http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_murder_rate
The murder rate in the US is almost six times as high as in most western and central European countries. Just as an example (not to mention general violence, the homeless on the streets, the druggies, etc.).
Perhaps your definition of “civilized” differs from the accepted norm?
Yes, unfortunately, that is true.
While not wanting to overly parse statistics, please keep a few points in mind. The story was about young children attempting to murder another young child. This was preceded by a somewhat similar recent incident in the UK. The parents who were interviewed and their lifestyles seem to be a major part of the problem. The ethnic background of the people involved was not disclosed, so I cannot address that issue, but it would be interesting to know. The appallingly modest punishment meted out is also a factor that argues for similar incidents in the future.
There are people in America who are not Americans, who do not consider themselves Americans, who do not conduct themselves as Americans and who will never be Americans. The black crime rate, for example, is ten times that of Caucasians and Asians, while the Hispanic crime rate is also significantly higher, especially for illegal immigrants. Given the number that you quoted, I think that would indicate that people of European or Asian ancestry, in America, have a lower crime rate than Europeans in Europe.
The nutbag Left has made inroads into every country in the world, so no place is as peaceful and safe as it should be. We in America, cannot fight the barbarians of the world alone. We need other countries to be willing to step up and fight along with us. We have been able to count on the UK and Australia, more than anyone else. Australia seems to be taking a stand, of sorts, against being taken over by third world immigrants. While many of the news reports we read from the UK are worrisome. If the news can be believed, it would seem that the UK is slowly sinking under the weight of third world immigrants, who have even had success in causing British politicians to consider allowing Sharia Law. We read of homeowners being imprisoned for defending themselves from intruders. While the UK doesn't yet have a thousand automobiles burned every night, like France, it appears the UK is headed in that direction.
Here in the US, we recently had protests across the country, regarding excessive taxation, and against a dearth of personal responsibility. To my knowledge, there were no arrests, no vandalism, no violence, and no uncivilized behavior of any kind, to report.
The entire world is less civilized than it used to be, certainly. But some countries are slipping away faster than others. Preteens attempting murder for sport, portends poorly for the future.