Non-Americans who have been to the US.. What is the weirdest thing about America that Americans don't realize is weird?
Non-Americans who have been to the US.. What is the weirdest thing about America that Americans don't realize is weird?
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The firearm culture, and how normalised it is.
I went into a Walgreens in Chicago, and waited in line behind two other people. There was a cashier free but the person in front of the line was waiting to be called. The guy behind the person in front politely said, “ma’am, the cashier is free” ‘I’m waiting to be called” was the response.
So the guy behind her just walked past her, and she pushed him and said, “Careful buddy, you’ll get shot for doing something like that”
I was taken aback at how quickly a simple discourtesy escalated to shooting someone. It just blew my mind that shooting someone over queue jumping was verbalised, and seemingly normal to each other.
That's not gun culture per se, but gang culture. Gun "culture" in the US is something that trends far more right wing in general, and tends to be mostly white, mostly (nominally) christian.
I can't speak to other cities, but the south side and west side of Chicago (esp. around Garfield Park, Douglas Park, and all of Austin) have a serious gang problem. If you aren't willing and able to engage in violence at the slightest perceived provocation, then you tend to be victimized. The net result is that someone that jumps a line can end up getting a beat down, or killed. (And, BTW, the gang problem is a result of a century of institutionalized racism, combined with a few decades when CPD was exceptionally effective at jailing gang leaders; instead of just two or three major gangs in Chicago, you have hundreds of small ones, all constantly fighting over tiny patches of turf.)
I get what you mean, but this was in the central loop, in a business district, between a white woman in her 50’s and a black man in his 30’s. Very much gun culture by your definition.
Gang culture I can somewhat understand, but this was just wild to me.
Not saying it’s right or wrong… not my circus. But at a chemist?
I think that most people that have lived in Chicago for a while are pretty aware that, due to this kind of culture of violence, that kind of action in Chicago carries a degree of risk that wouldn't be present in many other places. So I don't think that it would be that out of line to make that kind of comment in general. It's just kind of pervasive.
I would be much more surprised to hear that kind of statement in, say, Phoenix, AZ, where you almost certainly have far, far more people carrying concealed firearms legally, but don't seem to see the same kind of gang/violence problems.
I've never seen an interaction like that and I've lived in this country 40 years
Thats mostly just Chicago to be real
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Sounds like someone was just being hyperbolic?
Where I'm from, the hyperbole would go "You'll get punched."
Well yeah... That's America for you
yeah that's equivalent to getting shot here in the US lol.
I would probably argue if someone said "i'm going to punch you" would be more of a threat than "you'll get shot for that"
Around me, the threat would be "That's how you get fucked up," leaving the level of violence ambiguous.
Yeah, that is definitely not normal. Never heard anyone say anything like that (western US)
Btw, it's illegal to kill someone for checks notes cutting you in line. Had he wanted to waste the next three hours he could have reported her and if the cops decided to do their job it is a crime. I don't think that criminal acts gun owners aren't allowed to do are really part of the "culture" just because criminals sometimes do crime, like, people steal but theft isn't part of "shopping culture," y'know?
That is not a normal interaction anywhere that I've been in the States and not in Chicago. Despite what the press says Chicago is a very beautiful and relatively safe city. The people tend to be civil.
Careful buddy, you’ll get shot for doing something like that”
i guarantee you this is a joke.
Not that it can't happen, but i am willing 100% to bet that this was a joke.