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Buy the Book
Guilt Gone Wild
France’s leading philosopher on our father issues.
Tyranny of Guilt: An Essay on Western
Masochism
By Pascal
Bruckner
(Princeton University Press, 256 pages, $26.95)
The problem with us rugged individualists is we are hard ones for collective guilt. Maybe our forefathers did some pretty awful things — who hasn’t? — but that’s between them and their gods. All we ask is you leave us out of it. We may have inherited their genes, but not their sins. And certainly not their money — not that mine had any.
America, being the land of rugged individualists, is an especially irksome place to the eternally guilt-ridden European. Because we stubbornly refuse to sackcloth and ashes, we can never experience the “comfort of redemption.” Not a problem. We’ll get by with the comfort of beer and television.
This explains why there is so much anti-Americanism “over there.” The haters hate us because their ancestors produced fascism, communism, genocide, slavery and imperialism and they feel like hell about it. Then they see us happily going about our business and they demand we stop acting so innocent and smug. They throw the Trail of Tears up to us. Jim Crow. McCarthyism. We remind them that we saved their butts in two world wars, and they hate us even more. They get rankled when we speak up (or worse, do something) about genocide and human rights in the lands of the oppressed, when, as every “guilt peddler” knows, we should be flagellating ourselves and seeking repentance.
Since the West has pleaded guilty to all charges and then some, we naturally cannot be trusted to do the right thing, or even know what the right thing is. That was Germany’s excuse to stand idly by during the ethnic cleansing in Bosnia, and it will be Germany’s excuse for the next hundred years. “Our past crimes command us to keep our mouths closed,” writes novelist Pascal Bruckner in his engaging new book-length essay. We dare not speak out lest we open ourselves to charges of hypocrisy by every tin-pot dictator or terrorist leader. How dare we condemn bin Laden when Custer massacred the Sioux? Oh, wait, the Sioux massacred Custer. You get the point.
This kind of fuzzy thinking is freely on tap in Western Europe and in the current White House. “From existentialism to deconstructionism, all of modern thought can be reduced to a mechanical denunciation of the West, emphasizing the latter’s hypocrisy, violence and abomination,” Bruckner writes. It was a conceit that reached its peak in 2001 when so many Western intellectuals praised the Twin Tower attacks as America’s comeuppance, when the oppressed finally struck back.
This faux remorse is actually a ragged disguise masking feelings of moral superiority. We have become our parents and the rest of the developing world is our naughty kids whose misdeeds can be blamed on their parents’ sins (colonialism and racism). No wonder their development remains stunted.
Our historical guilt has now gone to such absurd extremes that it threatens basic liberties like free speech. In one example, Bruckner argues our unwillingness to offend Islam means the death of religious satire. At least religious satire of Islam. (Though I suspect episodes like Comedy Central’s censoring of South Park was an instance of fear and cowardice, not political correctness.)
THIS COLLECTIVE historical guilt is puerile and destructive, Bruckner writes. Our good deeds vastly outweigh our bad. “There is no doubt that Europe has given birth to monsters, but at the same time it has given birth to theories that make it possible to understand and destroy these monsters.” No culture has been without sin, therefore none of us should be pointing fingers or throwing stones. But if, god forbid, somebody does start throwing stones — or bombs — some one needs to have the moral courage to put an end to it.
Europeans were once as proud of their heroes and traditions as Americans. Today they are uncomfortable honoring anyone save Gandhi or Mandela. But the West has a lot to celebrate, writes Bruckner, everything that falls under the general heading of Western Civilization: Democracy, the rule of law, human rights and equality, for starters.
Every once in a while I like to pick up a book heavy with ideas. Often, with French philosophers, the going is rough and seldom worth the effort. Most like to conceal their lack of ideas amidst a jungle of vapid and opaque prose. Bruckner’s Essay on Western Masochism is, happily, the exception. He is a true individualist and his prose is clear and consequential, and you don’t have to be a masochist to read him.
About the Author
Christopher Orlet writes from St. Louis.
Letter to the Editor View all comments (28) | Leave a comment
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ronp123| 8.12.10 @ 6:55AM
having lived in Europe off and on for a number of years I have endured much faux moralizing on the subject of "Amerika". the perfect antidote (and will stop any dinner party conversation dead) is to propose the following question: Based on just the events of the 20th century, what gives Europe (and by extension Europeans) the moral standing to judge anyone? while the jaws are still on the table (because as an American you are supposed to fulfill your role as the loud yet polite doofus at the table) you recite a short litany of crimes against humanity that were inspired and committed by Europeans against fellow Europeans. the topic changes quickly for no one dare engage in a debate that they will of course lose and worse still they might have to actually conduct introspection on the complicity of their country(s) role in a number of evil events. Separate water fountains in the south in the 50s - is answered by the Wansee Convention, etc. etc.
Occam's Tool| 8.12.10 @ 5:49PM
And, just to make sure we do not leave out the bastion of Western thought that are the Antipodes, New Zealanders in their approach to Maoris and especially Australian treatment of Aborigines are both quite problematic.
Pete| 8.12.10 @ 7:09AM
America is the City on the Hill.
We have nothing to be ashamed of.
Alan Brooks| 8.12.10 @ 3:17PM
That's not what Mencken thought.
c. j. acworth| 8.12.10 @ 6:01PM
Who cares what Mencken thought. Pete, you got it right. Since when does the USA have to worry about meeting European standards? We ARE the standard!
Alan Brooks| 8.12.10 @ 6:05PM
Anyone who values good taste (anyone who remembers the past) cares what Mencken thought. What will the purpose in being alive be if life is empty, vulgar, nihilistic? such isn't life-- it is existence.
R. J.| 8.12.10 @ 9:56PM
Man is imperfect, our country's past reflects that.
I will not be shamed by mischaracterizing our ENTIRE history by pointing to a few mistakes into accepting that it is no better than any other. No sir, our Constitution and economic system (the ones we used to follow) are the Gold Standard that every nation should seek to emulate. Our ancestors left Europe because they rejected what it had to offer, why are we concerned at all what Europians think at all?
WilliamInWien| 8.12.10 @ 7:43AM
While living in Europe, I would wear a small US flag pin on the collar of my suit jacket. This was a sure way to engender "conversation", mainly from Europeans and others in attendance. Generally, the "attack" presented was "we hate George W. Bush but we love America". I guess this was designed to limit a response and only address Iraq. As noted in the article, the easiest way to change the tone of the criticism was to direct it toward Europe. The cocktail was finished quickly and they had to "move on". My two daughters attended a "international school", a number of times I went to the school to stop teachers from the practice of having a daughter defend the foreign policy of the USA, both at the grammar and high school levels. In most cases, they were the only "Americans" in their respective classe and it was the teacher (usually a Brit) who set himself and the students against one of their classmates. As the grand scheme of a European Union begins to eclipse, it is much easier to look abroad to direct your criticism than address your own (European) problems. Actually, "I like Europeans, it is their hypocrisy I hate."
ronp123| 8.12.10 @ 8:35AM
i suspect my son went to the same "international school" as your daughter. what used to shock me was how fast many (not all) american ex-pats would go all "quisling" in the face of their perceived British betters. while i loved my time in the UK I was struck by how intolerant and feckless my host country was. prior to the current mayor of london (who is pretty feckless) we had a nasty piece of work who thought nothing of hosting wingnut Imams from Egypt who wrote books on the correct (Islamic) way to beat your wife properly and the best "way" to deal with the homosexual problem. but try and support a Boy Scout troop at the school and cries of homophobia would be raised. savage irony as Dr. Thompson would say.
Alan Brooks| 8.12.10 @ 5:26PM
As you know, I love tweaking, it is American.
Was never in France, but in the French speaking part of Belgium it was fun to silently carry a bottle of Vichy mineral water around-- with a big grin. Some of the Belgians got the message.
ronp123| 8.12.10 @ 8:33PM
if you want to really screw with the french or germans just start talking in a french or german accent ala inspector clouseau or seargent schultz. like watching cats walk across a mirror.
Bob K.| 8.12.10 @ 8:02AM
Our ancestors, for the most part, were their ancestors too. They were just smart enough to get out of there before the descents into the maelstrom
occurred.
Bob K.| 8.12.10 @ 8:10AM
The second sentence above is a bit awkward. It should say that "Our" ancestors were smart enough to leave Europe before the descents started.
Nancy in NC| 8.12.10 @ 2:48PM
And thus enlarged our gene pool, as well as our personal space.
Ever notice how Euglish stand so close? I always feel trapped or smothered. They don't get wide open spaces...or all the trees.
Americus| 8.12.10 @ 8:37AM
When my parents proposed a sightseeing trip to Europe in 1956,My Grandfather spit on the floor.He couldn't see why anyone would want to go back to that aweful place. He was glad to leave (he left before the end of the 19thcentury) and never looked back. Those who stayed,stayed poor and were then turned into soap. THANK GOD FOR AMERICA!
WilliamInWien| 8.12.10 @ 9:49AM
RONP123! Qusilings Indeed. Do not cause a conversation that might become argumentative, we do not want to offend anyone with our viewpoints that they may not agree with. Austrian Scenario: Opening Day: Little League-High School Level Baseball. US Ambassador/Austrian Officials, as they fielded two teams. National Anthems played while the Vienna police were out in force ticketing all the cars that were parked illegally early on a Saturday morning: No US Embassy response. US Marines (Security Detail at Embassy) downtown Vienna at a reptutable bar/night club. Turkish thugs invade, knock down Austrian security men and attack the US Marines. Marines held there own until police arrived. US Ambassador: restricts the involved Marines to barracks for 30 days! Just snapshots....
Bill| 8.12.10 @ 10:35AM
This book is a companion piece to Bruckner's earlier book, Tears Of The White Man, another devastatingly cogent critique of Western guilt. His analysis is from the French point of view, so for the typical American, it requires a small adjustment, but not much. The French political philosophers, Bruckner included, are very interesting and often hit the nail on the head, particularly with regard to the European approach to the international culture wars.
Bill| 8.12.10 @ 10:39AM
The most intellectually rewarding insight I've gained from reading Bruckner's books is the idea that Western guilt is an expression of lingering imperialism and Western notions of racial superiority masked as compassion.
bull-gator| 8.12.10 @ 12:54PM
must be my Scots-Irish heritage, but I haven't one bit of sympathy, empathy or any other type "pathy" for that decadent european culture. If those countries had a pair, then we wouldn't have so much trouble with those pesky little malcontented moslems with the huge inferiority complex.
Tom| 8.12.10 @ 2:04PM
In 2005 after the US invasion of Iraq, I was the first American technical consultant to work for a very earnest and devoutly socialist French NGO in Afghanistan. My job was to develop agriculture businesses such as profitable fruit tree nurseries, fruit marketing, contract vegetable production; you know - business. These young French statists put up with my market driven harangues for a month; "No subsidies, demand driven, let the losers fail, sell them the tools and leave them alone..." late into the night as they drank thick Nescafe and rolled Drum cigarettes. Then, on our last night together, I said over a nice dinner, "Ok, you have listened politely to me for a month. Now I will be quiet, and I will not be offended, tell me what you think of America. And remember, I LOVE AMERICA, and not only that, I like George Bush." ...
They were silent for a moment and stared at me. Then they all started speaking French across the table, arguing about who would get the first crack at me. Soon their discussion in French became an argument. Then they forgot about me completely. Eventually they re-discovered me sitting at the end of the table awaiting their wrath. One of them laughed and said, we forgot about America when someone brought up the problem of the Algerians conducting cell phone coordinated riots in the suburbs of Paris!
And here is what made me love them: They said, "We agreed that if we don't know what to do about that, then we don't think it honest to criticize your country."
Don Carlson| 8.12.10 @ 5:27PM
Tom,
That's lovely. It's always good to be reminded by their inadvertencies that those whose ideas and views revolt us are, nonetheless, human. There is always hope.
WilliamInWien| 8.12.10 @ 2:42PM
Thanks On Bruckner: I plan to look for the book. Meanwhile I continue to read and the read again FROM PLATO TO NATO The IDEA of the WEST and Its OPPONENTS by David Gress, a Danish-American historian.
Petronius| 8.12.10 @ 4:47PM
The one thing most americans have in common with the French is their resentment for the successes of others. It trumps admitting personal deficiencies.
Is Roger Scruton off this week?
Robert | 8.13.10 @ 12:11AM
Where would Europe be without good old Black Jack Pershing. He taught Europe that the purpose of war, if it must be, was to win it and not see simply how many of each other you could kill. Had Von Schliffen's plan worked, the French would still be speaking German.
Ah but then World War II. How long did the French last once the Germans punctured the Marginot line; and then Dunkirk for all the propaganda was not a story of British heroism as they ferried their shattered and broken army across the channel. Now who was it stepped in for them with lend-lease just for starters; I just can't recall.
Then of course, there was the Marshall plan once my parents saved their butts. American money when Europe was a bloody, impoverished rubble.
And while we were about it, we stopped Mussolini; oh, and annihilated a Japanese army, navy and air force.
Still, what have we done lately? Ah well, I seem to recall the tearing down of the Berlin wall and the end of the Cold War, and gradually the liberation of an Eastern Europe enslaved by a communist government for 75 years.
And you know, after listening to a few of those Venona tapes, I can live with McCarthy, knowing that elegant cretin Alger Hiss was a communist traitor as were the Rosenbergs, Henry Dexter White and a whole bunch of other liberal traitors.
Ah, but what have we done lately. The Salk vaccine. a serum increases the life of those with AIDS, a genereousity to the world never before seen.
Oh and we are still guaranteeing the butts of Europe against the real potential of a reinvigorated Soviet Federation.
Then of course, South Korea is a free and enormously powerful nation. Whose troops are there anyway. I'm sure it's not the French.
Then of course we took out Sadham and are pouring American blood into the earth as we kill off terrorists.
And in all this!
And in all this!
You want to talk about the trail of tears!
Gracious, where are those Europeans anyway?
Jim Buzzell | 8.15.10 @ 4:13PM
Comment on McCarthyism: The hunt for the UnAmericans, circ 1950, was out of fear by those who were concerned with the advancement of communism activities in our country to foment the overthrow of our Constitutional Republic from within. In the efforts of the House UnAmerican Activities investigation, although on target to expose those so leaning, they inadvertently drove those who were not exposed deeper underground only to re-emerge several years later (60s-70s) attached to the coattails of the Progressive Movement. Today, and now that the Progressives are no longer of use to them the have cast them adrift to flounder in the sea of their Progressiveism while the Socialist, Marxist, and Communists flaut their will upon the citizens of the United States of America. If you do not believe this just look at the executive branch of government, and count them in their positions of authority, starting with the now sitting president, and what they have done to this country since January 2009, with no one in congress, collectively, standing up to them to assert congresses power to rule, and set the rules. We the People have been let down by these now in power; and while they rule from Washington; We the People need to correct this misnomer that Washington rules We the People; our constitution has it the other way around. If we do not start the change this momentum in November 2010 we will be headed for a revolution because We the People understand what these individuals are doing to our country, and us.