[ExI] An anomalous point

[Amara Graps]

David C. Harris dharris234 at mindspring.com :
>I attribute the deviation of the US on these 2 graphs to our strong
>individualism.

No, the character traits of individuality doesn't satisfactorily (to me)
explain it. Why?

Notice what happens when some person or persons who is 'different', but
at the same economic lifestyle as others around him/her, enters the
environment. Being different is not respected and not tolerated well.

Notice the chain stores of stupefying sameness; they exist not only due
to economic pressures. If people didn't want that sameness, that
predictability, then those shops would go out of business. Why would a
culture of 'individualism' want thousands of shops of sameness?

Now you _could_ say that character traits of individualism explain the
background of violence that, in my opinion, is very real and has been a
part of the culture since the beginnings of the country.

And I find it scary from that standpoint, from the standpoint of
frighteningly strong enforcement mechanism in place, starting from the
government (record number of citizens in jail, broken civil rights) down
to the 'citizen' (the US citizens holds the largest number of guns in
the world), and all of these 'mechanisms' are in fact being used on
people within and without the country's borders.

I do think that there still must be another explanation for those
anomalous points.

Amara
-- 

Amara Graps, PhD      www.amara.com
Research Scientist, Southwest Research Institute (SwRI), Boulder, Colorado