Back when I was living in Yellowstone we were always talking about the limited utility of pepper spray. It worked great so long as you were able to hit it in the eyes. Anywhere else and it was worse than worthless. Some people were treating it like it were DEET and putting it on their own bodies. I remember a demonstration, to demonstrate this fact, where an area of the ground was hit with pepper spray. The bear rolled around in it like catnip.
It takes one generation to create an American. I grew up in Jackson Heights, Queens. I take the 7 train to work every day and see it with my own eyes. Its my lived experience. Very traditional immigrant parents with their first generation NYers in tow helping them navigate the world they've chosen to make their home. Just like with my Italian great grandparents who never spoke a complete sentence in English despite living here for over 75 years.