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@obscurestar I hadn’t thought about that. Instead (and probably related) I’d basically seen it as an emblem of authority (sorta like carrying a sidearm was perceived by South Vietnamese); “I am the good person who holds power and that power’s symbolized by my right to inflict hurt.” So the message was less about “I can do this because you can’t stop me” and more “become a good person with power and you too will be granted the ability to hurt without it being questioned.”
