I live in Uruguay (South America) and I liked to mention the statistic that you're 10 times more likely to be murdered in Chicago (or was it Detroit?) than in Montevideo, yet you're 10 times more likely to be robbed in Montevideo :P

Not sure if it's still true but it was a funny statistic.

And the media here does portray the U.S. as a country where murder is uncommonly prevalent.