I’m in the US and did a double take when I saw that it was NZ; it’s the Americentrism that was ingrained in me since childhood that led me to automatically assume, based on the headline, that it was a story from here.
It could easily be one of dozens of similar stories here. People here can get rabidly protective of their firearms. Threats/offensive comments like the one the employee in this situation made are common enough that I think this would only be considered a fluff piece in the states, if it made the news at all.
it’s the Americentrism that was ingrained in me since childhood
You can (and should) fix that. Assuming everywhere else is better just because you haven’t seen it (or buy the hype) does a disservice to the victims. Power tripping assholes exist everywhere there’s power to be had.
I’ve unlearned much of it, but it remains an ongoing process; it’s similar to how recovery from addiction is a lifelong process. Unfortunately, many of my (I’m guessing our, but don’t want to assume) compatriots don’t feel the need to unlearn it or don’t see it as an issue to begin with.
Assuming everywhere else is better
Nowhere did I say that I assumed everywhere else was better. I can see how you inferred that, but that wasn’t my implication; I suppose my sarcasm didn’t come through well enough. Rather, I am just so used to that type of gun rhetoric here and not used to that from what I hear about NZ that it was a surprise.
Power tripping assholes exist everywhere there’s power to be had.
I’m in the US and did a double take when I saw that it was NZ; it’s the Americentrism that was ingrained in me since childhood that led me to automatically assume, based on the headline, that it was a story from here.
It could easily be one of dozens of similar stories here. People here can get rabidly protective of their firearms. Threats/offensive comments like the one the employee in this situation made are common enough that I think this would only be considered a fluff piece in the states, if it made the news at all.
You can (and should) fix that. Assuming everywhere else is better just because you haven’t seen it (or buy the hype) does a disservice to the victims. Power tripping assholes exist everywhere there’s power to be had.
I’ve unlearned much of it, but it remains an ongoing process; it’s similar to how recovery from addiction is a lifelong process. Unfortunately, many of my (I’m guessing our, but don’t want to assume) compatriots don’t feel the need to unlearn it or don’t see it as an issue to begin with.
Nowhere did I say that I assumed everywhere else was better. I can see how you inferred that, but that wasn’t my implication; I suppose my sarcasm didn’t come through well enough. Rather, I am just so used to that type of gun rhetoric here and not used to that from what I hear about NZ that it was a surprise.
Fully agreed with you.