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Role-playing in the United States |
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Geographically speaking we've got a lot of just about everything, from
swamps in Louisiana, rugged mountains in Colorado, temperate forests in
Oregon to permafrost in Alaska. Our cities too tend to be larger and more
spread out, since we have more land then we know what to do with. These
massive, less centralised cities generally have poor mass transit facilities -
beside we love our cars way too much to take the bus or the subway. In fact
the use of mass transit is generally considered a sign of poverty (even
having a really crappy ride is better then taking the bus).
Guns and ammo are generally legal and available; in fact there's a gun shop just down the street from where I live. I know for a fact that you could get everything you want from your basic hand gun to a submachine gun to .50 calibre anti-vehicle weapons there, as well as all the ammo you can carry. And this is in California, which is considered far more restrictive on the ownership of firearms then most of the other states. Go next door to the state of Nevada and pretty much the skies the limit, though fully automatic rifles, high explosives and fully operational tanks are illegal anywhere you go. And a growing number of people see it as their constitutional right to bear arms, and see any move towards limiting and regulating them as a move in the direction of fascism and world government. Both very bad things to call someone here in the states. Though we consider ourselves a pretty tolerant people there are a few things that are still considered taboos (big no-no). The open display of firearms and body armour is not only illegal, but also highly frowned upon. The only exception to that rule is members of law enforcement (the police) and even the sight of armed members of our own military is not seen as a good thing. Uttering racial epithets or being a member of a group that openly advocates racism is another big taboo that will, at the very least, make you very unpopular, to the extreme of losing your job and having the government start a file on you. I wouldn't go as far as to say that it's taboo, but telling people that you play role-playing games will get you one of three likely responses; boy you're a geek, do you worship Satan or what's that. Well I hope this has given you a glimpse into the American mindset. So next time your setting up a role-playing campaign in the states, you'll have a better understanding of the contradictory people who populate this very unique nation. Rey |
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Copyright � 2001 Rey |
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