I didn't get around to posting it yesterday, but I did see a police car as I was driving out to Moonah to buy some tools. So my traveler's experiment ended at 12 days - that's how long I went in Hobart without seeing any police. I'd be interested in hearing from anyone who lives in a state capitol in America about how many days they go without seeing any police while going about their daily routine.
So, this topic has been a bit tangential to the blog. My point is just that an American really notices how lightly-policed Australian society is - I reckon it's one of the salient differences between the two countries.
And, thinking about all this, and looking up incarceration rates on wikipedia, has given me a new rejoinder for when an Australian is causing me grief. (They're particularly awful at customer service here.) It used to be that I would get my satisfaction by thinking to myself, "Hey, don't mess with me, I'm American. We've been to the moon."
But from now on when those situations arise, I reckon I'll say, out loud, "Careful - based on the incarceration rates of our two countries, I am, empirically speaking, five and a half times more likely to be badass than you."
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