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The Fear at the Heart of Europe
Earlier today, a dog who's visiting me found herself in a frightening position, on a wobbly table twice her height above the ground. She's a timid and defensive creature, growls while eating even though none of the other dogs threatens her or her food. Give her a little extra attention, though, and she tries to be Queen of the Pack, only to find she can't back up the claims with tooth or nail. At which point it's back to cringing.So here she found herself, in a scary place. She could easily have jumped down without much danger, but she froze in place trembling. Snarled at the other dogs below, but couldn't bring herself to move. Struggled with me as I went to lift her off the table. Ironically, it's her defensiveness that triggers the other dogs to dominate her. She's caught in a loop of her own making. If she were staying here I'd name her Europe. For her behavior is just like that of many of the EU countries during the last 5 years and more. Insecure, unable to defend themselves, making claims to power they cannot back up, pushing aside -- and deeply resenting -- the stronger dogs in the pack. And in the face of the obvious evidence of growing Islamofascist threat, they have frozen. What strength they have, they will not use. Instead they divert themselves from feeling their own inner terror and sense of doom by snarling at those who are protecting them -- the US, UK, Australia. For much of the last 5 years I have been furious with Europe. Now I see those countries differently. I know from my work with dogs that no amount of coaxing or anger will make their behavior go away. *IF* it is possible to modify their behavior a little, it will be through absolutely refusing to give them attention and status when they are ill-behaved, and rewarding them only to the degree that their behavior improves. In dogs, temperament is about 75% genetic and the rest due to experiences in the environment. It is possible to change learned behaviors, but a dog that is shy and defensive at 12 weeks of age, after the basic pack socialization has occurred and the main brain connections are in place, can at best be mitigated by placing it in a home which has the fewest triggers for those feelings. They seldom can deal in the rumble-tumble busy-ness of a pack. They can thrive only within an environment of artificial peace and tranquility. Which is exactly what the EU is trying desperately to create for itself -- a world in which they have legislated away all threats, all challenges, all competition, all aggression. I no longer look for Europe to change at all, although I am glad to support voices of sanity and strength in those countries. We had better get used to going it alone except for cooperation from many of the security forces there, who both know the threat and are trained and temperamentally inclined to meet that threat with something other than impotent snarling and pathetic cringing. Posted by: runs with wolves 2006-08-26 |
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