When US Americans get painted this way, it feels like a “Humans- Fuck Yeah” story. Like I’m just so used to us having our downsides highlighted that it feels special to be seen for a positive attribute

I interpreted it as a negative, like “Americans are violent,” heh.

I sympathize with the complex though.

We have a hyper sense of justice instilled in us from a young age. It’s like the basis of our country (or so we’re taught).

I’d say it’s more about retribution. There’s a craving for punishment against perceived wrongs.

There’s nothing perceived about someone snatching my wallet. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.

You realise beating up a pickpocket is itself a stupid game that will get you in jail, right?

If the idea is that I can’t defend my own property then I understand why pickpocketing is so rampant elsewhere.

I don’t want to kill or shoot anybody, but I’m not gonna just hand it over with a smile on my face.

You don’t have to want to kill anybody, but it’s still a crime to violently assault someone. Further, you can still kill someone without trying, say you punch him once and he goes lights out and his head hits the concrete so hard it kills him. Doesn’t matter that you didn’t want to, you just killed someone.

Now if you used something defensive like pepper spray so you can escape with your wallet? That’s a different story. There’s a wide gap between protecting your property and assaulting someone.