I am explaining safety to a female immigrant, and it is making me very aware of how sick the US is. Things that women who are raised here take for granted are not standard procedure in all places. I know these things apply to other countries, but explaining these things to a non-white woman who doesn't have SOP ingrained makes me feel kind of ill.
The fact that 250,000 women go missing every year, most of them non-white. That every woman I know in the US knows not to tell a stranger where they live, check for people following them home, carry mace when walking to their car, not being "too polite" to men who approach them, not going out drinking alone, not taking drinks etc etc. Am I being too much with this? My perspective is "an ounce of prevention", and I'm not trying to terrify them, but there are actionable things to reduce risk, but not to live in fear. There are cultural aspects also, just relating to how strangers are treated, taking rides etc.
Has anyone had this experience, either explaining these things or having moved to the US, or even just moved from a very safe rural area to a major city?
There's a difference between "polite" and "friendly". As far as I know, "polite" isn't dangerous, "friendly" is. I also think the commonness of something like mace really depends on the neighborhood. Otherwise, I'm with you on your characterization. The US is awful.