> His culture? What a lame excuse. You can reductio ad absurd. most positions to make them seem silly, but the cultural variation argument is a very valid one.

> His culture? What a lame excuse. You can reductio ad absurd. most positions to make them seem silly, but the cultural variation argument is a very valid one. Most Germans I've talked to about the topic are somewhere between bemused and horrified about many aspects of US culture. Here's a sampling: * We have -comparatively- a very high burden of proof for slander/libel. * We do not require internet publications to have a byline positively identifying the author. * We do not make it a crime to fail to register with The State every time we change home addresses. * We permit -comparatively- incompetent people to operate motor vehicles. I gather that USians are not infrequently similarly affected by German attitudes towards free speech restrictions, public sexuality, credentialism, anti-gun-ownership hysteria and the like. There are a wide variety of cultures -bringing an even wider notion of what "proper" behavior looks like- even amongst people who live in the same country. Surely you're sufficiently worldly to understand that. :)