One Man = 56

When I read the accounts of the British police killing the suspected terrorist in the tube this morning, it started me thinking about the differences in national character and how informative they are about the nature of the societies in question.

Specifically, I was reflecting on how ill-equipped the United States is to deal with tragedy on a large scale, because apart from the Civil War, the country has never really known it. So, when an admittedly tragic incident like 9/11 occurs, the reaction - and overreaction - occurs on an almost comic scale. Yet, in contrast, Americans can blithely dismiss or ignore altogether the minor tragedies that populate everyday life. A homicide or two a day in a particular city is barely worth mentioning.

Conversely, the British react to major conflict in a decidely more muted manner. To be sure, part of that is an affectation stemming from the desire to live up to the national reputation for stoicism and reserve, but part of it is genuine as well. That's why it's so interesting to observe the uproar over the shooting of a man in a subway station. In the UK, this incident seems to have generated nearly as much conflict and discussion, on an intellectual and policy level, as the bombing of 50-some odd Britains earlier this month. The opposite would be true in the US. Flags would still be flying at half-mast here on account of the bombing and the shooting of the suspect would be an afterthought - if that.

I've always believed that America is an "event" country, a place where major ocurrences obscure notice of the everyday to an extent not matched by other nations. Perhaps it's because the ethos and image of the country is rooted in advancement and achievement. Progress is viewed in measurable benchmarks - events - that demonstrate your acclimation to and success in the American experiment. As a result, on a social level it is only the headline worthy incidents that are seen as worthy of public concern and attention.

The inability to see how the everyday impacts the big picture seems to be a particularly American trait. Strivers often fail to notice how the accumulation of small things shapes the whole, until, at the end of the road, they look back with chagrin. There is something to be learned from the English obsession over a lone man.