized from Jesse James to Bonnie and Clyde to John Gotti. Our history is full of gun massacres and the truly tragic thing is that we have learned nothing and they're still happening to this day.

I think there's sort of 2 different things here. There's a general romanticization of the outlaw and hero worship and of the use of force and things like that. And there's, specifically, a culture of guns and gun violence. And those two things are deeply related and connected on a lot of levels, but they're still separate things - I mean, even people who don't use guns, who don't approve of guns, still fall into the hero-worship traps.

But when it comes to modern American culture, I would argue that the primary influence of things like Wild West outlaws on contemporary American culture is not primarily through / in terms of their use of guns. I guess that's my point.

Outlaws are romanticized, yes. Just like Robin Hood is still a popular legend in Great Britain even though a bow and arrow was his weapon of choice. Like the other anon, I don't think it's necessarily the guns that are the key part of this, it's the fact that they're outlaws... who happen to have guns. Even your own example of Gotti doesn't really support the gun argument. Gotti is known primarily for his position a dapper mob boss, a job which isn't really about using firepower on a regular basis - not the way outlaws of the Wild West or Bonnie and Clyde did. And Bonnie and Clyde weren't romanticized because they used guns, they were romanticized because of their relationship.

Our history is full of gun massacres and the truly tragic thing is that we have learned nothing and they're still happening to this day.

I agree with this part completely.

I mean, you might be right, but it tends to freak me out whenever I drive by places where I see gun shops right in the middle of town (sometimes right by schools? compared to never having seen a gun store, ever, in my country) so it seems like a pretty major part of American culture to me.

Yeah, but the thing to keep in mind is that many or most people in that town would never go into that shop, and might not even know it's there.

Obviously, it's hugely dependent on where exactly you are, and there are definitely places where guns are a huge part of everyday culture. But it's definitely not true across the board. Less than a third of Americans own guns, I believe.

Can't speak for ayrt, but: that's the exact point right there. It doesn't matter how many people frequent the shop, or if people notice it driving by, it's the fact that something very, very illegal in my country can be bought in a shop, in broad daylight, legally. That's what causes the culture shock.

I'm not disputing that it causes culture shock. I'm disputing that it's "a pretty major part of American culture". A bigger part than in other countries? yes, absolutely, no question.

NAYRT

Why are you splitting hair about this in a thread about what foreigners notice about American culture? The foreign perspective is likely to take notice of aspects that Americans might not, and vice versa.

Guns of course appear a major part of American culture to foreigners, especially given the fact that they often come from places where there are hardly any guns at all.

something can be culturally significant without every single member of said cultural group engaging with it.

because like it or not to foreigners it does look like an intrisec part of american culture

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ SECRET POST #4147 ]

Re: Non-Americans, what do you find puzzling about American culture?

Re: Non-Americans, what do you find puzzling about American culture?

Re: Non-Americans, what do you find puzzling about American culture?

Re: Non-Americans, what do you find puzzling about American culture?

Re: Non-Americans, what do you find puzzling about American culture?

Re: Non-Americans, what do you find puzzling about American culture?

Re: Non-Americans, what do you find puzzling about American culture?

Re: Non-Americans, what do you find puzzling about American culture?

Re: Non-Americans, what do you find puzzling about American culture?

Re: Non-Americans, what do you find puzzling about American culture?

Re: Non-Americans, what do you find puzzling about American culture?

Re: Non-Americans, what do you find puzzling about American culture?

Re: Non-Americans, what do you find puzzling about American culture?

Re: Non-Americans, what do you find puzzling about American culture?

Re: Non-Americans, what do you find puzzling about American culture?

Re: Non-Americans, what do you find puzzling about American culture?

Re: Non-Americans, what do you find puzzling about American culture?

Re: Non-Americans, what do you find puzzling about American culture?