Violence in US and Britain/Europe

[Adrian II]

I stumbled upon this piece by British Pop-Meister Michael Stephens on the nature and prevalence of violence on either side of the pond. Much of what he says about the UK applies to other European countries as well.

The major difference in the American and British experiences of violence is that violence in Britain tends to be more public, so that the average person is much more likely to experience or witness violence at first hand. In America, although violence often takes more extreme and deadly forms than in Britain, only a tiny minority experiences violence directly, and the knowledge of violence is mainly spread through the media. This may partly be explained by the gun culture in America.

The prevalence of guns in America means that violence is more serious when it occurs, but gun violence also tends to occur in private. Although guns are common in America, people rarely brandish them in public and gun deaths almost always occur behind closed doors.

Discuss please. Mind you: this is not just about murder statistics, it is also about personal impressions, cultural production (film, music) and historic issues. And please, let's not get into a "your culture sux" discussion.