More re: Mark Steyn, Call Your Office
What Mark proclaimed to the world in his 2006 book, America Alone--namely that Europe is suffering demographic collapse and civilizational exhaustion--the New York Times, I noted the other day, has finally gotten around to confirming. To which James Poulos in effect replied, aw, cheer up:
[S]urely some among Europe's rising generations will revolt against the notion that exhaustion and failure are their only birthright....We'd better prepare ourselves now, I wager, for a few inspiring surprises in Europe.
I'm not so sure. Consider this graf from the Times article:
More broadly, many across Europe say the Continent will have to adapt to fiscal and demographic change, because social peace depends on it. “Europe won’t work without that,” said Joschka Fischer, the former German foreign minister, referring to the state’s protective role. “In Europe we have nationalism and racism in a politicized manner, and those parties would have exploited grievances if not for our welfare state,” he said. “It’s a matter of national security, of our democracy.”
Fischer may speak of "our democracy," but what he's really saying is that Europeans simply cannot be trusted with democracy. Ordinary people? The elites have to smother them with benefits to keep them from electing another Mussolini. The vast, unelected, utterly bureaucratic superstate that Fischer and his kind have been erecting in Belgium? Vast, unelected, and utterly bureaucratic is just the way they want it. A superstate, an elite that's profoundly and explicitly suspicious of ordinary people--all this makes it exceedingly difficult for Europeans who want to oppose the statism to find political ground on which to plant their feet--to organize, to found blogs and journals, simply to breath. When Americans find themselves faced with an unresponsive political system, what do they do? Throw tea parties. In Europe, that's just unthinkable. Literally. The conditions of European life--the elitism, the narrow range of views expressed in the press, the whole deference to elite, bureaucratic authority which which the whole society has been condition--make it all but impossible for such a thought to present itself in anyone's mind.
"Rising generations will revolt?" I sure hope so. But on a scale of one to ten, with ten representing the most forlorn of hopes, I'd rate that one about a nine. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe in Poland or Hungary, nations whose history has taught them the importance and fragility of freedom, a movement may yet stir. But in Germany or Italy or Spain or France?
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Re: More re: Mark Steyn, Call Your Office
Fast, Drew, before your pal forgets he sent you that email: Mark and I are available. Screenwriting, acting, moving cameras around on dolleys--we see our careers merely as preparation for the moment when the studio executive finally picks up the phone and calls.
Re: More re: Mark Steyn, Call Your Office
Stick with me, kid, I'll make you a star! Speaking of which, I'm halfway through your Podhoretz interviews and they're absolutely great. You know what stinks? I thought I was absolutely delightful on Uncommon Knowledge, but now I realize: you make us all look wonderful. Very dispiriting.
May '10
Re: More re: Mark Steyn, Call Your Office
Even though I'm of the Europe-is-probably-history camp, I'm sympathetic to the efforts of James, Conor, and Robert to look for hopeful signs, ways for turning things around, and so on. It's human nature to want to be proved right, and I'd hate to see our side feeling personal vindication at the latest Greek riot or European concession to Islam. Focusing on the hopelessness of a situation can be useful if it's for purposes of shaping more realistic policies, but it can easily degenerate into punt-on-first-down resignation. John Derbyshire (of "We Are Doomed" fame) over at NR is the prime example of this defeatism. Funny guy, smart guy, but in the end, a loser. Let's resolve to never find ourselves reveling in bad news. That's for liberals to do.
May '10
Re: More re: Mark Steyn, Call Your Office
Andrew Klavan: Stick with me, kid, I'll make you a star! Speaking of which, I'm halfway through your Podhoretz interviews and they're absolutely great. You know what stinks? I thought I was absolutely delightful on Uncommon Knowledge, but now I realize: you make us all look wonderful. Very dispiriting. · May. 27 at 11:39am
Drew, if you subscribe to Uncommon Knowledge on iTunes (under the Podcasts) the entire interview is downloaded on the first day it is released. No need to wait another day for Peter's next segment. Incidentally, it was subscribing online to Uncommon Knowledge that led me to the initial podcast of an embryonic center-right website called Ricochet.
May '10
Re: More re: Mark Steyn, Call Your Office
I am going to be a bit of a contrarian here (to play Devil’s advocate) and question whether the disintegration of modern Europe would really be the end all that most here are making it out to be. Granted, it is definitely not an ideal scenario, but American conventional wisdom called on staying independent from Europe for the first 140 years of US history. Yet we fell into the trap of European power politics in two World Wars and have been stuck helping them to clean up their own messes ever since. To say that “Europe” is our natural ally, betrays that much of the continent has been our opponent on any equal number of occasions. Not to mention that for all of the good qualities of western civilization, Europe has spawned much of its absolute worst (fascism, Marxism, post-modernism). Instead of arguing how to “save” Europe, a somewhat presumptuous statement anyhow, should not we more realistically discuss where instead to build reliable future relationships in spite of Europe? Are there not other parts of the world were we can find common interests and values, or if nothing else a realistic, working relationship?
Re: More re: Mark Steyn, Call Your Office
I've spent a lot of time in Europe touring with my band. I started with the squat tours and made it all the way to the arenas and a few stadiums. It seemed like they were on their way to pulling out of their post war fog for a while when they stopped seating people in the empty seats at anybody's table at restaurants and a few ice machines were imported, but the jealousy and/or mistrust of the cultural direction of the U.S., combined with rampant secularism, empty churches, and the demographic shifts that will turn the entire region (except Poland) over to Islam some day lead me to believe that they are indeed doomed.
John Paul II enabled their anomalous tea party evolve out of Poland in the 70s but that was most likely divine intervention. The current Pope might be Europe's only hope. His writings are straight forward. He knows exactly what's happening and how to solve it. E.g., sane people have to make lots of babies. When he starts speaking his mind about Islam, watch out.
Re: More re: Mark Steyn, Call Your Office
Wow, Joe, really? The last pope who "spoke his mind about Islam" was....one of those really old ones, back around the Battle of Lepanto.
But I think you're right: a continent of gorgeous, heart-stopping churches that are empty is probably a continent that won't be able to bestir itself from its slow decline.
What's missing from Europe, I think, is a general sense of passion and pride, that there's something distinctly European worth preserving. I certainly hope the Pope pipes up. Otherwise, it'll be left to these guys.
May '10
Re: More re: Mark Steyn, Call Your Office
Whoa, hey, did you miss the whole Regensburg Address controversy? Or get caught up in just the PR kerfluffle? Read what B16 says about Islam. Then ponder the implications of his rhetorical question:
Is the conviction that acting unreasonably contradicts God's nature merely a Greek idea, or is it always and intrinsically true?
This is academic, to be sure, but it is about as serious a theological critique as they come.
B16 could be a great pope, but since Europeans don't listen to popes, though, it probably doesn't matter what he says. That said, Europe is on a very bad trajectory, but nothing is inevitable…
Rob Long: Wow, Joe, really? The last pope who "spoke his mind about Islam" was....one of those really old ones, back around the Battle of Lepanto.
But I think you're right: a continent of gorgeous, heart-stopping churches that are empty is probably a continent that won't be able to bestir itself from its slow decline.
What's missing from Europe, I think, is a general sense of passion and pride, that there's something distinctly European worth preserving. I certainly hope the Pope pipes up. Otherwise, it'll be left to these guys. · Jun 10 at 11:44am
May '10
Re: More re: Mark Steyn, Call Your Office
The decline of Europe is America's fault. Not intentionally, but for the last five hundred years, Europe's most talented and ambitious people have left for the New World, particularly America, in order to have the freedom to maximize their talent. This drain of the vital few has left Europe with only those who are willing to leech onto whatever wealth and talent is left.
I've held this idea so long now -- since I read Heinlein's novels in high school -- that it always surprises me that it's not the common notion. (Would that I had Scott Reusser's gift, but for Heinlein instead of Steyn!) The only thing that worries me about it is that sooner or later, America will have built up its own reservoir of leeches and we'll all have to migrate off-world to enjoy freedom. I hope private-sector space travel gets developed pretty soon.
Nov '10
Re: More re: Mark Steyn, Call Your Office
In his piece entitled "The European Syndrome" Charles Murray points out that the real problem with the European Model is that it takes "The life out of life". By removing the difficulties and work from life it prevents it's citizens from experiencing the deep satisfactions that ultimately make it worth living. When this happens a person's sole goal is to wile away the time as pleasantly as possible until the end comes. Why raise children, be a good spouse, or participate in bettering your community when the government will do it for you? In essence, by removing adult responsibilities from people you prevent them from becoming adults. Nations of grown children don't care about the past and will not fight for the future. In such a culture the concept of greatness becomes irritating. I suspect this is a large source of anti-americanism today and why Europe is embarrassed of it's magnificent past. This is also why I don't see Europe coming back. You need adults who have some appreciation of the wonderful tragedy of life, and I just don't think Europe has enough to turn the tide. (Whether American does is another question).
Nov '10
Re: More re: Mark Steyn, Call Your Office
PS - I think Charles Murray would make an excellent guest on Uncommon Knowledge. Make it happen!