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Fair, but... I always wondered how people in Seoul could deal with living so close to North Korea, with artillery pointed at the city perpetually. But then in

Fair, but... I always wondered how people in Seoul could deal with living so close to North Korea, with artillery pointed at the city perpetually. But then in europe people would ask me "Aren't you worried about getting shot in America?" And I'd say no, not really. But I guess now I understand how many of the South Koreans deal with it, they just don't think about it. Gun violence is really quite high in every state and every major city in the US. Mostly we don't think about it.

dotancohen 6y ago
> I always wondered how people in Seoul could deal with living so close to North Korea, with artillery pointed at the city perpetually. When was Seoul actually shot at, though? Perhaps a better comparison would be Israel, which is a first-world country that actually has rocket attacks against its citizens weekly.
- estaseuropano 6y ago
  The rockets are only reaching a veryimiysd diatance. Israel is a whole military state though, led by hardliners with a clear militaristic perspective on things. Everyone does military service. The whole country is modern and tech-heavy but this idea of constant war and the fear of the Palestinians fighting back against Israeli oppression and land theft (or if you believe the right-wing narrative of just defense) is shaping the entire narrative. They could have chosen peace a few times.. The key difference is still that this is perceived as an external threat. You are not scared of an average Israeli/Palestinian walking by, you are scared of 'the other'. In the US you can get shot by someone with road rage.
seanmcdirmid 6y ago
> Gun violence is really quite high in every state and every major city in the US. Mostly we don't think about it. That really isn’t true though. There is huge variation between states and cities in the USA; eg California has much less gun violence than Wyoming, and LA is a lot more safer than St. Louis.
- goodcanadian 6y ago
  And even the more dangerous places really aren't all that dangerous in the grand scheme of things assuming you aren't a gang member or something.
- midasuni 6y ago
  It really is true. Massachusetts - 3.4 deaths per 100,000, that’s the lowest state. Austrailia is 0.88, France 2.33, Germany 1.04, U.K. 0.20, Switzerland 2.64, Canada 1.94 So MA gun deaths are about 50% higher than the worst western countries.
  - seanmcdirmid 6y ago
    Yes, but those numbers increase rapidly in other states. If you think 3.4 is bad, Alabama’s 22.2 deaths/100k is really scary. Massachusetts is a bit worse than Switzerland, Alabama is similar to a war torn third world country. In some states, like Wyoming, almost all of the deaths are suicides, so you are unlikely to be victimized by gun violence by someone else (the same is probably true with Switzerland, suicides were a big problem when I lived there). So feel free to visit Yellowstone, but maybe avoid that vacation to Alabama you’ve been dreaming about.
    - midasuni 6y ago
      It’s all bad. You said it’s not true. Facts point the other way. Just because bezos is richer than gates, it doesn’t mean it’s not true to say “gates is rich”
      - seanmcdirmid 6y ago
        I can’t agree with such binary thinking. There is an order of magnitude difference between 3 and 30. And even at 30 you are unlikely to experience gun violence first hand, which is often situational anyways (people looking for trouble find trouble). If you move to the states, choose a good state and a good city, and you and your family will be ok. The USA is not homogenous with respect to violence, it’s actually a very large country in that respect.

dotancohen 6y ago

> I always wondered how people in Seoul could deal with living so close to North Korea, with artillery pointed at the city perpetually. When was Seoul actually shot at, though? Perhaps a better comparison would be Israel, which is a first-world country that actually has rocket attacks against its citizens weekly.

estaseuropano 6y ago
The rockets are only reaching a veryimiysd diatance. Israel is a whole military state though, led by hardliners with a clear militaristic perspective on things. Everyone does military service. The whole country is modern and tech-heavy but this idea of constant war and the fear of the Palestinians fighting back against Israeli oppression and land theft (or if you believe the right-wing narrative of just defense) is shaping the entire narrative. They could have chosen peace a few times.. The key difference is still that this is perceived as an external threat. You are not scared of an average Israeli/Palestinian walking by, you are scared of 'the other'. In the US you can get shot by someone with road rage.

seanmcdirmid 6y ago

> Gun violence is really quite high in every state and every major city in the US. Mostly we don't think about it. That really isn’t true though. There is huge variation between states and cities in the USA; eg California has much less gun violence than Wyoming, and LA is a lot more safer than St. Louis.

goodcanadian 6y ago
And even the more dangerous places really aren't all that dangerous in the grand scheme of things assuming you aren't a gang member or something.
midasuni 6y ago
It really is true. Massachusetts - 3.4 deaths per 100,000, that’s the lowest state. Austrailia is 0.88, France 2.33, Germany 1.04, U.K. 0.20, Switzerland 2.64, Canada 1.94 So MA gun deaths are about 50% higher than the worst western countries.
- seanmcdirmid 6y ago
  Yes, but those numbers increase rapidly in other states. If you think 3.4 is bad, Alabama’s 22.2 deaths/100k is really scary. Massachusetts is a bit worse than Switzerland, Alabama is similar to a war torn third world country. In some states, like Wyoming, almost all of the deaths are suicides, so you are unlikely to be victimized by gun violence by someone else (the same is probably true with Switzerland, suicides were a big problem when I lived there). So feel free to visit Yellowstone, but maybe avoid that vacation to Alabama you’ve been dreaming about.
  - midasuni 6y ago
    It’s all bad. You said it’s not true. Facts point the other way. Just because bezos is richer than gates, it doesn’t mean it’s not true to say “gates is rich”
    - seanmcdirmid 6y ago
      I can’t agree with such binary thinking. There is an order of magnitude difference between 3 and 30. And even at 30 you are unlikely to experience gun violence first hand, which is often situational anyways (people looking for trouble find trouble). If you move to the states, choose a good state and a good city, and you and your family will be ok. The USA is not homogenous with respect to violence, it’s actually a very large country in that respect.