I don't know how to articulate it, but I've got this idea about aesthetics of power and danger and how that sort of spreads culturally. Like in the US think about the people who idolize fantasy villains and their aesthetics and the idea of power that those convey in their minds. Now swap over to someone who's pretty much grown up seeing US special forces walking the streets, maybe storming a building but mostly just being an intimidating presence that everyone's scared of (in terms of what the hypothetical local is actually seeing them do, at least).
What are the aesthetic trappings that someone who grew up with that is going to try to imitate when they want to look and feel powerful and scary? Like it's probably not even a conscious thing, just "looking like this makes me feel powerful because this is what powerful people look like."
I don't know how to articulate it, but I've got this idea about aesthetics of power and danger and how that sort of spreads culturally. Like in the US think about the people who idolize fantasy villains and their aesthetics and the idea of power that those convey in their minds. Now swap over to someone who's pretty much grown up seeing US special forces walking the streets, maybe storming a building but mostly just being an intimidating presence that everyone's scared of (in terms of what the hypothetical local is actually seeing them do, at least).
What are the aesthetic trappings that someone who grew up with that is going to try to imitate when they want to look and feel powerful and scary? Like it's probably not even a conscious thing, just "looking like this makes me feel powerful because this is what powerful people look like."
Hm this is an interesting take and There is probably some psychology behind it.