I had written
> > I am speculating; and I thank you for your interesting
> > observations. But historically there has been a pattern
> > of political extremism in Europe that American has been
> > thankfully spared. I don't think that you can deny that.
to which Michael Butler replied
> I don't think I can understand it.
> Consequently, I can neither confirm or deny it.
>
> If you mean that the US hasn't had land wars across its face
> every few decades, you're right. Beyond that, I am baffled.
Please see Mike Lorrey's post for examples. The political
extremism of which we speak, e.g. that in Russia, Italy,
Germany, and recently in Yugoslavia really doesn't seem to
have a counterpart in the Americas. The explanation may be
so simple as the fact that democracy has been prevelent in
the U.S. for three hundred years.
But I really appreciated Tiberius Gracchus's suggestion
> Many of the people who migrated to North America from
> Europe hundreds of years ago were more susceptible to
> religious fervor, and that susceptibility was passed down
> culturally and/or genetically...
and Mitch's:
> ...Perhaps religiosity, or sexual behavior, or drugs? We
> [Americans] are weird regarding that, in part, because of
> the Anglo-Saxon predominant culture emphasized worries about
> sex and sobriety, and they were primarily the founders of the
> nation.
Hmm. The other major nation exhibiting Victorian sensibilities
was also free of aberrant political behavior. Of course, it
would have to be "from the people"; efforts of the Soviet Union
to instill prudence, surface conformity, and abstinence in its
people never had a chance.
Lee Corbin
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