Wandering Around Europe
The Beauty of Europe
One can see why millions of Muslims flock to Europe. Oh, I know it is the economic and political dividends of Western consensual governments and state capitalism that provide such material and spiritual freedom. But surely some of the attraction of Europe is both the physical beauty and the infrastructure left from prior magnificent civilizations. There is nothing quite like the French Mediterranean coast, Tuscany, the hills above Rome, almost anywhere in Crete, the Peloponnesos. The combination of sea, mountains, and radical differences in climate make Europe one of the most stunningly beautiful places in the world.
Add in the infrastructure left from the classical antiquity, Church, the Renaissance, the Reformation and counter-Reformation, and 17-19th century ages of Enlightenment, and you have perhaps the most serene, accessible–both natural and human–and impressive landscapes in the world. That they are easily accessed and safe makes them far different from anything in Africa or South America.
There is a reason why we see now in American suburbs gated communities entitled “European Parc” with sort of faux-Italian villas, tile roofs, iron grates on upstairs windows, and yellow/brown/brown smooth stucco finishes, among cypress trees and Lombardy poplars, as if the builder wants to reproduce a Sienna, but with easy parking, suburban ease, and American appurtenances.
What Does Europe Do Better than We Do?
Teach languages; either by need or choice, European teens by and large speak more languages than do our own. Food. By and large, the average European eats a more varied, tasty meal than his American counterpart. Here I note in America, you can get more variety, better quality food, and better service-but most do not for a variety of reasons. Europeans know more of the past than we do-by needs no doubt. But cite a battle, a cathedral, or a famous Roman, and the odds are that Europeans more readily begin a conversation than their American counterparts. This is changing, but we took an enormous toll in the 1970-2009 era, when our schools veered off toward the therapeutic and diversity.
Anzio
There is a beautiful American military cemetery at Anzio (Nettuno, Italy), an eerie place where 7,681 dead Americans rest. It is perhaps made the more eerie when one reads of the deer-in-the-headlights generalship of a well-meaning, but inept Gen. John Lucas, and the weird megalomania of Gen. Mark Clark that cheek-by-jowl tragically ensured that a badly planned amphibious landing would get even worse as it progressed. Meanwhile Patton was cooling his heels, in punishment for slapping two American soldiers. Never has such a slap cost so many American lives-since I would have to assume at some point Patton would have been used in relief in Italy, in the manner that the inspired Gen. Lucian Truscott was.
Mr Hanson: I have read that Gen.Clark told Gen. Lucas to be cautious prior to the Anzio landing due to Clarks’experience of overextending during the Solarano invasion.
Hey Doc,
I’ve been enjoying your observations about Europe. I’ve lived in Europe for many years and your comments are spot on. I particularly enjoyed your segment on “disconnect”. I see and hear the same things.
It’s hard not to love this continent (for all the good reasons you described). But, I don’t think I’ll cry ,if and when, they get their come-upence someday. By and large they view Americans as unsophisticated rubes.
I’ve never encountered any form of gratitude for the past or current American sacrifices to preserve their way of life. Sometimes I find myself agreeing with crazy old Pat Buchanan that World War II never should have been fought to save this continent size museum.
I know you’re busy…but how about some thoughts about Memorial Day?
Safe travels!
Pops
Hanson, I’m sick of how so many people glorify the way the Europeans speak multiple languages so well. In a geographic area of roughly the United States, one needs a different language every several hundred miles. Americans’ English-only abilities allow them to travel 1000 miles East-West and many hundreds of miles North-South, even extending into Canada!
The Supply of multilingual Americans is lower than the Europeans because there is no polygot Demand for such talents and our time is better spent learning other subjects in school.
That’s not something we “do worse,” it’s a fine way to live our lives. So be it!
Thanks for telling us about European experiences, I think it is very- quiet almost- nice reading. That must sound weird.
I hope that one day Europe realizes that there is more inside it than could ever be given to it by someone else. The problem that I see is that they do not want to know what is inside them. They are afraid of all the individualism that was before and believe everyone should just be quiet and allow themselves to be at peace.
Will Durant said something like this about the middle ages in talking about Augustine. He said that the people grew tired of the imperialism and sins of other reasoning ages and threw themselves into the hands of God. It is interesting to think about.
I think that the fears that come from Europe are fears that they would rather leave behind than ones that they would even dare remember. Hopefully one day they see that being oneself does not mean one has to be a monster.
The people seem to know that a country can only be as good as it wants to be though, and that should leave some hope for the future.
General George Patton was an anti-Semitic bigot and adulterer. In many respects, he was not a nice guy—and I would not like to be a personal friend of such a man. And yet, he was a mighty warrior who probably could have shortened the war by a good six months. My guess is that a number of his fellow generals were envious of his accomplishments and used any available excuse to push him to the sidelines. Dwight D. Eisenhower was also the right man for the job of chief commander in Europe. This top position required somebody possessing superb diplomatic skills. Patton, though, should have been cut as much slack as possible and allowed to fight the major campaigns as he mostly saw fit.
“One can see why millions of Muslims flock to Europe.”
“To make Islam dominant over all other religions and to make ‘God’s Law’ (sharia) supreme” is a more correct answer than your typically pollyanna view. How many times must they demand submission from the indigenous people in places as far afield as Thailand or the UK before you take them seriously?
Anzio is one of the saddest places I have ever been.
Food
When I was in Spain in the 70′s I asked why the bread tasted so much better over there. I was told that after WW2 the Americans sent flour as aid and Spaniards noticed their bread didn’t taste as good. When they started growing wheat and making their own again the taste returned. The store bought ground beef made funky tasting burgers. It wasn’t corn fed beef. But the pastry in Paris was incredible.
What Happened To Greek Culture
With his ‘Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire’, Edward Gibbons took some hits from the Church for putting blame on Christianity. He said that Christian other-worldly pursuit replaced the emphasis on this world. Thousands began hating this existence and joined bread-and-water monastery’s or became (very strange) hermits rather than join the Legions, be proud or care at all about empire.
The Deficit
Similar to the soldiers of the inept Gen. Lucas and Gen. Clark, we are all following our Commander in Chief marching to our doom of deficits. My senator McCaskill is the President’s good buddy and Bond just seems old. I qualify for social security in a few years but I wouldn’t give odds on seeing it. Actually, I think it’s already earmarked to go to ACORN.
vdh,
Don’t you worry about typos – your thoughts are most welcome, regardless.
Cheers,
Dan Steele
Port Ludlow, WA
newer version of firefox and chrome have built in spell checks! :)
Damn the typos, full speed ahead ! ! !
Or, something like that. {:^)
Dr. Hanson -
Thanks for sharing your thoughts as you travel and, please, worry not about typos and such. Your stream of conscience observations and insights resonate more deeply than most prepared remarks from talking heads.
Stay safe on your travels and enjoy. Hopefully, one day I will get the privilege to join you on one of these “tours through history.”
Best regards,
GGA – Dublin, Ohio
Six years ago, my then-girlfriend was a student at Trinity College, Dublin, and I shared a house in Dublin with a Trinity professor. I was at the school much of the time, and was always pleased to pass under the statue of Edmund Burke at Trinity’s main gate. Gradually it dawned on me that almost no one knew who Burke was. Among students, everyone it seemed knew the poet Goldsmith, whose statue guards the south side of the gate. I decided to take an informal survey and began interviewing students wherever I encountered them, but especially those entering or leaving under Burke’s statue, asking whether anyone had even heard of him. The results were appalling, which is when I concluded that European education – at least higher education in Ireland – was (is?) spookily selective. But surely, no one ever planned to eradicate Ireland’s greatest “West-Brit,” so by what process do inconvenient ideas and people get forgotten like this?
Amen to what IcePilot said–from Washington to Missouri, we just want to hear what you have to say, Dr. H.–typos or no typos.
Be safe,
Timothy Hadley
Springfield, Missouri
Europe too good for the Europeans and America too good for the slight majority of Americans who voted in Obama. I think I see a theme here.
Victor most of that beauty you so eloquently describe was made possible by the labor and suffering of so many of the ancient world’s wonderful invention, the slave and the peasant. Thank God for rich powerful people with good taste who left us all those beautiful wonders we ugly Americans pay too much to gawk at.
One more thought, show us some photos of those wonders.
“Teach languages; either by need or choice, European teens by and large speak more languages than do our own. ”
I’ve always found this an interesting argument… mostly because its not hugely based in fact. Sue the euro’s teach a host of languages… but that doesn’t mean they know them very well. My bother works for BMW… deals with germans all the time. Barely half of them speak english…. and thats after going through high school to learn it.
Euros need to learn a huge host of langs in order to live and work… I’m always confused by the fact that ppl seem to think this is a good thing… its not. The language argument is a very weak one. Sure they speak more languages on avg then ppl in the US… but they need to speak those languages just to get by because of the hugely fractured natural that is europe. If you needed to know chinese, spanish, english and a host of other languages just to travel 100 miles down the street most ppl in the US would know them… however language is all based on use… if you don’t use it you lose it period. Euros are required to use it… ppl in the US aren’t… So its hardly some “key” difference that makes them better. Just because you know how to churn butter doesn’t mean its a useful skill. If everyone stopped using butter where would you be?
Thats the difference between the US and the euro’s… their still out their churning butter in their old fashion wooden butter churners… in the US we built a factory with robots to churn our butter for us.
The “disconnect” is indeed partly to assuage the “privilege”, as written in the article.
It is also in keeping with the international stupidity of “PROJECTION”:
http://www.amazon.com/Guide-Perfect-Latin-American-Idiot/dp/156833236X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1243331191&sr=1-1
Ahhhh… I remember well my 1st trip to Athens as a young man. My head was positively swimming as I self-toured the history of Greece. I had a book, and a backpack, stout shoes, and little else, although, occasionally I would splurge and rent a Vespa for a few days. Then after about 2 weeks it dawned on me; why is it that a city that old had never got around to building sidewalks for pedestrians? Venturing away from your rooms was taking your life into your own hands.
We tend to romanticize the accomplishments of the Europeans, never realizing we have done more in our 200 odd years than they did in 3,000 years. After I managed to put things in the correct visual perspective, Europe became less fascinating to me. I do admit the French country side is beautiful, however, it’s be a lot better if they could get rid of all those arrogant and rude people who live there.
Europe too good for the Europeans… that beauty you so eloquently describe was made possible by the labor and suffering of so many of the ancient world’s wonderful invention, the slave and the peasant
umm, Joseph, the beauty of a countryside and architecture is an eternal recommencement, that not only the ancients maintened and or created, but generations after generations it was renewed, wild nature can quickly overwhelm a whole landscape. It’s labor, it’s sense of aesthetic, it’s a particular culture that gave to people the desire to make great monuments that reflected their era. Even nowadays, there still are such people, but the materials are modern, the architecture is audacious and lighter, the next generations might be astonnished by our achievments.
The thing is that we are more inclined to look at the past, and whin how it was better before.
“Such a strange mix – socialist equality of result superimposed over a hierarchical, class-bound, and largely aristocratic society.”
Nothing strange about that, once one realizes that the “socialist equality” is a charade designed to stifle the competition of the marketplace, to avoid that the upper class is challenged by upstarts.
“You see guys in designer clothes, shades, and pricey motor bikes pasting communist posters on light poles.”
Now THAT is strange, since the communists do not want just to eliminate competition, but actually to demote the upper class. However, that is a phase that the guys in designer clothes usually grow out of.
“[...] You can hear ‘Bush did it’ talk, juxtaposed with real racist fury about Muslims and other minorities that are ‘overwhelming’ Europe.”
Again, nothing strange that xenophobia is applied both to Americans and to visible minorities.
Still, let me conclude on a positive note: at least continental Europe does not run huge deficits anymore — unlike the USA and UK.
As for history… while I agree that euros are much more readily willing to talk about… its because they tend to be completely ignorant of history and like to hear themselves talk…
One of the classics I love to talk to euros about is WW2… Talk to about 90% of euro and they will tell you the same thing. The russians and the brits did all the “heavy lifting” during WW2. This is a classic euro revision of history. Anyone with even a basic understanding of military tactics, military history and just common sense knows that the US pretty much singlehandedly won WW2. Their can really be no debate on the topic anyone who reviews basic facts understands this. Euros however are not fond of facts that don’t agree with their prefect euro centric view. Euros love to talk history but their the last ones to understand it. They haven’t learned from 2 world wars a single lesson…
My respect for Eisenhower left me when I realized that over twenty thousand American GI’s that were in German prison camps were not saved from the Russians that took over the camps.
Often, it is true, Europeans seem dismissive of America’s sacrifices in the last 2 world wars; on the other hand there are exaggerations from here about the nature of this sacrifice, making it an all-altruistic move, which was not, and claims like “if it weren’t for us, you would be speaking German” and so on.
The fact is, the US intervention in both wars was strategically sound and finally preventive. In 1st World War without the US either Germany would have won or a bloody stalemate would have ensued. Both outcomes would have cost the US dearly at the end.
More clearly, in World War II, without a US intervention in Europe, Hitler would have won and the submarine war was already here, and more of Hitler was coming later. So there was no choice, I do not believe the Buchanan’s comment is correct.
That’s why many Europeans tend to only see this angle, pragmatically, to the chagrin of some Americans inclined to notice the large American cemeteries in France and Italy and the sacrifices in lives.
As often happens, truth seems to be in the middle.
They do not do food better, and nobody can cook like Texas, except Louisiana. I am biased on this subject, but it is my opinion. Europeans eat our horses, and any people who have a taste for horse meat have no taste. Slaughtering horses to sell overseas is a poor subject around here, because it is plain wrong. Europeans were so scared of mad cow, so what do they want to buy? Horses are for riding not for eating. I have met a few chubby Europeans and all they want to eat are noodles when they visit Texas, and they would not know good southern style soul food if they smelled it cooking in the pot.
My favorite wines come from Italy, and I go straight away to the Italian wine section when buying wines. So I have to say they can make some fine wine.
There is nothing better than tex mex cooking except soul food from Louisiana. Also, I use my Louisiana cook books as much as I use some of my Grandmother’s recipes, and I love Cajun foods, and all of my best recipes for sea food are a Cajun blend of seasonings.
Also, I feel that we make better Margarita’s in Texas, and yes, better than Mexico, because I have been to Mexico many times and ordered a Margarita that is nothing compared to our own. I am biased.
After ten years in Germany and ten years on a sheep farm in West Virginia, I can identify with three themes:
- centuries of history, epitomized by the highwater marks carved in the stone at the Wuerzburg Altekrannen: http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/W%C3%BCrzburg#Hochwasserst.C3.A4nde Napoleon marched through Wuerzburg, they sent their sons to WW I and much of the city was raised in WW II, but the vineyards and the river traffic went on.
- the vineyards and the sheep are tended the same as they have been for centuries: there are no shortcuts for four seasons, and the best in chemistry and equipment does little to reduce the manual work
- West Virginia has reforested and depopulated as sons left the farm for more profitable work in the city. The reason WV is rife with rotting barns and junk strewn abandoned houses is that America is a land of opportunity. It is easy to drive through the Pyrenees and marvel at the picture post card sheep farms, but if you have ever done the work (and done the math on the resulting income) it is obvious that no-one would wish that on their children. While psychologically rewarding, the contribution to the community can’t begin to pay for what we now consider the basics: telecommunications, transportation, medical care.
These three themes form the modern liberal’s paradox: they want affluence, upward social and economic mobility for themselves, yet they want to maintain a class of organic gardeners, sheep farmers, waiters, shopkeepers… all the ‘little people’ that give Europe it’s ambiance…
The Greek polis refutes Diamond’s thesis? I think that it easy to see them reflected in Diamonds work. The broken geography of Greece and the eastern Mediterranean created separate, autonomous cities (as opposed to the river systems the unified empires in Egypt and Mesopotamia). This limited the body of citizens to numbers small enough that democracy could develop.
In fact, Diamond explains Europe’s rise on similar grounds. According to him, the geography of Europe led to independent nations within a concentrated space, which fostered competition. He contrasts that to China, which was stifled by its homogenity.
Dr. Hanson, I admire your work greatly. Can’t I admire Jared Diamond’s too?
We really dont know much about the Minoans. I dont see how you can compare their culture with Classical Athenian culture. If you can translate Minoan text then please share your findings.
You should also put into context that the Minoans were one of Europe’s first great civilizations, over 1,000 years before the Athenian democracy began to flourish.
Anyway, you definitely have a point about Mycenaean culture.
Salerno is where my dad gained a healthy respect for the 8 in. and 16 in. guns of the US Navy. His artillery unit pounded the Krauts pretty hard, but it took the Navy to keep them from being pushed back into the sea. It’s also where he began to hate Mark Clark with a passion and began to fully appreciate the missing George Patton. The Prof. should get a commission from the EU tourism office. Makes me want to go.
You love their architecture, but I say to you where are their natural habitats? Where are their frogs? You know those little barometers that breath air, where are they? They have their man made semi-natural habitats, but where are their natural habitats and their woodlands? Where are the wetlands to preserve their natural environment? I say to you that we have the biggest and the best right here in our own country. They come to look at our wildlife, because they have killed off anything they thought of as pests throughout history. I chose nature over architecture Dr. Hanson, and that’s just the kind of girl I am, but then I was raised in the piney woods. I have not lost one thing in Europe, and I love my home.
When I was a tiny girl my Grandmother use to walk with me up to a sandy hill and she would search for the horny toads there, and we found one on a beautiful Texas midday and she was ecstatic over it. I remember her being truly happy as I smiled and laughed, and of all things over the little lizard called a horny toad. What a happy memory as she exclaimed “They exist baby girl, and I’ve been looking for one around here” and I know that the horny toads have moved, because of our environment, but how many Europeans can say this? How many Europeans can say that they still have their wildlife? I am the lucky one, and that is my true feelings.
My goal in life is to someday to on one of your tours. Thanks so very much for these wonderful posts.
One thing people generally cite about Europe is “superior train service.” By “train,” they mean “passenger train,” and Europe indeed has vastly superior passenger rail service. But they also have significantly inferior freight rail service, and the efficient movement of freight is an extremely important factor in any economy.
The fat that so many members of the scribe class focus on pax rail–which is something *they* would use directly as a consumer–while ignoring the other (and arguably even more important) function of rail transport is a sign of how disconnected most of them are from the world of actual production.
“18. robotech master:
in the US we built a factory with robots to churn our butter for us.”
Yes and that is why our butter tastes like crap. They use their robots to make thing that robots do well.
#25
Would have to agree. One would need to add, however, that the lands The Allies conquered, really liberated in fact, in WWII ended up being much better off than the lands conquered, really subjugated, by the USSR.
U.S. participation may have been motivated by self-interest to a great degree, but we never took unfair advantage of our victorious efforts as far as I know.
I find these last two posts by VDH about Europe and the comments very interesting.
America will never be Europe and will dissolve as a country before that happens.
There is no doubt Europe is a great place to visit and the history is amazing, but the beauty and the historical sites do not make for a modern day place to live. They can define their continent as stylistic but it is for the most part a land of people with no real desire to achieve on their own and who only want things given to them whether by government or relatives who are dying off. They are not happy because what is given to them is not enough because they are always comparing themselves to americans and what we have.
For the rich europeans who live great, Europe can be a great place to live. But for your average person who lives in a row house with generations of family whose jobs are mostly mindless at best, they strive for nothing and then sit around in pubs and cafes and watch soccer in their leisure and retirement time. They dont want to live in crowded cities, they long for the american suburban life that we all work for because we want out of the cities. The city is no place to raise a family. Its difficult for some to get away from the city, but people dont want that life and that is why we work so hard. We want choice as to where we live.
I grew up in Southern California in the 70s when it was a great place to live and raise a family. Now it is not and many have moved despite their love of their home. They are saddened to see it destroyed by a variety of factors including the influx of illegals and foreigners who dont strive to work or to fit in and be american, but who strive to live off the government which is still better then the life they had in their home country. We now raise our kids elsewhere far away from SoCal as we attempt to dodge these people who only make our lives worse by their hatred of our country. Its not perfect where we are now but its better then So Cal. We are always trying to improve our lives through work.
Europeans are lazy for the most part. They wont work and scoff at the american drive to succeed and the big toys we get when we do succeed. They think their european background is prestiguous and something that americans should bow down to. Ultimately they try to live off their accent and eventually the government when they refuse to work hard enough to match the american who will work all hours to achieve.
For example, I went into business with an Englishmen years ago for a variety of reasons, but I knew going in the man would not work and I had to do everything. He did as little as possible, refused to work even a full day and tried to build up a resume built on lies and stories from Britain. People here ate it up but many in the business communinty knew he was a fraud. He was so good at dodging work and lying to get awards that he would nominate himself for by getting people to sign letters he wrote, that he at a very young age got the Ellis Island medal of honor based purely on fraud. That was the last straw for me. Once the time was right, I distanced myself from him and forced him out and the business is now better then ever. He now has a government job and works as little as possible yet has all the liberal connections in government he needs. As a liberal he socializes with other fraudulent liberals and their unethical behavior is unchecked because their hypocrisy cannot be questioned because they see their behavior as normal, a sense of entitlement. He plays the system perfectly all without doing any work at all. People like him run government while people like me work and succeed in the private sector so they can tax us on our success.
Europeans make fun of us for having big SUVs and other stuff, but we work for it. They can have their small cars, overpopulated cities, and their culture is going to die a slow death as the muslims take their continent over. No doubt we have problems, but with hard work we can achieve so much. They can to but they wont stand up and save their continent. Its really too late for them and they know it so they look to tear us down and hope we end up like them.
I love visiting Europe and am amazed by its beauty and history every time I go, but I would not want to live there, much less under its socialist sytem. Europe was at its best when it was colonizing. Right or wrong, they were achieving. Now they are allowing their own countries to be invaded by people who want to live off their society rather then build one on their own. We cant let that happen to us.
America is facing similar problems, but as long as I see the american spirit and the awareness that still exists, even someone like Obama, and his american hating dribble, is not going to destroy the people in this country.
Europe has quit on itself and its people dont care. They just want to be taken care of. We will not evolve to that and while their history is great and should be appreciated, in modern times, there is no comparison between their people and ours and america is still the land of opportunity.
Excellent article as usual. Living in the rural foothills of the Pyrenees, I would say that the person who commented forgot that many of the sheep herders in the mountains double as ski guides and so forth to round out the income! I also think that most Europeans are just as navel gazing as they tend to accuse Americans of being, and that is mainly why they don’t apreciate the sacrifices of the Americans. I think food is relative to individuals. I never was thin but since I have been living in France, I hae gained tons of weight! When I get back home for a few weeks the weight just drops off…the butter churn example is just that an example, the Europeans make most of their butter just like in the US.
VDH,
Also agree with Timothy Hadley and my neighbor, IcePilot, that your impressions, thoughts and opinions are indeed breaths of fresh air, here in the intellectual void/echochamber known as The Peoples Republic of Jefferson County, WA.
Regards,
Ole Birkland
Chimacum, WA
I know this out of the way place,
Where I go to get away from the human race,
You do not know about it,
And it would be hard to find on a GPS.
It’s a place where the wildflowers grow,
In addition, it is the place I love the best,
It is located in my home state of Texas.
Only a man from the city would be talking of change,
Because I want my out of the way place to stay the same.
The animals know of the place I go,
They are there in the trees and under the canopy,
But people are few and far between,
And many would not like my place,
And that’s just fine,
Because you see it’s out of the way,
And it is out of the way of the human race.
We have it better here, and so much better than most people on this earth. I do not wish to change Mr. Hanson, because I live in God’s country, and to change it would be a sin.
To 34. Cichawoda
Nothing wrong with our butter if you know who to get it from… remember food that taste like “crap” is just “diversity” by euro standards….
Snorri Godhi @ 22 states, “Still, let me conclude on a positive note: at least continental Europe does not run huge deficits anymore — unlike the USA and UK.”
I, too detest the deficits, while noting that Western Europe has had the six-decade luxury of providing ‘cradle to grave’ social services to its indolent populace while being well-protected by the military might of the United States. The irony in this story is Europe and leftist America’s new puppet-master, BHO, seeks to de-mil the U.S. and protect America with his charm. As to Europe…..
“Europeans know more of the past than we do-by needs no doubt. But cite a battle, a cathedral, or a famous Roman, and the odds are that Europeans more readily begin a conversation than their American counterparts.”
I would suggest this probably says more about the kind of places you visit and people you meet than a generally greater level of historical knowledge among Europeans. I often hear or read similar sentiments from Americans about England. However, as an American who has spent most of my life in England and was almost entirely educated here, I know that the English in general are fairly ignorant about their own history (probably no more or less so than most Americans are about theirs). American tourists come here, visit historical sites and museums, strike up conversations with English people at or near these historical sites and museums, then go home and tell everybody how much more the English know about their own history than the average American. Well, of course the ones they met did: think about where they met them! I imagine the situation is similar in other European nations.
Actually, Greek culture survived in Byzantium for centuries, despite attacks from Islam. When Constantinople finally fell, many Greek scholars immigrated to the west, helping to spark the Renaissance.
21. Marie Claude: ]The thing is that we are more inclined to look at the past, and whin how it was better before.]
Ma chère Marie-Claude, vous adventorous Français-Bretagne tête-dure femme.
Votre traduire ma pauvre Boche humble moi.
Pouvez-vous arrêter de Paris la semaine prochaine? No Marito, s’il vous plaît. Qu’est-ce que sur “Le Petit Zinc”, non loin de l’île de La Cite? 11 rue St-Benoit 75006 Paris. Spécialités: l’épaule d’agneau à l’ail rose de lautrec; le foie de veau meunière tranché épais.
J’invite!
Thanks VDH. I travel in Europe and the ME as often as possible, and enjoy the paradox of derision and hospitality I receieve as an American. I’ve never truly felt threatened. I’m always ready to get back on that plane and see an old friendly place – or a new one. Typos are fine – I have teenagers, like, yeah.
OK, we’re working on it.
Travel safe my friend.
“Such a strange mix-socialist equality of result superimposed over a hierarchical, class-bound, and largely aristocratic society. You see guys in designer clothes, shades, and pricey motor bikes pasting communist posters on light poles.”
That’s because they share the same fundamental philosophy: anti-individualist and collectivist, statist and anti-freedom – only the intended recipients of the coercive plunder differ.
Another word on languages. All four of my grandparents came from Denmark; my mother and father both learned Danish, but they could hardly understand each other’s Danish because they had learned different dialects.
It is as if someone from Port Townsend and someone from Enumclaw each had to speak in Seattle-English to make themselves understood when they brought produce to the Pike Place Market. I have to add my voice to those who say that our nationwide use of the same language is a big advantage to the United States.
“What Does Europe Do Better than We Do?”
Slaughter people by the millions.
I am writing most of these two weeks’ blogs while in Europe in between leading a tour. That is no excuse for the unusual number of typos and slips, and I will try this week to download from MS word on to the Pajamas site rather than write directly on it in too hasty fashion.
Don’t sweat it Dr. Hanson. I rarely comment on your articles, because I really have nothing to add, I just try and absorb, look up the odd word, and comprehend. I enjoy everything you write, and I would rather have two articles than one flawless one.
Occasionally I watch the PBS rebroadcasts of English mansions and castlettes owned by the National Trust and I marvel at the extravagance once flaunted by the upper middle class trying to break the noble-ceiling or the nobility trying to break the royal-ceiling, while their tenants were and are still for the most part defined and confined by their job title, i.e. “once a swineherd, always a swineherd”. This European stratification has kept the money and power in the hands of their heirs, “can’t have the peasants mucking up the place, old chap” and at least in political and business arenas has sustained the snobbery of European elites to this day. This class distinction is also responsible for the disconnect between the political leadership and their contituents, not to mention America. Isolated as they are by the hegemony of class, they can’t see the threat posed by their Muslim imports because they are blinded by their culture and in-breeding. Has anyone noticed this class-snobbery gaining more and more prominence in the U.S.? We have had the royalty of the Astors, Vanderbilts, Morgans and Rockefellers. Now we have the royalty of the Kennedys and Bushes. New England, American-old and loaded with our history, has its upper class that’s just as snobby as Britain. Ancient New York and San Francisco elites are also contemptuous of us flyover bumpkins. Even defeated or retired politicians don’t simply go home and give up the ability to enrich themselves and stay in the orbit of power. Three old boys from flyover country, Bill Clinton, Bob Dole and Tom Daschle, come to mind. Power so corrupts and deludes until individual liberty demands change (revolution). Tea party anyone?
If you are travelling in Greece, you may notice the pollution, and then compare it to the US. Air pollution in Athens is worse than Los Angeles. People tend to litter without too much concern for the environment, except in high traffic tourist areas. Garbage is overflowing in the cities, and strikes by (state-owned) garbage removers can hold cities hostage. We wouldn’t put up with it in the US (OK, maybe Detroit.)
That begs the question, what interests European individuals? The type of self-interest that is practiced in Europe has been self-defeating, because it presumes that government works, even when it is demonstrably corrupt. Why would self-interested people continually elect corrupt parties into power, such as the PASOK party in Greece? To be fair, there is corruption throughout the political spectrum, but it is curious that most politics in Europe is skewed to the left.
The moral: Europeans are most comfortable when they are living in a way that has been established over many generations. Looking forward, they have a vague idea of what constitutes a better life, but they do not feel that they have much of a stake in the present or the future.
There may be exceptions: It seems that Poland, and some of the other Eastern European countries do not necessarily co-opt Western Europe’s ideals. There is less of an ‘establishment’ mentality.
A few others have already noted, but it bears repeating: Things like quickly collapsing the thesis of Mr. Diamond before relating the dramatic events of Mr. Pendlebury’s life outweighs concern over a few silly typos any day.
Have a safe trip and keep up the great work.
Thank you; a wonderful commentary. I have visted Italy perhaps ten times since 1967, with eight years of Latin in my educational portfolio. My visits varied from three weeks to six weeks. There is much to be learned from the visits to various sites of historical interest if one prepares himself. I am also a U S Marine Corps veteran of WWII (Pacific theater). There are many tragic stories of misjudgment and unnecessary sacrifice of American lives during the WWII years. But Anzio ranks among the worst. The road to Rome was open. Rome could have been reached with little contest, if the American general in
command of the landing forces had advanced promptly. Instead he took a defensive position, which permitted Germany to move troops and position them between Anzio and Rome. The consequence of this misjudgment is evident in the graves in the cemetery at Anzio.
In nations where English is the primary language (United States, Ireland, England, Canada, Australia)the people don’t learn a second language. That’s because English is the language of business and if you already know it there is little need to learn a second language.
puleze Mr.VDH America as a pristine depopulated land without indigenous people. ever been to Chaco Canyon? astronomy and mathematics that was in place before anglo civilization came to town. that would make it pre Columbian. depopulation due to non resistance to European diseases. ok i like Europe too, but America has its own history, and it really does pre date 1492.
1492 wasn’t that the year they finally kicked the moors out of Spain?
@ Pops …
“I’ve never encountered any form of gratitude for the past or current American sacrifices to preserve their way of life.”
Well, I’m German, and I’m grateful for what the Americans did for Europe, and for the Pax Americana I’m enjoying … and there are more out there, just like me.
“Europeans are lazy for the most part. ”
it’s how they appear to you, but they are more rational on their working organisation, in less time they can achieve the same amount of work than any of their american equivalent (ie the French have the best rentability ratio pro worked hour in the world)
and one knows that leasure, sleeping, dreaming times help to regenerate brains :lol:
view from afar, may-be you’re mixing your 2 ways of feeding yourself, you should pay attention to “feculents” and “sweets”, they are the ingredients that make one becoming fat !
Mike, Poland and the eastern republics are collapsing, because they wanted to make a too big jump for ignoring their geographical situation : they thought they were proxy to the US, too bad, but the US will not supply energy to them
Seamus, you’re blinding yourself, nowadays you’ve the Latin illegals, the black ghettos… and also your muslims !
MiamaMan, désolée, I can’t, umm, I would love to share your meal, but I’m on duty, ya know, french state doesn’t support me !
I beg to differ with Hanson – Europe can be pretty if you are into Singmaringen or Sienna type of things, but then, when everything is counted and the line is drawn, Europe is the… authentic Potemkiniade.
Pretty facades, but behind them entrenched poverty, lack of interest for the world, crappy schools & universities, bottomless political corruption and government incompetence, nepotism, arcane and dysfunctional hierachies, social ossification, laziness, lack of hygiene (French especially are appalling), absurd sense of entitlement, superb political and military cowardice (I’d say that servility and quislingness are genetic traits of most Europeans). And yes, art and literature which goes well beyond as crappiness of what is currently called art in the US.
An aging demography which is rapidly substituted by hostile Muslims, either newcomers or local militant hatchlings who have no intention whatsoever to perpetuate the local culture(s) – the works!
Breathtaking landscapes – travel in Andes and Manchuria and you’ll sure get a run for the money.
As far as Europe, from the stenching and thievish Italy to Londonistan, from the feces infested Bruxelles to the lazy, corrupt & terminally uncreative Greece and Spain, to the soundly stupid Scandinavia, to the foul smelling Parisians (and their post apocalyptic faubourgs) – not much to bragg about.
Hanson writes well about many things, but in this case he’s gotten entrapped by his profession which is European classical studies, and his nostalgic take on Europe is anachronistic – Goethe visiting Greece or Stendhal fainting in Florence don’t apply anymore for America, where we’ve entered an age in which cultural connections with the “old world” have become a strictly ceremonial matter. There are times when “it’s over” really means “it’s over” – and this is where we are.
Sometimes history repeats itself and Europe may, one day, coagulate in a better form than it is today – but this is yet to be seen, and when observing the European affair one cannot find too many encouraging signs for such a turn.
Hanson, here’s a pattern you might want to try another time when comparing America with Europe: the observations & opinions of English travelers in Italy in the 16th-17th century – they uniformy praised the landscape and ruins. But after that come the remarks about the miserable social landscape… and there isn’t much difference between those times’ Italy and today’s, is it?
I’m not sure I’d be as hard on Lucas as you are, Professor. As TF points out, the experience of Salerno had taught Clark to be overcautious, and he passed this along to Lucas.
The alternative to Lucas’ decision to stop and secure a perimeter was to recklessly push on to the Alban Hills. I suggest the outcome in that case would have been even worse, given the German skill at rapidly reinforcing the area. The whole Anzio operation was ill-conceived and undermanned, and even a George Patton could not have done much with the plan if he had been in charge at the start. Truscott, like many a successful relieving general, came in just as things were turning around, and got credit for it.
Which is not to say Truscott was not a fine general. There are other grounds for believing so.
Misanthrope you’d better stay in your “antre”, cuz you’re very very far from being a smart man LMAO
BTW, for the French, you forgot the hair on the french women legs, their armpits not shaved… LMAO, uh your uncle must have told you that from WW2, but then again he didn’t read the booklet that was given to the GI, and d’ya know, the parisian girls shaved, their legs and armpits, they even drew a line on their back legs to pretend it was a silk stocking, cuz there weren’t any in the marcket…
Ah, Crete. Next time explore the foothills at the northern base of Mount Ida, the site of Stanley Moss’s snatch of German General Kreipe as told in Ill Met By Moonlight. Then climb to the summit, as described by Kazantzakis in Report to Greco, and visit the little sanctuary, if it’s still there. Take an Irish lass. Climb down the southern slopes to the sea. You will meet Zorba in a small village kafenion. He will offer you raki and cucumbers, many times, which you cannot refuse, and then, dancing madly with you and the lass, he will teach you how to pick up a chair with your teeth, and how to break a glass on the floor by just touching it. You and the lass will leave late, following a dirt road through an ancient olive grove, and spend the night on the roof of an abandoned farm house. You will eat glistening, cool grapes and hard goat cheese, and fall asleep in each other’s arms as you watch the Cretan stars swirl overhead. Ah, Crete.
Marie Claude:
Yes, Eastern Europe is in big financial trouble right now. However, I believe Poland can recover faster than the rest of Europe. There have been substantial investments in these countries that should bear fruit over many years, assuming that their politics remains fairly stable.
Comme vous savez, aux sujets politicaux, les Europeans sont en peu plus reserve que les Americans. J’ai habite en Suisse, c’est curieux que plusiers de ce petit pais ne savent pas le nom de leur president. Ce n’est pas un question de intelligence, c’est peut-etre un question de interet et activisme. Les Europeans percoivent la role de governement differentment, et ils traitent les scandals publiques differement aussi.
you mean faster than the rest of eastern Europe ? parce que je ne vois comment elle peut se développer plus rapidement que nous, elle n’a aucune indépendance énergétique, ses infrastructures n’ont pas complètement été modernisées, sa monaie ? elle depend de notre charité et surtout des investissements allemands, qui vont se ralentir très certainement, car l’Allemagne a souffert des restrictions à l’exportations, c’était son moteur économique, de plus les Allemands ne portent pas les Polonais dans leur coeur, des vieilles querelles d’expropriations qui n’ont pas encore trouvé de règlement.
C’est vrai que les Europeens sont plus secrets au niveau de la politique, ils restent très “régionalistes” et ne participent pas à des associations politiques comme je peux le constater dans votre pays.
Je connais quand même le nom des principaux responsables politiques des differents pays, sauf ceux dont on ne parle jamais dans les actualités, comme la Grêce, la Roumanie, la Bulgarie, les ex
pays yougoslaves, mais je peux rapidement combler ma lacune en cherchant leurs noms sur le net :lol:
Naturellement il y a une concurrence d’influences, chaque état essaie de promouvoir ses intérêts propres, mais celui qui pleurniche le plus est la Pologne qui se pose toujours en victime de quelquechose, et ça devient agaçant pour les autres !
RE #65/Marie Claude: [...] Misanthrope you’d better stay in your “antre”, cuz you’re very very far from being a smart man LMAO [...]
Again: “Pretty facades, but behind them entrenched poverty, lack of interest for the world, crappy schools & universities, bottomless political corruption and government incompetence, nepotism, arcane and dysfunctional hierachies, social ossification, laziness, lack of hygiene (French especially are appalling), absurd sense of entitlement, superb political and military cowardice (I’d say that servility and quislingness are genetic traits of most Europeans). And yes, art and literature which goes well beyond as crappiness of what is currently called art in the US.”
Marie Clude: Ah non, monsieur!
So, since here: “servility and quislingness are genetic traits of most Europeans…”
Marie Claude, can you try to provide us with the number of French who sailed across the Channel for the Normandie battle? One, twenty, one hundred… one thousand…? By the way, there weren’t more Poles around than French?
Then what about the Monty Python, absurd hype over the (inexistent) Macquisards during the (well deserved) occupation?
Then what about the number of German collaborationists during the occupation? Also, can you provide us with the number of those who were executed after France was freed? We sure can get a better idea from those numbers about “servilism & quisling-ism”.
Can you give us also a heartening evaluation of the French Navy’s (in Toulon) actions in 1944?
Nice subjects – go ahead, ma biche.
Oh come ON!
“Teach languages; either by need or choice, European teens by and large speak more languages than do our own.”
They can drive ten minutes to a new language! Guess What, there are a whole lot of spaniards that DO NOT Speak Portugese and a whole lot of Italians that DO NOT speak French! And the French, sully themselves by speaking anything other than French? They’re aught to be a law… oh yeah, THERE IS! You can’t publish an English Website in France!
FOOD.
Nope, I can walk down to my friend’s house, they’re from Scotland, (some town Called FIEF), and get the best french food you ever tasted. My friend’s husband cooks it because he hates the English and their food… oh, that’s right, ENGLISH FOOD SUCKS! Nuff Said.
HISTORY.
This I’ll grant you. Can’t argue at all. Of course, THEY HAVE VOUCHER SCHOOLS!!!
Mr. Hanson, puleze use better examples. Trust me, from someone who grew up in Europe, they are NOT better than Americans by any stretch of the imagination. They have all the parts that Built the United States, except they still all think like Serfs or Aristocrats, and you have to go to multiple countries to find those parts…
Geeze
Alceste,
“And yes, art and literature which goes well beyond as crappiness of what is currently called art in the US.”
you name litterature what we call “litterature de hall de gare”, such as “Da Vinci code” and all these detective pseudo novels, based on plots and not on characters psychology, then where is crappiness ?
art ? umm the installations… Pollock ? I have ceased to interest myself into contemporain art, cuz I can’t find any in the western countries anymore, but rather at east !
Also, let’s talk of your essais, they aren’t readable by our standards, for they represent more an opinion of a class than universal truths
I accord you that the domain of knowledge is so large that one human brain can’t handle it all, and that one has to specialise in a subject to study to be sure to know what he is talking about in front of an audience, outside of it, he is a nut !
It’s not how we understand knowledge, but werather valorise “une tête bien faite”
“can you try to provide us with the number of French who sailed across the Channel for the Normandie battle? One, twenty, one hundred… one thousand…? ”
Tu tombes bien, je viens de sortir cette video qui te donnera une objective idée : http://bit.ly/mB1aD
for more infos check here (scroll down until you see my blessed name) :
http://pajamasmedia.com/richardfernandez/2009/05/27/irans-missile-test/#comments
pour le reste c’est ta connerie qui parles, t’as qu’à lire nos livres au lieu des tiens, tu saurais alors que tous les pays occupés d’Europe ont eu leur pourcentage de collaborateurs, et même beaucoup plus important pour la Hollande, et les pays nordiques, si tu veux une source qui m’a été donnée par un de vos Vets, tu n’as qu’à sonner !
“Also, can you provide us with the number of those who were executed after France was freed? We sure can get a better idea from those numbers about “servilism & quisling-ism”.”
we purged of our traitors, while countries like Germany, Italy, Austria, Holland… and tutti quanti integrated them in their new society where they could live in serenity !
“Can you give us also a heartening evaluation of the French Navy’s (in Toulon) actions in 1944?”
t’es con ou quoi ? our navy got itself scutted in 1942 when Germany invaded the 2nd half of France, but the UK had previously destroyed our fleuron at Mers el Kebir in 1940, the rest was requisitionned by her and our beautiful paquebot “Liberty” was set in fire in New York, I wonder why ? qu’ils sont jaloux ces bloody Anglo-Saxons !
si tu ne me crois paaaas, tu vas voir ta gueule à la récré ! non, j’appellerais mon expert en histoire, je l’ai aperçu dans les parages…
dis moi si tu as besoin d’autre chose cher pépé le grunch ?
The environment is nice, but they are hypocritical anti-semitic murderers, that is the truth of the matter. Murdering their neighbour is their absolute number one favourite activity, don’t be fooled by the stage decorations. Their current number one objective is to destroy Israel.
Marie Claude:
You have a point about the negative press about Poland, but before you lose hope you may want to read the following artcle:
http://www.wbj.pl/article-45076-government-bonds-sale-proves-a-surprising-success.html?type=
Business is attracted to Poland for various reasons. My personal experience is that Polish have a different attitude, and that attitude can rub western Europe the ‘wrong way’. Come to think of it, there are quite a few similarities in the ways that Western Europe views Eastern Europe and the US. Isn’t it tempting to think of the US as whiny and annoying, like many Europeans do? ;-)
Alceste,
“And yes, art and literature which goes well beyond as crappiness of what is currently called art in the US.”
Oui, oui, Marie Claude…Ici Chacal, Aimez-vous mieux dans l’avant ou à l’arrière? S’il vous plaît faites le moi savoir.
nice share