To be blunt, we are a nation of sophomores, masquerading as men. The frat-boy behavior is evident at the highest levels of gov't, in the corporate world, on the battlefield. There is everywhere a "boys will be boys" mentality, at every level. Whatever the studies say, to my mind there is clearly a causal relationship between pornography and violence in the bedroom; if you watch women be degraded over and over, it eventually seeps its way into your psyche and affects behavior...same with violent video games. It's frightening to think what kids are exposed to these days, if their parents are not hyper-vigilant. 30 yrs ago, playing PacMan at the arcade was about as violent as my entertainment got (that and killing a phenomenal number of brook trout). We also stole some Playboy but man, that is innocent stuff compared with today's youth.

IT, I would beg to differ about the UFC vs. boxing. Boxers wear large, padded gloves, whereas UFC combatants wear minimal hand protection AND are also kicking their opponents (in the head and everywhere else). I can't see your point unless you elaborate.

Oxi, with regard to Abu Gharaib, yes, it was beyond demeaning...I used it purely as an example of the increasing violence of our (Western, but mostly American) culture. You know who ends up paying for this, as usual? Not generals or colonels but the poor schmucks at the bottom of the chain of command, the privates and sergeants. In a way, they are victims too. Having said all this, we Americans were waterboarding Filipinos at the turn of the century so brutality on the battlefield is nothing new.