Why is it no one ever talks about the cultural nature of violence? The way I look at it, it’s not that violence in America compared to violence in Europe is better or worse, it’s different.
If you take the worst year of gun violence in America, which is about 50,000 deaths, and keep that number static for every year since 1900, throw in every American killed in every war from then until now you wouldn’t even come close to the body count racked up in Europe during the same period.
So in the American model of violence there is an ongoing levl of small incidents. Someone from Texas gets into a fight from someone from Oklahoma, they pull out their pistols, one or both of them gets fatally wounded, arrests are made and it’s pretty much the end of it. In the European model of violence the disputes are less frequent but instead of 2 men getting into a fight Texas raises an army invades Oklahoma and thousands of people on both sides who had nothing to do with the original argument end up as casualties.
Personally, I prefer no violence at all but if I have to choose I’ll take the American model to the European one.
Very astute analysis. Concur.
As a frequent visitor to Europe, one of the things that appeals to many/most people is the history, art & sophistication. Euros in general seem to be more polished, less rough around the edges; especially around their uncouth cousins, the Americans. And yet, like clockwork, the line up and kill each other by the millions.
I've actually come to the conclusion Euros are incapable of self-government. The average commoner has been manipulated and controlled for so long, that they don't have any instinct for self preservation. So, they enjoy life in all its trappings until their "boss" tells them it's time to party.
The US is definitely rougher and more independent. Like you mention, citizens have skirmishes with loaded weapons, resulting in higher homicide stats. But, unlike the Euros, at the end of the day, everyone in the US - 330m - speak the same language and abide by the same cultural standards.
It sort of like bend, but don't break. The Euros are beautiful, but tend to break.