Wednesday, December 05, 2007

America Alone, I

2007 Dec 05, 2007, 13 Qawl, 164 BE; Review of America Alone, Part I

I have been auditing Mark Steyn's "America Alone: The End of the World As We know It," a book that I most emphatically do not recommend. I listen not because I agree but because I like to hear all sides of an issue. Admittedly, Steyn's opinions go down easy because of his easy wit and clever twists, and he does make some good points about demographics, though they are hardly news. The Romans had a saying, From the masses, power, and Proverbs 14:28 says,
"In the multitude of people is the kings honor: but in the want of people is the destruction of the prince."
Steyn points out many times the end result of falling birth rates in the effete West, meaning loss of prominence for those who are used to starring on the world stage. Who? So-called Christendom and especially members of the White race. American and Western hegemony are directly threatened by proliferating Muslims. He neglects to point out that Islam itself is rotten to the core, and that high birthrates are a sign of moral and economic decline, not vitality. But the fact remains that brown babies are outnumbering white ones, and he is correct to point out the implications on the political scene. Still, it is entertaining to hear what he has to say, though afterwards, especially after his tirades against multiculturalism, you feel all covered in sticky slime.
Insofar as he is, in his own words, a "social conservative" Steyn's ideas are sound, but mixed in are almost lethal doses of implicit racism and toadyism. This is a poisonous toad, do not swallow the slime. This book became a bestseller and proved so congruent with the prejudices of those presently in power that Steyn was honored with at least one audience with the current American president.
Enough said.
To learn more about this, check out the Wikipedia article on the man, and compare Steyn's qualifications with those in the opposing camp, college graduates like Thomas Flannery or George Monbiot. Steyn reminds me of the old bulldog columnist for the Globe and Mail, Richard Needham. My buddy Doug and I used to argue Needham's provocative but insubstantial ideas by the hour, especially his endlessly repeated idea that Batchelor of Arts degrees destroy the human mind. Needham, an old school-of-hard-knocks journalist, railed against educated people his whole career. Doug summed him up in two words, "sour grapes."
In order to wash off the spirit slime, I viewed the first of a set of videos commemorating the 1992 Jubilee meeting in New York. What a contrast! Here is an entire religion built on multiculturalism. Whereas other meetings feature leaders talking to audiences, this unique gathering put the followers on display, front and center. Here the believers, dressed in full ethnic costume, were center stage, joyously celebrating the centenary of the life of Baha'u'llah. Each of the oppressed and put upon cultures of the world had the chance to walk up the aisle, save the Iranians in the cradle of the Faith, who could only send flowers. Not a dry eye in the house. I especially remember an expression the keynote speaker used, a former member of the UHJ, when he mentioned "unmentionable politics." That is about it, political opinions are unspeakably gross, and we should not talk about them for the same reasons one does not dwell on bathroom functions.
Instead of Steyn, I suggest spending your limited time with a commentator of substance, like George Monbiot. He is not likely to get an invite to the White House, but that is a good thing.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I found your site from a link on MarkSteyn.com.

"Sour grapes" versus Elitist Snobbery. Albert Einstein was a genius who couldn't tie his own shoe laces.

You are forgetting the stereotype of the highly educated professor who has no common sense. Mark Steyn is the opposite. Mark Steyn is the uneducated genius who actually does have common sense, and he consistently digs out hidden and overlooked details to provide a unique and factual perspective on the world. Often, many villains do not want their stealth intents exposed in this manner, hence Steyn becomes a threat to them.

If you think Mark Steyn is an inferior writer based upon his lack of formal education, then you don't understand the American Dream of being able to compete and succeed, despite the status quo rules that demand only the most moneyed and privileged may apply for success (a classic problem in other countries outside of the Great USA).

I think you also ignore the sour grapes of highly educated writers who have never had a bestseller and have never been profitably published or widely read.

Mark Steyn is now in a higher league of public persona (above the merely educated writer, he is the rare influential writer), after having a #1 bestseller, radio and TV appearances, and getting more speaking engagements than he has time for, his influence is now so large that in Canada the Muslims are trying to silence his thoughts via the force of law, using taxpayer money. You can't buy that sort of influence like you can pay for a university degree in your own personal obscurity.

In Christian circles we say that if the devil is not attacking you it is because you pose no threat to his influence. As a writer, Mark Steyn threatens to blow the cover off of discreet, underhanded mischief, thus the liberals and Muslims want him stopped at all costs.

Fight the good fight.

Anonymous said...

I found your Blog via a link from Mark Steyn's Blog. It's not the worst review of his book that I've read. But you don't really refute anything he says. You just say "Islam too is rotten to the core" and that simply bringing up this issue marks Mark as a racist. Regarding the second point, if I made a similar argument about a fictitious world and just said Population A vs. Population B, etc. then the logic would still be valid. Regarding the first point, it doesn't matter if Islamic society is not viable long-term, if "Western" society is long-gone by that time. In any case, you now have a different lens through which to see the news of "youth" riots in Europe. We'll see who's right in the next few decades.

Unknown said...

So Steyn is dumb because he does not have a University degree? Like, er, Bill Gates?

Anonymous said...

Sir, I think you rate a college education far too highly, and I teach and research at one. Being familiar with both Steyn and Monbiot I can safely say that Steyn outstrips Monbiot on logical consistency and is less absolutist.

Anonymous said...

The real core problem that Steyn dances around is lack of testoserone in most males in western society. If you are an aggressive boy in school the female dominated education system wants the child to be medicated. If you are an aggresive male in the work place you need to be sensitized. Western society looks down on the single greatest trate that preserves freedom the stuborn possition of some to accept nothing else other than freedom. You may call this trate what you like, I choose Balls.