I'll bet it is the lost UTOPIA that people have been searching for.
- BobLarson
Searching for Utopia is like waiting for Godot. There is a philosophical joke hidden in the name Utopia. It is old Greek for "no place." The guy who originally used that name was being ironic. He was essentially pointing out in an overly erudite way that the perfect place DOESN'T EXIST. The problem was that his readers, not being so erudite as he first thought, DIDN'T GET IT. So now we perpetuate the joke without knowing it when we extoll the virtues of Utopia.
I will note also in passing that there used to be an old saying from the USA's Wild West days. "It takes a brave man to go out without a gun."
The whole bit about "equalizer" is flat-out true, but without proper understanding of the historical context - AND the original viewpoint of the USA's "founding fathers" - none of our UK cousins will appreciate the situation.
Originally, people who came to the USA in the 1600s and 1700s were going into a true wilderness. No cities. No apothecary shop down the street. No barristers or advocates to protect your rights. You did that yourself. To do that, you needed to carry a weapon that would force your opponents to think twice before trying anything involving great force. The Revolutionary War (our name for the war in which we won our nation's independence) involved the ultimate in such logic. The various militia units fought without military training or discipline. They fought as rugged individuals with a common cause. Just because they won didn't mean that the country in which they lived became more civilized.
The gun was the way to civilize the world around you. Animals attacking? Reason won't prevail but a musket ball or some heavy shot will do the trick. Bandits attacking? If they know you are armed, they might think twice before continuing. Who wants to face the odds of being the one who gets killed? It is cold comfort to know that your buddies will get your prey if you are the one who won't live to see it.
The gun's presence forces people to THINK. But there is a symmetry rule. No guns? Might makes right. One gun? Might makes right. Each side is armed? NOW we have a stand-off. The USA and USSR had one of these for years - with nuclear-tipped missiles instead of ordinary guns. With the standoff, you MUST learn to negotiate.
See, that's the key to understanding how the gun REALLY works. The gun, used properly, is NEVER removed from its holster and discharged. All that it does is make the other person stop thinking "Winner take all" and start thinking "Quid pro quo." THERE is the start of civilization for you. THAT is why the USA thinks like it does.
But another truth is that this has been the same throughout history. Where would the Magna Carta have gone without the fighting that led everyone to the peace table?
Not that I agree with everything it does, but where would the United Nations have been had it not been for mutually-assured destruction among the great nations?
The gun is really just the symbol of force. The force that makes "the other guy" blink during the face-off. Throughout history it has been many things - club, spear, sword, arrow, ... and now the gun. Tomorrow? Maybe a hand-held laser. Who knows?
