I actually rather like the idea of a society were all the men are terrified of each other, and yet everyone is pretty much unarmed or at least it’s illegal to be packing..
I go through life with the attitude that if I seriously dis some guy, he has a right to hit me. And if I say certain things to him – attack his masculinity, fire nukes at his Achilles Heels – he might just have a right to kill me. I treat all men as if they are potentially homicidal.
Result: I am real nice to other men.
How do mean act in return: I have been told that I look sort of scary, so men don’t really give me any shit, ever, really. So I am really nice to other men, and they are at least civil and polite back to me. It’s the optimal world!
I am even pretty damn nice to men who seem very bad. Really those are the guys you should be really polite too. I don’t want to antagonize a bad man! When I have to deal with a man who looks like a bad man, the first thing I think is, “Don’t antagonize him!”
People say an armed society is a polite society but I do not necessarily agree with that. The problem with an armed society is sure all the men are terrified, but they are also armed. An armed man is going to act bad because once you are armed you can be a real dick. I have a gun, I can be an asshole! See?
So it’s better that men be terrified and unarmed.