[Hildy]

I don’t want to sound cold...but this happens all the time here in the US...what’s the difference between cutting the head or throwing a kid off a bridge...or shooting him in the head...My point is the righteous indignation is a bit over the top. Americans do it too.

[dayglored]

> I don’t want to sound cold...but this happens all the time here in the US...what’s the difference between cutting the head or throwing a kid off a bridge...or shooting him in the head...My point is the righteous indignation is a bit over the top. Americans do it too.

Yes, but...

• There is a clear cultural difference between the Middle East and the West with regard to brutal violence. The same things happen in both places, but the context is very different, so the meaning is different.

• You'd be hard-pressed to find widespread public speech and documents in America that encourage, glorify, and even demand brutal violence, that are not only tolerated by the government and people, but are actively considered the foundation of the society. That's true in Islamic countries, and it's THE BIGGEST DIFFERENCE, in my opinion.

• Also, we're at war. The Other Guy is always more atrocious than us. /sarc

• Also also, they're a different religion. The Other Guy's religion is always wrong. /sarc

Don't react only to the last two points. The first two are the ones that matter to this discussion.