The Adversary Culture: The perverse anti-Westernism of the cultural elite

The Sydney Line ^ | 2/11/06 | Keith Windschuttle

[GOPJ]

Instead of pushing for internal reform or revolution, this new radicalism constitutes an overwhelmingly negative critique of Western civilization itself.

Unable to add anything to the discussion, new radicalism vents it's impotence by tearing down what others have contributed.

[TFFKAMM]

Yup. Just like this guy, photographed the night after the '04 election -- no ideas, no plans, just a bilious contempt for the culture and civilization that keeps his spoiled butt fed and protected.

[GeorgefromGeorgia]

These last words are important:

"The concepts of free enquiry and free expression and the right to criticise entrenched beliefs are things we take so much for granted they are almost part of the air we breathe. We need to recognise them as distinctly Western phenomena. They were never produced by Confucian or Hindu culture. Under Islam, the idea of objective inquiry had a brief life in the fourteenth century but was never heard of again. In the twentieth century, the first thing that every single communist government in the world did was suppress it.

But without this concept, the world would not be as it is today. There would have been no Copernicus, Galileo, Newton or Darwin. All of these thinkers profoundly offended the conventional wisdom of their day, and at great personal risk, in some cases to their lives but in all cases to their reputations and careers. But because they inherited a culture that valued free inquiry and free expression, it gave them the strength to continue.

Today, we live in an age of barbarism and decadence. There are barbarians outside the walls who want to destroy us and there is a decadent culture within. We are only getting what we deserve. The relentless critique of the West which has engaged our academic left and cultural elite since the 1960s has emboldened our adversaries and at the same time sapped our will to resist. The consequences of this adversary culture are all around us. The way to oppose it, however, is less clear. The survival of the Western principles of free inquiry and free expression now depend entirely on whether we have the intelligence to understand their true value and the will to face down their enemies."

Multiculturalism seeks to equalze cultures. Western Civilization has given much to the World. It is important to remember where we came from and maintain our pride in our past. Pride not arrogance; Confidence not doubt; and not waiver from our principles.

[el_texicano]

Mark for later reading...interesting so far.

[Freep EE]

Western Culture has produced a man on the moon, antibiotics, Mathematics & understanding of the universe itself. Other cultures are so far behind. If the moonbats on the left can't distinguish scientific achievements of the West in he,ping humanity, they are too far gone to be helped.

[Tribune7]

bump

[GOPJ]

...they are too far gone to be helped.

I agree, they're too far gone to be helped.

[Graymatter]

"The Adversary Culture: The perverse anti-Westernism of the cultural elite"

Title is so good, I thought sure the text would disappoint. Instead, it's outstanding, one of the best commentaries I've read in a long, long time.
Who is this fellow and why haven't I noticed him before?

[LowCountryJoe]

Hey, the Right has its moon-bats, too. Ever notice how many here in this very forum knock capitalism on a frequent basis? Isn't the embracing of capitalism really the defining attribute/social system that made Western-ism what it was and is? I think so...private property rights, the freedom to engage in commerce, and acceptance and reliance on market places to allocate things with value.

[Texas_Jarhead]

Good piece.

[goldstategop]

We are assaulted by the barbarians from within as much as by our enemies from without. The internal barbarians are the greater threat to the West's survival, for they erode our belief in the greatness of our values, they instill doubt in the justice of our cause and they preach appeasement of, if not submission, to the demands of the external enemy. I am of course speaking of the Western Left. They have become a Fifth Column threatening the future of all we hold near and dear. We must defeat them before we can defeat the enemy abroad.

(Denny Crane: "I Don't Want To Socialize With A Pinko Liberal Democrat Commie. Say What You Like About Republicans. We Stick To Our Convictions. Even When We Know We're Dead Wrong.")

[flaglady47]

"President George Bush Snr adopted the moral equivalence and cultural relativism of the prevailing political class, declaring both the death edict and the novel equally “offensive”. Former president Jimmy Carter responded with a call for Americans to be “sensitive to the concern and anger” of Muslims."

Some things never change, do they. The acorn doesn't fall far from the tree. George Bush Sr declaring the death edict and the novel equally "offensive" back then, George Bush Jr via his State Dept. declaring the cartoons and the response by the Muslim rioting hordes as equally offensive today. Jimmy Carter asking Americans to be "sensitive" to concerns of Muslims back then, Jimmy Carter mouthing off and asking for understanding of Hamas and requesting that the U.S. continue to financially support this new terrorist regime in the Pali territories today.

[Triggerhippie]

Ping for later reading...

[tang-soo]

From Christiaity came the responsibilty to help widows, to help the orphans, the concept of equal rights, the lead in ending slavery. aid to the poor, proper treatment of children, hospitals. I'm not saying the invention of these concepts, but certainly the widespread usage.

[stripes1776]

The link to the original article doesn't work. Could you provide an update? Thanks. Good article.

[Rembrandt]

The only thing that I'll give the French any credit for is the invention of the guillotine back in the 18th century which they then used to behead all the a-holes, incl. the intelligentsia and ruling class. It worked for a while for France but scum does grow back.

Nonetheless, we need our own guillotine solution to rid ourselves of this pestilence which continues to destroy all that we love and stand for.

[okie01]

Western Civilization has given much to the World. It is important to remember where we came from and maintain our pride in our past. Pride not arrogance; Confidence not doubt; and not waiver from our principles.

Absolutely true. But "remembering where we came from" and "maintaining pride in our past" is expressly subject to the learning of history. Which is, of course, no longer taught in American schools.

At least, not in a recognizable format.

In sum, even as we speak, we are losing our history.

[The Fop]

An excellent article, but it leaves out the main point.....

By the 1960's, Marxists understood that Marxism would never take hold in the Western world, so they had to demonize the West. If Western Europe and America had embraced Marxism, this wouldn't be necessary.

Moral relativism is a reaction to the fact that in terms of practical application, Marxism is a failure. But the true believers keep believing, and in order to believe, they had to create moral relativism, which basically says that the evil White Westerner is too greedy and corrupt to accept Marxism, so therefore, he must be destroyed.

The problem is that if you talk to most people about the threat posed by Marxists they'll say "aw c'mon, Marxism will never prevail". What they don't understand is that it doesn't matter if Marxism never prevails. What matters is that Marxists are working very hard to make Westerners so cynical and blase about our culture and way of life that we won't have the will to defend ourselves against anyone.

[marc costanzo]

Go read Lawrence Auster's:
PATH TO NATIONAL SUICIDE: An Essay on Immigration &
Multiculturalism .

Multiculturalist studies and teachings have always been about defaming Western Civilization .

That is what the Far-Left and Afro-Centrics might call:
"The Equality of Cultures" - -

'cause according to these neo-Marxists in our universities,
everything is subject, i.e. the greatness of Western Civ' is just a point of view !