Dangerous or Self Defending?

To many Americans, the Middle East is viewed as a dangerous section of the world; always in turmoil. When reading Baghdad without A Map, I was shocked to find out that in Yemen, all the men carried two daggers on them daily. Coming from American culture, to me that was just asking for on the streets. I had overlooked that fact that mayve the people in Yemen are just trying to protect themselves. In a small surburban area in America, one wouldn't have to carry a dagger on them in order to feel safe. In fact, if you did, it wouldn't be acceptable. However, in the Middle East, what I failed to notice was that their culture is nothing like ours. American's don't need to carry weapons daily, but maybe Yemen's do in order to protect themselves. In any part of the world, country, state, and even city where there is lots of turmoil and , many people do carry weapons on them in order to feel safe. It may be unnatural or problamatic from an American's point of view, but what people don't understand is that the Middle East is a very different place from America, and that you can't really compare the two lifestyles at all. TO the Americans, the Middle East is just a section in the world looking for trouble, but in reality, it's just trying to defend itself from it.
-BC