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I live in Mississippi, on the gulf coast. Everyone I know owns at least one gun, including me, but only a quarter of them are real freaks about it and own several that they can't stop talking about. Most people like me just put a pistol in their nightstand, maybe a shotgun in their closet, and forget about it. We have a bigger ratio of minorities here than most states, so race is a constant factor even when you're not dealing with people who are up front prejudiced, although people like that are definitely more common than I've seen elsewhere. Dialect and language barriers here are interesting, since it's mostly black and white with a small but longtime southeast Asian population. I work in a very high volume public-facing sales job, so I deal with everyone from all backgrounds. As a white guy from here, the more rural black dialects can rarely give me a very little of trouble, but typically we code switch to meet each other at a kind of shared middle dialect. The Filipino and Vietnamese with strong accents (almost all older folks) are very gracious about my requests for them to repeat themselves if I don't catch it the first time. Racism in the south is weird as gently caress. An older guy I know uses racial slurs whenever, has stupid opinions about black people on government programs, but also has a young black couple living with him rent free just because he likes them personally, and is super amiable with them. We have good seafood and soulfood like anyplace else within short range of the world's greatest food source, New Orleans. There is a really weird animosity here towards the country's city centers like New York or Los Angeles, mostly deep down about the idea that life is somehow easier there. They just don't realize the incredibly low cost of living, mostly. Like, I rent a 2br 1ba house, not apartment, in a nice neighborhood for 800/mo. That said, OP, if you're considering moving anywhere in the US, I wouldn't, unless you're white and very wealthy.
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Feb 8, 2017 09:19
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Can you tell me why you have the gun? I'm just interested how your head gets to 'I should put a pistol in my nightstand'. That sounds crazy to me, but I'm not you.
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Feb 8, 2017 09:35
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Tony Montana posted:Can you tell me why you have the gun? I don't now, but I've lived in areas you'd have gunshots once in awhile, once even in an adjacent apartment. I also lived here during hurricane Katrina, and that could happen again any given year, where you can't really count on the police to be able to get to you in an emergency. I get not understanding. I'd never own an assault rifle or whatever except for fun, but a lot of folks feel like they need an armory for some reason, and I think they're crazy.
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Feb 8, 2017 09:55
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Tony Montana posted:Can you tell me why you have the gun? I grew up in a family that hunted and also just generally believed in firearm education. And this was in a part of semi-rural New Jersey, so not the backwoods of Arkansas or anything. If you're a hunter, then obviously it's going to make sense to have a couple guns depending on what your hobby is. If you live somewhere where the police response time can be upwards of 20 minutes, then it's probably not a bad idea to have a firearm of some sort. Keeping it some place like a nightstand would be based on personal preference and who lives in your home, or comes in on a regular basis. If you have young children, it's a bad idea to keep a loaded and unsecured firearm easily accessible. If you're some dude who lives in a sketchy neighborhood, doesn't have a domestic violence problem, and is generally "normal", then it's not overly crazy. Obviously, it's universally preferable to secure any and all firearms to the highest level that you feel appropriate. As for the folks who build "arsenals" and whatnot, there certainly are a bunch of folks who are just your stereotypical gun nut who think they're prepping for doomsday and therefore buy dozens and dozens of tactic-lol'd rifles and such. However, it's very easy, even rational, to have a fair number of guns if you're a hobbyist, hunter, or other enthusiast. For example, your average owner might have: A .22LR rifle for cheap plinking and general practice. A .22LR pistol for the same. A 12-gauge shotgun with several chokes or barrels for trap shooting, waterfowl hunting, and perhaps home defense. A larger caliber rifle for deer hunting or longer range target shooting. A semi-automatic pistol in 9mm/.45ACP/etc. for target practice and personal defense if needed. And right there that's 5 guns in 4 different cartridges. If you're a target shooter you buy in bulk to save money, and you end up with a few thousand rounds of ammunition. To some people that might seem like an "arsenal" but it's really quite reasonable if you're a hunter and avid target shooter. From there, it's easy to buy a couple "fun" or historic curio rifles/handguns, maybe another shotgun or two (e.g. a double barrel for trap, one specialized for home defense, etc.). Or maybe you inherit a couple from your grandfather. You then get a gun safe from WalMart for $200 or something that can fit it all, and it's a very reasonable proposition to have 10 or more guns without being some crazed wacko. This pretty much describes me, and half my friends don't even know I own one gun let alone several. To me, I feel like being able to get good groupings with a 30.06 at 100 yards with iron sights makes me a more competent person, and a better citizen. There's this underlying culture in America, not that we necessarily need to be a bunch of gun nuts, but that we should be a nation of riflemen. If you go back, the National Rifle Association was originally founded post-civil-war by Union officers to improve marksmanship and firearm proficiency. I won't say that culture is 100% intact, but it's an ideal that I think is worth reaching for.
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Feb 8, 2017 13:36
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Scudworth posted:Only Tony Montana could manage to poo poo up a "Tell me about living in the US" thread with angry Australian politics posting, it's kind of magical. The best part of being an American is watching the rest of the world complain about us while at the same time possessing an irresistible hunger for our culture. As for language, I agree that The extreme Appalachian dialects can be a little hard to understand even if you're familiar with them. I spent most of my summers as a kid and teenager in the middle of West Virginia and I will still occasionally meet someone, usually an older man, with an accent so thick I could only make out the occasional word or two. In person you can gently understand what they're trying to tell you, but like over the phone sometimes impossible. I remember once years ago I was at work and had to call one of our truck drivers to change some details with delivery. Dude's hillbilly accent was so thick I could literally get no information out of him on the phone. Once he arrived, it was pretty easy to figure out what he was saying, but the phone it was just pure mush mouth nonsense.
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Feb 8, 2017 13:57
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Thanks again to everyone taking the time to share in-depths replies! Your reasoning makes a lot of sense, and thanks for the links. I definitely had to pay attention when listening to those clips, but outside of some slang, the examples weren't too hard to follow, even as a non-native speaker, I feel. I looked up a couple of examples of the dialects, and Boontling is something else, though, and although it sounds like American English imo, it is practically unintelligible. I got the impression from a couple of videos that it is actually the purpose, though, that it was largely and deliberately made up for fun and to be confusing. I also get the impression that I should definitely watch The Wire. As an aside, people are of course free to discuss gun control, health care issues and such, but in the scope of this thread, I am hoping that the focus will largely be on showcasing how things are in the US, and as an example; how something like gun culture might differ in individual states and why there are these differences, but with little focus on a political debate about how things ought to be. edit: Fixing weird quote freak-out Grandmother of Five fucked around with this message at 14:11 on Feb 8, 2017 |
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Feb 8, 2017 14:07
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LogisticEarth posted:If you live somewhere where the police response time can be upwards of 20 minutes, then it's probably not a bad idea to have a firearm of some sort. LogisticEarth posted:To me, I feel like being able to get good groupings with a 30.06 at 100 yards with iron sights makes me a more competent person, and a better citizen. Like, I get hunting and target shooting for fun. It's not my idea of a good time, but I can understand how it could appeal to others. But a gun for self defence? You just sound like someone who should be locked up for the safety of those around you.
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Feb 8, 2017 17:25
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Tiggum posted:See, that just sounds utterly crazy to me. I do not at all see how you get from the premise to the conclusion. What are you going to do, shoot someone? Are you a loving psychopath? This is a dumb derail and not what this thread is about. Shut the gently caress up about your idiot religious beliefs.
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Feb 8, 2017 17:33
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spacetoaster posted:This is a dumb derail and not what this thread is about. Shut the gently caress up about your idiot religious beliefs. actually along with "explanations for why having the worst healthcare system in the first world is actually good" this is about as close to what this thread is about as you can get
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Feb 8, 2017 18:00
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I agree with the OP that we should not turn this into a gun control/healthcare thread, as those are done to death, but its interesting to talk about the cultural aspects of both since it seems to define America so much abroad.Tiggum posted:See, that just sounds utterly crazy to me. I do not at all see how you get from the premise to the conclusion. What are you going to do, shoot someone? Are you a loving psychopath? It's all about the ability to project lethal force in a defensive manner. No, I would not just pop some kid running away with my TV. But if you are in a situation where you may be dealing with an intruder or otherwise, you get your family together and retreat into a safe room until help arrives. To me, at least, it's perfectly rational and not at all psychotic to want to be able to defend yourself in a generally effective way. Right now firearms are the best way to do that without ouright hiring private security. quote:Same with this one; I don't see a connection between premise and conclusion. What aspect of citizenship requires shooting stuff? Well, military service is the obvious one. But also just general community defense. The ability to be dangerous when you need to be. Not violent or aggressive, but dangerous enough to be useful if you need to help protect family friends and neighbors. Again, I'm not talking about vigilante justice or cowboy poo poo, but it's not unfathomable that the police won't always be there. Long response times in rural areas is just a fact of life. Less frequently, events like Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy caused massive disruptions in services and communication. The occasional violent riot is not uncommon. Knowing how to effectively defend yourself and those around you is just as important as knowing first aid and CPR, and basic emergency preparedness. Again, this is not always about using a rifle to solve every problem, the same way you're not treating a compound fracture every day. But it helps to know how to do something when and if it's required. quote:But a gun for self defence? You just sound like someone who should be locked up for the safety of those around you. This is where the fundamental disconnect lies, I think. There are a huge number of people in the US who are good, caring and giving people, pillars of the community, etc, who are also gun owners and think about self defense. It's more or less normalized. It helps to realize that most folks do not in fact want to go all Die Hard, and just consider gun ownership as a part of their everyday life. LogisticEarth fucked around with this message at 19:14 on Feb 8, 2017 |
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Feb 8, 2017 18:16
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LogisticEarth posted:It's all about the ability to project lethal force in a defensive manner. No, I would not just pop some kid running away with my TV. But if you are in a situation where you may be dealing with an intruder or otherwise, you get your family together and retreat into a safe room until help arrives. To me, at least, it's perfectly rational and not at all psychotic to want to be able to defend yourself in a generally effective way. Right now firearms are the best way to do that without ouright hiring private security. LogisticEarth posted:Well, military service is the obvious one. LogisticEarth posted:But also just general community defense. The ability to be dangerous when you need to be. Not violent or aggressive, but dangerous enough to be useful if you need to help protect family friends and neighbors. LogisticEarth posted:it's not unfathomable that the police won't always be there. LogisticEarth posted:Knowing how to effectively defend yourself and those around you is just as important as knowing first aid and CPR, and basic emergency preparedness. Again, this is not always about using a rifle to solve every problem, the same way you're not treating a compound fracture every day. But it helps to know how to do something when and if it's required. LogisticEarth posted:It helps to realize that most folks do not in fact want to go all Die Hard, and just consider gun ownership as a part of their everyday life.
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Feb 9, 2017 05:19
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I'm with Tiggum. For me, what jumps out is you actually don't think the police can protect you. Is that part of being an American? Do you honestly believe something could go down and your police wont keep you safe?
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Feb 9, 2017 05:36
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If any of the innocent parties aren't white they currently have no reason to believe that whatsoever.
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Feb 9, 2017 05:58
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If the innocent parties aren't white, the police won't protect them. Is that what you're saying? Or is that hyperbole and you're perpetuating myths?
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Feb 9, 2017 06:08
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Oh the police might very well protect them, but the POC/Latino/etc population of the US has no reason to believe that they will, as the rash of police brutality against them is no myth. You asked about belief.
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Feb 9, 2017 06:39
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Tony Montana posted:I'm with Tiggum. The police are a white power organization designed to protect the propertied white class. If you don't fall into that spectrum, the cops will absolutely not protect you and are much more likely to be antagonistic towards you. For most Americans, you are much more likely to be killed or extorted by a police officer than you are by anyone else. The recourse for this is, of course, to address your complaints to the police. Famously, a police officer recently complained to President Trump that a particular representative was trying to take away their ability to seize assets (that is, take property up to and including all the property) of people they arrest. This is all pre-trial. If you want it back, you have to sue the police department. Good luck with that. Trump suggested ruining the career of the politician trying to take away that particular power. It's a hosed up world man.
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Feb 9, 2017 08:19
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It's not a hosed up world, man. America is hosed up, like really hosed up. Healthcare is hosed Guns are hosed There is no real police force This isn't the world, England and Australia are nothing like this. I'm waiting for some other American to come in here and call you all bullshitters, but it doesn't look like it's going to happen. What a crazy loving place. It doesn't make it less crazy, but I kinda understand some of that insane middle eastern American hate, because America invades countries to promote the American way of life.. but the American way of life is a loving disaster. edit: I have a Californian that works with me. His accent is still thick. He seems to be quite happy where he is, I am rapidly understanding why. edit2: it's not that simple. There are millions of Americans with good jobs and all the mod cons and faster Internet than me. As it's always been said, being and American with money is quite a good thing. But I'm getting some of the crazy fear in BFC about frantically saving for retirement, because holy poo poo you do NOT want to drop below that poverty line. Tony Montana fucked around with this message at 09:24 on Feb 9, 2017 |
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Feb 9, 2017 09:10
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Tony Montana posted:It's not a hosed up world, man. America is hosed up, like really hosed up. Hey, now you get it. I'm a white guy and I still haven't ever called the cops because I'm worried they'll just roll up and shoot the first person who startles them. There are plenty of Americans who trust the police, but they own a lot more guns than I do and have ideologies that'd probably make you sputter more than the posters in this thread have.
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Feb 9, 2017 09:23
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Tony Montana posted:It's not a hosed up world, man. America is hosed up, like really hosed up. Fair correction and point well taken.
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Feb 9, 2017 09:25
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Pharmaskittle posted:I live in Mississippi, on the gulf coast. Also, this is a thing I've heard said almost everywhere at least a couple times. Mississippi's crazy low cost of living is that way for a reason.
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Feb 9, 2017 09:34
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Canine Blues Arooo posted:Also, this is a thing I've heard said almost everywhere at least a couple times. Mississippi's crazy low cost of living is that way for a reason. Yeah, it's a bizarre place to live. I was very lucky to have two college-educated parents, one of whom came up from extreme poverty, who decided to settle on the gulf coast rather than someplace further north in the state, since I'm sure I'd be a very different person today if I'd been raised even forty miles north of here. I've been able to get a job that's not remotely prestigious or related to my own bachelor's degree, but that's let me sock away a lot more money than average Americans because I'm good at my job, have habits leftover from when I've been broke, and have avoided having any kids or major illnesses. Really, don't come here except as a brief visit to eat good food and check out civil war sites.
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Feb 9, 2017 10:05
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Shbobdb posted:
That is some absurd hyperbole dude unless you have some data to back it up. But, making wildly exaggerated claims is American as poo poo, so I can't judge you too harshly.
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Feb 9, 2017 14:44
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Man, I'm sure glad the Australians showed up to show us the error of our ways. This thread is going places now!
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Feb 9, 2017 16:06
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Debating political issues re; gun control, health care and whatever else is worthwhile, but there are several subforums dedicated to political discussions where having those discussions are more constructive and welcomed, I think. That said, cultural difference on those topics are interesting to hear about and examine in themselves, and I think that this post; is a great example of a post that is interesting and fits well within the context of an Ask/Tell thread imo. The example of breaking down the different uses of guns; that all guns doesn't serve the same purpose and are tools for different situations, and that you might buy, inherent or collect gun for different reasons makes a lot of sense, whatever your stance on gun control is, I think. Despite not being familiar with firearms, it is fairly easy to recognize that something like handguns, rifles and shotguns are markedly different tools, and that you might own several both as a hobbyist, collector, or for practical purposes. Perhaps that sounds mundane to some, but from the perspective of someone with relatively little experience with and knowledge of fire-arms, I find it interesting, as well as such reasoning as relatively large response times for law-enforcement being a motivating factor when it comes to personal home-defense. As far as takes on politically charged issues like gun controls, the kind of personal experience and reasoning like in the above quoted posts is interesting in the context of this thread, imo. Anyway, inspired by checking out the Ask/Tell thread on Christianity, and despite religion being a similarly volatile, politically-charged topic, as gun-control, it is one area I'd like to hear about, too, and hope that it will be possible for people to share their personal experience as practitioners and non-practitioners, without it becoming a debate of who is right and who is wrong. I've added religious practice as a possible talking-point to the OP, but figured I would post it in the thread as well, since I don't except anyone who has already participated to re-read the thread. So here is that; How is religious life and worship for you in the states? As an outsider, it appears as if religious life might vary pretty wildly from state to state, with some US areas having markedly different religious demographics than others. I'd be especially interested in whether people experience any prejudice or bias against their religious practice, or lack thereof, in their home states, or from US society at large.
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Feb 9, 2017 16:50
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spacetoaster posted:This is a dumb derail and not what this thread is about. Shut the gently caress up about your idiot religious beliefs. Not understanding why people own guns is not a religious thing? It's a valid question and curiosity. I grew up in the US and have no understanding of this whole gun culture. My little brother got suddenly conservative/religious in the past year and at the same time was trying to sell me this bullshit that he needed guns because of this and that. It was nothing but paranoia brought on by whatever rural backwoods propaganda "news" articles were going around that he needed guns in case of an intruder and that Hilary was tryin' to take away his guns and freedom, neither of which point had any basis in reality. Look, some people in the US have some really weird ideologies about some things, and guns is one of them. Now you are run by a crazy maniac who is a walking cliche of these crazy mentalities. Despite what you want to believe, most of the rest of the world does not like what America stands for right now. You can kid yourself, but it's an echo chamber. I was born in the US, grew up there, and moved away as an adult. I did entertain wishes to move back at times, just to be closer to family, but have no desire to now, given the kind of Trumpism that is rampant there. The country is no longer an ideal place to live. I'm currently working on Canada citizenship so that when I travel around the rest of the world I will feel safer by not whipping out that US passport.
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Feb 9, 2017 17:06
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That is interesting imo. Did you experience a lot of bias or hostility as an American when travelling abroad? I'm assuming you have to some extent because of your passport comment, and it'd be interesting to hear about how that hostility and bias has been expressed concretely, if you've got personal anecdotes to share.
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Feb 9, 2017 17:14
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bongwizzard posted:That is some absurd hyperbole dude unless you have some data to back it up. We'll never know because it is incredibly difficult to collect data on extrajudicial murder by cop. If you have to hide the evidence, that's damning enough. The cops are a criminal gang out to steal your money and kill you. 
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Feb 9, 2017 17:20
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Grandmother of Five posted:That is interesting imo. Did you experience a lot of bias or hostility as an American when travelling abroad? I'm assuming you have to some extent because of your passport comment, and it'd be interesting to hear about how that hostility and bias has been expressed concretely, if you've got personal anecdotes to share. When I first moved to Canada, my jeep temporarily had on my California plates, and a driver yelled out to me to "Go back to America," but I am pretty sure that was due to road rage on her part--we were in a construction zone and trying to take turns merging and she was not letting me take a turn (?). I live near Vancouver, BC, however, which is full of people from other places. My first job I had, we were actually all from the states and South America. None were from Canada. My statement about not being safe traveling the rest of the world under a US passport now is due to Trump's presidency. He is making enemies right and left out there. I do not want to be associated with his walls and racism. So this is more of a looking forward thing. We went to Ireland last year; the world mostly loved Obama, and it was a more peaceful and stable time. I just felt a sense of pride in that. But now, not so. Trump is making enemies, and though he doesn't even really represent all Americans, you never know when you travel who will you associate you with that kind of mentality. I didn't vote for the guy. I am also in a nice position where I can disassociate myself from a country that no longer represents my ideals and which, to me, is going down the gutter at the moment. Don't get me wrong; America is very diverse, and there are plenty resisting what Trump's America stands for (me included).
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Feb 9, 2017 17:32
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Shbobdb posted:We'll never know because it is incredibly difficult to collect data on extrajudicial murder by cop. If you have to hide the evidence, that's damning enough. The cops are a criminal gang out to steal your money and kill you. Lol, ok man.
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Feb 9, 2017 17:54
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Desmond posted:Not understanding why people own guns is not a religious thing? It's a valid question and curiosity. I grew up in the US and have no understanding of this whole gun culture. My little brother got suddenly conservative/religious in the past year and at the same time was trying to sell me this bullshit that he needed guns because of this and that. It was nothing but paranoia brought on by whatever rural backwoods propaganda "news" articles were going around that he needed guns in case of an intruder and that Hilary was tryin' to take away his guns and freedom, neither of which point had any basis in reality. Look, some people in the US have some really weird ideologies about some things, and guns is one of them. Now you are run by a crazy maniac who is a walking cliche of these crazy mentalities. Despite what you want to believe, most of the rest of the world does not like what America stands for right now. You can kid yourself, but it's an echo chamber. I was born in the US, grew up there, and moved away as an adult. I did entertain wishes to move back at times, just to be closer to family, but have no desire to now, given the kind of Trumpism that is rampant there. The country is no longer an ideal place to live. I'm currently working on Canada citizenship so that when I travel around the rest of the world I will feel safer by not whipping out that US passport. Religion can be secular. It's whatever you believe. If a person believes that guns are bad and that people who want them are psychopaths and bad people (what the guy I responded to said) that sounds pretty religious to me.
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Feb 9, 2017 20:51
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spacetoaster posted:Religion can be secular. It's whatever you believe. If a person believes that guns are bad and that people who want them are psychopaths and bad people (what the guy I responded to said) that sounds pretty religious to me. That is not actually what any of those words mean, no
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Feb 9, 2017 23:00
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Yeah but like, what is art?
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Feb 10, 2017 00:07
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Jeb Bush 2012 posted:That is not actually what any of those words mean, no You mean the word religion? I think you're confusing the term theism with the term religion. In the United States atheist's beliefs (and the expression of) are protected by the 1st amendment of the constitution because those beliefs fall under the freedom of religion.
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Feb 10, 2017 01:23
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LMDTFY (Let Me Dictionary That For You) https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/religion
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Feb 10, 2017 02:57
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spacetoaster posted:You mean the word religion? I think you're confusing the term theism with the term religion. In the United States atheist's beliefs (and the expression of) are protected by the 1st amendment of the constitution because those beliefs fall under the freedom of religion. "religion" and "theism" are different terms, neither of which means "whatever you believe" (this is separate from whether atheism is a religion. it's not, although it's possible for a religion to have atheism as a tenet. being an atheist or non-religious in general is protected under the first amendment because "freedom of religion" encompasses the freedom to not have one)
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Feb 10, 2017 05:07
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Tony Montana posted:Liberal is smart people with degrees
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Feb 10, 2017 05:51
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Tony Montana posted:What is this, a fan club? Can you stupid faggots just shut the gently caress up and actually address the topic at hand? hahahahahahaa
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Feb 10, 2017 05:55
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Tony Montana posted:What is this, a fan club? Can you stupid faggots just shut the gently caress up and actually address the topic at hand? please post a photo of yourself
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Feb 10, 2017 09:55
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When you think about it, having an opinion about anything is actually a religion.
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Feb 10, 2017 11:37
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I played with my dad's shotgun without his knowledge when I was a child and I'm pretty sure I broke it. I grew up in rural Kentucky but never went shooting. Never told my dad about breaking that gun. It was for shooting at crows that tried to eat my dad's garden vegetables. He also claimed it was for self-defense but we never were home-invaded. Lucky us. Also, OP, just listen to Primus' American Life on repeat and you'll probably get the gist of things.
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Feb 10, 2017 17:09
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