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From: wmartin@brl-tgr.ARPA (Will Martin )
Newsgroups: net.women
Subject: Re: rape and firearms
Message-ID: <11506@brl-tgr.ARPA>
Date: Thu, 11-Jul-85 16:29:22 EDT
Article-I.D.: brl-tgr.11506
Posted: Thu Jul 11 16:29:22 1985
Date-Received: Mon, 15-Jul-85 07:11:36 EDT
References: <191@cuuxa.UUCP> <2919@sdcc3.UUCP> <2301@sun.uucp>
Reply-To: wmartin@brl-bmd.UUCP
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In article <200@ihlpl.UUCP> zubbie@ihlpl.UUCP (Jeanette Zobjeck) writes:
>> 
>> > 	2) Someone who has not given thought to the "wild-west theory"
>> > 	of social relationships.
>> I apologize for my ignorance, but what's the "wild-west theory"?
>> Gregg Mackenzie
>ie
>If - Everyone wore a gun on their hip
>	THEN - people would be more polite in general.
>
>(This doesn't and can't work for obvious reasons but I have heard it
>voiced at parties and in discussions often enough.)
>Jeanette Zobjeck ihnp4!ihlpl!zubbie

What are these "obvious" reasons? Before you flame right back, let me
point you to an article that appeared on the front page of the Wall
Street Journal some years ago, before the Russian invasion of
Afghanistan. It was a background, travelogue-style piece on Afghanistan,
which at that time was seldom mentioned in world news and was considered
exotic and unknown.

(I'm sorry to not be able to give a more exact reference, but mayhap one
of the library periodical references would do so.)

This article explicitly and specifically stated that Afghan society was
more polite in interpersonal relations, and that petty crime was
practically unknown, due *precisely* to the Afghan habit of ALWAYS going
armed, no matter where you went. This is exactly the "wild west theory"
stated above, and I think this one reference is all that is needed to
prove that it is correct!

(This habit has also helped the Afghans resist the invasion, but that is
another issue.)

Will