The Swiss Difference: A Gun Culture that Works | |
Anonymous Coward User ID: 14443159 United States 12/20/2012 12:48 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | That sense of social and civic responsibility is one of the reasons the Swiss have never allowed their guns to come under fire. Quoting: Dutch Retriever more : [link to world.time.com] much lower knee-grow percentage? |
pray_Italy User ID: 17025052 Italy 12/20/2012 01:05 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Yeah, Swiss (at least up to the 1990s) grew up with a) proper education b) healthy families teaching REAL values, such as RESPECT towards other people c) eat properly (most of the time) and adore CHOCOLATE d) valid health system e) regulated immigration program f) most of the youth chills out either smoking weed, going to rave parties, concerts, DOING (instead of watching) sports g) regularly going outside That's what popped in my mind first...... |
Anonymous Coward User ID: 27418740 United States 12/20/2012 01:22 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | That sense of social and civic responsibility is one of the reasons the Swiss have never allowed their guns to come under fire. Quoting: Dutch Retriever more : [link to world.time.com] much lower knee-grow percentage? Bingo! Mexicans too. |
Anonymous Coward User ID: 30376378 Australia 12/20/2012 01:33 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Yes, the Swiss tend to use their guns on themselves, and not on others, even though doing so is illegal. [link to en.wikipedia.org] |
cartographica User ID: 25342985 United States 12/20/2012 11:31 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Kids as young as 12 belong to gun groups in their local communities, where they learn sharpshooting. Quoting: Dutch Retriever “Social conditions are fundamental in deterring crime,” a “culture of support” rather than focus on individualism, can deter mass killings. “If people have a responsible, disciplined, and organized introduction into an activity like shooting, there will be less risk of gun violence,” That sense of social and civic responsibility is one of the reasons the Swiss have never allowed their guns to come under fire. The Swiss are clearly doing it right. If we here in the US want to keep our weapons, I think it behooves us to make some changes, not only in the way we treat guns, but also how we think of them. Not by taking them away, but by training every teen (not just males) in the proper handling of and respect for weapons, the way the Swiss do. Maybe marksmanship classes w/ 22's once a week for every high-schooler? With children of gun rights dissenters having the option of taking an archery or martial arts class, perhaps? The "culture of support" seems like it would also be a crticial component. Along with proper handling, teaching kids about the responsibility associated with owning a gun would balance the focus so that it was not just on who would make the best sniper. Focus instead on that "support for the community" aspect - you're either going to use that gun to hunt for food to feed your family and friends, or you're going to have that gun to protect your home, and in a worst case scenario, your community. Not that you're going to abuse the privilege of having it by acting like a thug, using it to intimidate, terrorize, and rob your neighbors. We've got to find a way as a culture to heavily stigmatize that type of thug behaviour, rather than glorify it. The US "culture of the gun" needs to be divorced from the faulty perception that having & using one "makes you a real man". Training both teenage boys and girls in marksmanship, weapons handling and self defense techniques could make a difference there. Proper training could instill the concept that the sign of a responsible adult the community respects is knowing and acting on the principle that using a gun to harm others is only a course of last resort. That unless you're under direct attack, the gun is never the first thing you reach for to solve a dispute or a problem. Our twisted media, advertising & entertainment industry would have to get on board and make serious changes to the way they glorify violence and murder in their products. I swear, that might actually be harder to achieve than getting mandatory marksmanship and responsible weapons handling classes into the high schools! "Everything is related to everything else, but near things are more related than distant things" - Waldo Tobler, the first law of geography, 1970 |
just_me User ID: 31416933 Italy 01/03/2013 11:32 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | |
pinkshirtguy User ID: 1537884 United States 01/03/2013 11:42 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | They also don't have gangsta rap and juggalos. This makes me wonder if there is validity to music, tv and video games giving kids ideas. And I hate that as I am very, very against censorship in music, tv and video games. Or maybe the real difference lies in better family structure. poyl |
Anonymous Coward User ID: 30626317 United States 01/03/2013 12:06 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | They also don't have gangsta rap and juggalos. Quoting: pinkshirtguy:MV8yMDg3ODUyXzM1NDA0MTExX0E3RTY5REY1, This makes me wonder if there is validity to music, tv and video games giving kids ideas. And I hate that as I am very, very against censorship in music, tv and video games. Or maybe the real difference lies in better family structure. They have a very homogenous culture, despite having three official languages. Not too many desperately poor people, racially and ethnically diverse people, nor a culture of "badness." Think America in the 50s, highly educated with common goals and an overall sense of respect. |
Anonymous Coward User ID: 31412235 Germany 01/03/2013 12:09 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | They also don't have gangsta rap and juggalos. Quoting: pinkshirtguy:MV8yMDg3ODUyXzM1NDA0MTExX0E3RTY5REY1, This makes me wonder if there is validity to music, tv and video games giving kids ideas. And I hate that as I am very, very against censorship in music, tv and video games. Or maybe the real difference lies in better family structure. They have a very homogenous culture, despite having three official languages. Not too many desperately poor people, racially and ethnically diverse people, nor a culture of "badness." Think America in the 50s, highly educated with common goals and an overall sense of respect. True. 2/3 is german, 1/4 is french and the rest italian. The three nationalities live in the same country, but in their own distinct regions. |