Re: [OT] Rather Polite of Him, Wouldn't You Say?

On Mon, 20 Nov 2006 10:37:30 +0000 (UTC), docdwarf@xxxxxxxxx () wrote:

Now that's a curious point... so, if the Japanese are a society which is
not well-armed and is polite. What's an example, then, of a society which
is armed and nearly so polite?

It is interesting to observe polite societies which are also cruel
(read Dickens). We love to have erudite, polite villains in our
fiction. And some societies have in-your-face insulting - combined
with love and caring. A lot of politeness is just habit.

On the other hand, I can see how a violent society might be a
considerate society. We have a lot of clueless behavior which might
be bread out if there were immediate adverse consequences. A road
rage incident might slow down people cutting in front of a line of
cars at a freeway exit - for a couple of weeks.

But how many people are ready to use their weapons against someone who
is impolite? Are people in a more heavily armed state in the U.S.
more likely to shoot an impolite person than people in states with
tighter gun controls?
.