After living in the US as a European for 1.5 years, I've come to the conclusion that americans tend to be more afraid in general. For example I've never heard in Europe of recommendations like 'when selling stuff through craigslist always meet at a starbucks but never at home' either. Also being smart and/or nerdy actually is valued in Europe.

It may also be a Southern thing though.

There was an athlete doing hill runs with a weight vest in the UK: the neighbours called the anti-terrorism squad.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-15190563

I suspect there are similar incidents with much less overblown outcomes.

There's no relative scarcity of ignorant and authoritarian schoolteachers, but consequences are likely to be confined to school, not involve law enforcement, and parents and pupils are more likely to knuckle down rather than fight or go to the press.

So, taking "such behaviour" much more broadly than this specific incident (and of course granting that Europe is a big and diverse place) - if a kid is found hacking school networks, or distributing a satirical magazine, or bringing possibly inappropriate or dangerous items to school, the schools are just as likely to crack down (even if it infringes the pupil's legal rights) but the matter is likely to end there without ruining the pupil's education. Or making the school administration change its behaviour.

Personally I think the situation as I have described it is favourable. Ideally schools wouldn't be administered by petty tyrants, but as long as everyone finishes their education with a blank slate it's fine. Keeping the police away from schools as much as possible would be a good start.

The trend towards a "security theatre" and all that does indeed seem to be much stronger. Even where security measures in Europe were increased (i. e. ban on liquids), it was more on the behest of the Americans than intrinsically motivated.

I see a few possible causes:

– 9/11 was a much bigger attack than anything that happened on European soil

– there is a more influential lobby for militarisation/criminalisation in the US

– Americans are more fearful

– America is more democratic. As such, the unfounded fears of parts of the population (on both sides of the Atlantic) are less likely to be buffered by the more rational thinking of experts

and, my favourite:

– Americans love excitement and violence & it is amplified by the media. Nothing better than a bomb scare on FOX.

Because adults in education over here are still capable of independent thought, probably.