Culture of humiliation: Bob Ellis asks, "Will showing Saddam Hussein in his underpants help our cause in the Middle East?" Probably not. He continues:

The followers of Jesus of Nazareth, curiously, did not abandon their cause after his whipping, buffeting, mocking, stripping and crucifixion. The followers of Che Guevara still revere him despite the photos of his shooting, his slow agony and his death. The supporters of John Tyndale did not cease to read his English Bible after his public burning at the stake. Where do Americans get their silly ideas?

From our "culture of humiliation," the Australian playwright concludes: a climate that, from Little League and spelling bees to American Idol and The Apprentice, wallows in "humilition, defeat, and mockery."