>In the US I find there's often a notion of revenge
US is puritans. Revenge is one of the cornerstones of the puritan moral.
US is puritans. Revenge is one of the cornerstones of the puritan moral.
"The Paranoid Style In American Politics" is probably the the best explanation of the fundamental forces that shape most of our politics. Playing to paranoia about "the enemy" has always been a successful tactic, and the war on drugs is simply the latest in a long line of "enemies".
"The commies are hiding everywhere" changed into "Gangs are in your town/school/neighborhood trying to get you kids hook on drugs". In modern times, a reasonable number of people see this pattern happening again with the paranoia about anting that looks Arab or Muslim: "We have to keep fighting the terrorists - don't you know that ISIS is hiding everywhere?". Unfortunately, a lot more people are fooled by the rhetoric when a politician starts spreading fear and loathing suggesting that "Those welfare queens are getting rich! It a complete free ride! 99.6% even have refrigerators!".[1]
It's an obvious trope once you learn to see it.
[1] http://www.cc.com/video-clips/jfmt11/the-daily-show-with-jon...
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/u-s-grapples-rise-roll...
http://www.cnn.com/2015/05/03/us/mohammed-drawing-contest-sh...
You're twisting "Paranoid Style" to deny the existence of real things. "Paranoid Style" doesn't apply to real things. It applies to "Communists infiltrated our schools to brainwash our kids" and not "communists infiltrated government." It applies to "the crack epidemic was created by the CIA" and not "we have a serious problem with drugs and organized crime in America." It applies to "All Muslims are all practicing taqiya and are working together to invade and undermine the USA" and not "Muslim communities contain extremists that are lying in wait to attack Americans."
The USA spans a huge continent which was settled by a huge number of very different groups all with different moral and philosophical foundations.
Yeah, but somehow it's only one group of people who seems to call the shots: Those with a disdain for the poor, the weak, the ill, the black and women.
It is also noticeable in social economical policies - the approach "you're poor because you're a lazy bum" can be seen as a form of punishment which is a natural view in the US (especially to the religious part of the society) while obviously less so for Germany. Note that such "punishment" is not explicitly inflicted by people, instead it viewed along the lines like "God loves hard working good people (and hates the opposite ones)".
The US also "encourages and fosters" the idea of personal responsibility. Everyone can become a billionaire. If you don't, that's your personal failure. If you commit a crime, that's your own fault and you should be punished for it. If you become unemployed and don't find another job, you're lazy and just don't put in enough effort. If you're poor, again, your fault and how dare you ask for hand-outs?
The US doesn't emphasize individualism, it's anti-social.