&gt; His <i>culture</i>? What a lame excuse.<p>You can reductio ad absurd. most positions to make them <i>seem</i> silly, but the cultural variation argument is a <i>very</i> valid one.<p>Most Germans I&#x27;ve talked to about the topic are somewhere between <i>bemused</i> and <i>horrified</i> about many aspects of US culture. Here&#x27;s a sampling:<p>* We have -comparatively- a <i>very</i> high burden of proof for slander&#x2F;libel.<p>* We do not require internet publications to have a byline positively identifying the author.<p>* We do not make it a <i>crime</i> to fail to register with The State every time we change home addresses.<p>* We permit -comparatively- incompetent people to operate motor vehicles.<p>I gather that USians are not infrequently similarly affected by German attitudes towards free speech restrictions, public sexuality, credentialism, anti-gun-ownership hysteria and the like.<p>There are a <i>wide</i> variety of cultures -bringing an even <i>wider</i> notion of what &quot;proper&quot; behavior looks like- even amongst people who live in the same country. <i>Surely</i> you&#x27;re sufficiently worldly to understand that. :)