[westurner]

I don't think that electron identity is relevant to whether there's e.g. arc discharge between + and - charges of sufficient strength?

Connecting just 1.5V AA battery contacts with steel wool causes fire. But doesn't just connecting the positive terminal of a battery to the ground result in current, regardless of the negative terminal of the battery?

(FWIU that's basically why we're advised to wear a grounding strap when operating on electronics with or without discharged capacitors)

[devilbunny]

Grounding straps prevent static charges from building up on you. A battery doesn’t really have a ground. The body of cars is hooked to the negative pole of the battery, so it’s called the “ground” of the car, but that’s for corrosion reasons.