Tuesday, September 29 2009

*** The following bit of essay is a reaction to this article in the New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/29/world/europe/29socialism.html?_r=1. I posted it on their website in reaction to some comments. Upon rereading it strikes me as pedantic and too wordy, but the basic feeling is still there.***

The two comments from Mr. Zach Katy and Northov show clearly that the two gentlemen have either never been to Europe or spent their time there blissfully uninvolved in the day-to-day life of real Europeans. Like many other observers from outside Europe they seem to think that American right-wing demonizing of Europe's social welfare system has some kind of basis in reality.

Non-European readers of this article should remember that Europe is culturally very different from America. I know that it's hard to keep the different countries apart and that the EU tries hard to talk in the same voice as the US, but there are real cultural and philosophical differences between us and our approach to national moral responsibility is one of them.

The troubles that the European socialist parties are going through right now were not caused by the failure of their platforms, but rather because of the success of many of them. Things like health care, worker benefits and such all came out of socialist thinking. Sure, more right wing parties may bicker about how far these initiatives should go or whether we should streamline them and make them more efficient, but no party in continental Europe would think about abolishing them.
This has taken the wind out of the sails of many socialist parties. What do they have left to fight for? Some have kept working to realize their more extreme ideals and thereby shifted to the margins. Others have drifted so far from their radical roots that all they share now with their past is their name.

Political terms that are used all over the world cause problems exactly because of their widespread use. The American division of right and left-wing (Republican versus Democrat, with moderates in between) is miles apart from the European system. Correct me if I'm wrong, but for Americans right-wing pretty much equals conservative. A continental-European conservative, however, would probably be situated somewhat to the left of the mainstream Democrat.

Finally, I am not American and would not presume to lecture any American about his approach to politics, but might I suggest Mr. Northov try and let go of his hatred of communism? That all ended twenty years ago. No matter how great a country America is, it is not perfect. Perhaps (just perhaps!) it might benefit you to look at other political systems and philosophies, both past and present, and see if there is anything in them that you can use to improve yours.