Yes, Daylia, and everyone KNOWS that all Chinese people are good at math, all French are cowards, all Brits are snobbish and have bad teeth and all Africans are illiterate and living in huts. Anytime a phrase starts with "everyone knows" or "it's common knowledge" you can be sure that it isn't true.

When I was in Europe a couple of years ago I met quite a few Germans who were under the impression that we still had a "wild west" with cowboys and indians shooting it out like a Hollywood movie. Does that mean it's true, simply because the archetype of the cowboy is accepted as reality?

So I'm confused -- do you wish to discuss the stereotype of the so-called violent American, or do you wish to discuss causes violence in American society? Because, quite frankly, you can't seem to distinguish between the two, and they are two very different subjects. Both have a grain of truth, but when added together you come up with rubbish, as is so frequently true of trying to perceive a society through your prejudice and preconceptions.

And as far as I can tell from your comments, your hypothesis is that anyone who DOESN'T agree that Americans are bloodthirsty and violent is either delusional or ignorant.

If I posted a thread about how it was common knowledge to those of us who have had the advantage of "living and studying" outside of Canada that all Canadians were jealous of the US because Canada was a pretty worthless country, would it be true simply because that's the sterotype?