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September 24, 2006
A Euro-centric Point of View
I have, from time to time, hammered the Euros for being somewhat less than "stand-up guys" when it comes to dealing with the IslamoFascisti. I have especially hammered the French, mostly because they are such easy targets.
Lee, over at Right Thinking from The Left Coast, has put together a most insightful essay on why the Euros think the way they do. It's one of those scintillating "duh" moments - the blindingly obvious things that should have been smacking me right in the face to get my half-witted attention. Go read his thingie HERE - be advised, it's fairly lengthy, but is certainly worth your time.
A small sample:
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It is an unquestioned fact that, by and large, Americans don’t travel around the world as much as people from other places. Elitist Eurosnobs like to think that this is a sign of their superior culture, but the fact of the matter is that it’s one of geographical necessity. America is so big and so varied that we have everything you want. No matter what type of climate, no matter what type of activity you wish to engage in, you can find it in America. From skiing and mountain climbing to the hottest deserts to gambling to sport fishing and everything in between, America’s diversity makes it so that there’s no real need to travel overseas, unless you’re going there specifically to experience another culture. This is not so in Europe, which has countries that function in a very similar way to US states. In America we travel between the states; in Europe this same amount of travel is technically “international.” With most countries in Europe having a distinct language and culture from its neighbor, people there are inherently exposed to different viewpoints. |
Later on in the post, Lee makes the point that horrible as it is/was, the events of September 11th, 2001, are one of only two successful foreign terrorist attacks on the US. We never had to put up with Red Brigades, or Red Army Faction, or the IRA, or ETA, or any of the hundred-and-one violent movements that have infected Europe.
Nor have we had, in our country, the knock on the door in the middle of the night, we haven't had Hitler invade us and set up camps. Shoot, we haven't been dragged down to actual physical ruin by our own leaders, as happened to Italy, Germany, and Japan.
So, the Euros are more than a little dubious about American methods in the War on Terror.
Quite understandable, considering their history and proximity to the mad mullahs.
After reading Lee's post, twice, I have come to the conclusion that America is fundamentally different from the Euros.
It doesn't make America wrong. But, my friends, we certainly are different.
I happen to think we're right.
Posted by ward at September 24, 2006 08:36 PM