Brant Hansen: "Europe Was Really Pretty Cool for Awhile There"

In his usual witty and sarcastic style, Brant Hansen writes an interesting post of the state of culture in Europe. His conclusion:

Americans who love Europe, who want to emulate Europe, who admire Europe, need to cram in all the love and admiration quick-like. Europe doesn't work. It's not going to be around much longer. This is not my guess, this is the simple math: They're not having kids, folks.

No kids, no culture. And the math -- they're WAY below replacement rate, and have been -- is the future. Last one out, turn off the lights.

Those government benefits Americans admire? Europeans won't have them much longer. Some are being cut already. Again, simple math. They're forced to accomodate -- not assimilate, really --immigrants to do the jobs that they no longer can do, to help pay for the benefits promised to an aged society. Europe is becoming Muslim, right now, and it's not fear-mongering or anti-Muslim to say it -- it's mathematical reality. Muslims know it, too.

Turns out that "backward" view -- supporting marriage as a coherent legal concept, and viewing children, and families, as a blessing -- turns out all that keeps a culture from dying.

Extensive benefits, long vacations, socialized medicine, post-Christian sexual autonomy, unlimited abortion, the diminution of marriage, sneering at people who still cling to their religion -- if you admire that, hurry and admire it while you can.

This was a very limited engagement. It's just amazing how short-lived, and depressing, it all was. And that we want to replicate it, here.

Read the whole thing.