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| Home Front: Culture Wars |
| VDH: If the Dead Could Talk |
| 2004-07-30 |
| Posted by:ed |
| #1 The lesson of WWII impacts on Americans because of its *novelty*. Americans note so many qualities of that war and think them unique. Europeans are not as impressed. For them, WWII is becoming just another war. A war not that different from WWI, or even the campaigns of Napoleon--who, whether with his Grand Armee, or with his professional Divisions led by brilliant generals, still led campaigns of horror and destruction. In fact, it is believed that more books have been written about Napoleon than of any other character except Jesus. There are entire libraries devoted to books about him. For almost a hundred years many thought of him as the "anti-Christ", and how long has it been since the insane have been pictured as aping Napoleon? Would a cartoon picturing an insane person as Hitler be unusual? But after a thousand years of war in Europe, the typical European is a pessimist: "Things will go on like this for years and then get worse"; and they expect little--they have heard optimistic promises for too long without result to still believe in them. For many of them, the EU is their savior. A dreary government by bureaucracy that promises nothing but peace at any price. A government that will defy the next Napoleon or Hitler solely by inertia. No great leader will be permitted, all must be done by committee and group therapy. "We must attack the French!" will be replaced by "Who are we, and who are the French?", so blended and homogenized they hope their peace becomes and remains. They have given up and surrendered to despair. And, while it may take a century or three, their fate is assured. They will die out. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2004-07-30 8:21:43 PM |