It is clear that many of the people committing these acts are able to do because they have been exposed to extreme violence their entire lives. It appears that many Arab cultures in particular do not seem to protect their children from early exposure to violence. This is supposed to be a conservative website that strives to maintain American values. One of our values is certainly that we are not barbarians like some of our opponents. The increased and immediate exposure to violence and pornography in the past 5-10 years is not a good trend. The quote you have in your post is probably a true statement.
I once saw an interview with a serial killer in which he discussed how he had once been addicted to horror movies. He said that for most people it's just a movie, but for a small percentage these films are more than that; they provide an intense thrill and stimulate thoughts of doing more violence. There are probably enough posters in this thread now that some of this small percentage is included here.
I agree. I watched it, and wish I could erase the images from my head. On the other hand, there is a legit purpose in viewing it.
Until you actually see it, you can't really imagine how bad it is. For the vast majority of people, it is a horrible, horrible thing to watch that impacts you tremendously. The "value" in that is in recognizing how many people see it but do not not have that reaction. I can't imagine ever doing something that ghoulish, but what is stunning is the lack of outrage from most of the Arab world. It gives you a window into how alien that culture and mindset truly is.
The other thing it does is make you really question all those folks who are still blasting the U.S. about the prison abuse -- which we investigated and stopped long before it became public -- but are relatively silent about the murder of Mr. Berg. All of a sudden, the opinions of those people matter a lot less than they did before.
Sure, it may be possible to make those determinations intellecutally without seeing the video. But when you actually see it and feel your own horror, you will have an understanding of our enemies that words alone cannot possibly convey.