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vgr's profile
Venkatesh Rao
Venkatesh Rao
Venkatesh Rao
@vgr

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Venkatesh Rao

@vgr

Conversational account. For work follow @ribbonfarm, @breaking_smart, @artofgig. Tweets are 90% vacuous views, apathetically held. Mediocritopian. IKEA builder.

Los Angeles, CA
venkateshrao.com
Joined August 2007

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    1. Venkatesh Rao‏ @vgr Jun 2
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      Venkatesh Rao Retweeted Venkatesh Rao

      So... thinking more about this mall-ninja white house syndrome in the context of American gun culture overall... some more thoughts on the role of guns in situations like this.https://twitter.com/vgr/status/1267915370658009088 …

      Venkatesh Rao added,

      Venkatesh Rao @vgr
      Just realized the Trump WH is kinda full of mall ninjas giving professional soldiers navy-seal copypasta grade "orders"... the "dominate the battlespace" line feels like that https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Navy%20Seal%20copypasta …
      Show this thread
      3 replies 26 retweets 86 likes
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    2. Venkatesh Rao‏ @vgr Jun 2
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      Gun culture in the US is minority serious, majority some sort of EDC tacticool larp. It plays a weird fetishlike role in discussions of societal breakdown that it doesn't in other countries. Guns are not generally a major variable. You expect some will be around, but that's it.

      1 reply 3 retweets 21 likes
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    3. Venkatesh Rao‏ @vgr Jun 2
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      In the US, it is hard to separate mythology around guns from the practical effects of their presence in large quantities in citizen hands. The main practical effect is that police-citizen relations get a lot more edgy and violent.

      1 reply 3 retweets 16 likes
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    4. Venkatesh Rao‏ @vgr Jun 2
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      The cops militarized in part because of history of drug war etc, but also because they operate in an environment where they expect the *citizens* to have guns. Cops in most countries does not expect guns in typical policing situations like domestic violence or traffic stops.

      3 replies 2 retweets 27 likes
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    5. Venkatesh Rao‏ @vgr Jun 2
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      But in situations like this, where people are thinking about SHTF scenarios, guns play an even bigger role in the imagination. Guns are in top 5 things everybody's minds turn to (second only to toilet paper perhaps). They buy guns. There are debates about gun stores being open.

      3 replies 3 retweets 9 likes
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    6. Venkatesh Rao‏ @vgr Jun 2
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      I'm kinda neutral on the whole gun debate. I think of it as the American equivalent of holy cows and beef-eating prohibitions in India. A meaningless piece of historical baggage you nevertheless have to navigate.

      2 replies 1 retweet 23 likes
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    7. Venkatesh Rao‏ @vgr Jun 2
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      I've thought idly of at least taking a gun handling class, simply because basic level of firearm literacy here is so high, but I'm not actually interested in the skill and I doubt it's actually useful for *me* to have even in US. I lack the larp instinct and have no other need.

      1 reply 1 retweet 12 likes
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    8. Venkatesh Rao‏ @vgr Jun 2
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      It's a bit like my attitude towards investing. Keep it mostly in index-tracking passive. I have zero confidence in my ability to beat the professional investors in the public markets, and I lack the net worth to be an accredited investor to play in the private markets. Same logic

      3 replies 1 retweet 9 likes
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    9. Venkatesh Rao‏ @vgr Jun 2
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      In an actual armed conflict, even the gun nut larpers/EDC type mall ninjas stand absolutely no chance against the vast ranks of professional police and military who handle weapons in live risk situations day in and day out, not just during weekend target practice.

      4 replies 3 retweets 11 likes
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    10. Thought Across the Bow‏ @ThoughtBow Jun 2
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      Replying to @vgr

      Agreed. But keep in mind a massive part of American law abiding gun culture is ex military/reserves/police.

      1 reply 0 retweets 0 likes
      Venkatesh Rao‏ @vgr Jun 2
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      Replying to @ThoughtBow

      That is true in most countries, even with tougher gun laws. The ones who bother to own guns are largely people who have previously used guns professionally.

      3:22 PM - 2 Jun 2020
      1 reply 0 retweets 0 likes
        1. Thought Across the Bow‏ @ThoughtBow Jun 2
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          Replying to @vgr

          Yep. In Canada many in gun community are ex military/police. But not all. Some just hunters. Almost all instructors are ex cop/military. Which is good as they know their shit. They are also the loudest anti gun control voices. Which makes sense as the crook dude don’t abide.

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