Thomas Bertels wrote:
> I heartly agree, but I cannot understand why this should be a feature more
> dominant for the American culture.
Only from the perspective that America (in some accounts) was
founded by Puritans who were ostensibly searching for religious freedom.
These Puritans had rigid rules for living by and punished any infraction
with severity. This value is presumably passed down through the years and
becomes a core value of the culture.
Consider this example:
Alf steals a loaf of bread from John.
John catches Alf in the act and apprehends him.
Does John want:
A: Alf to suffer for his transgression.
B: Alf to never steal again.
An "A" response would likely take John towards some retributive
action against Alf. Maybe he would call the police and press charges.
Maybe he would assault Alf and try to hurt him. Maybe he would force him
to pay double the worth of the bread. In some way, he would exact pain
from Alf.
A "B" response, however, might take John in quite another
direction. To ensure that Alf never steals again, he might call Alf's
mother and inform her of his act. He might get Alf to sign a note that
admits guilt and exacts a promise never to do it again.
Some say this need for retribution is common in the American
culture. The prison population-to-overall population ratio bears out
this contention.
-- @__Roy_J._Winkler,_AAS,_BSM... @__Consultant/Facilitator/Trainer__UAW-GM @__Organization/Human-Resource_Development @__Anderson,_Indiana,__USA__ rwinkler@iquest.net