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Europe Is Not Free

By Superduperficial - Jun 23rd, 2006 at 1:09 am EDT

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As if more evidence were needed.

Liberals and progressives should be inherently skeptical of anyone who puts forward European governance as a positive model for America.

There is almost no conception within European society of meaningful liberty as it is broadly understood in America, and that's a damn shame. Maybe one day they'll wise up.

But in the meantime, progressives need to be constantly reminded just how good we have things in comparison with the rest of the world. We're not number one by every metric, but when it comes to individual liberty we're pretty damn close.

Reader Comments

Meaningful liberty?

By adibranco Jun 23rd 2006 at 10:10 am EDT

Last time I checked, America, not Europe, was running Guantanamo Bay. I think it would be a mistake to perceive Europe's failing as somehow justifying or negating America's own abuses.

It's outrageous that parents' liberty to educate their children is being so restricted; worse that they are being sent to jail in their attempt. However, just because the current treatment of homeschoolers is wrong does not mean that restrictions are inherently flawed.

Parents do not, and should not, have absolute authority over their children. Children are not slaves; a parent does not have the right to abuse their children, or even to limit them by refusing them education. Europe's motivations might not be in the best interests of the child, but the "parents' rights" argument strikes me as weak, because they could be just as selfish and bad educators as the government.

The parents in this case seem obviously competent, but that certainly doesn't mean all parents are.

Re: Meaningful liberty?

By Superduperficial Jun 24th 2006 at 1:21 am EDT

Last time I checked, America, not Europe, was running Guantanamo Bay. I think it would be a mistake to perceive Europe's failing as somehow justifying or negating America's own abuses.

Which sucks... for the people in Guantanemo Bay (those of them that aren't terrorists, which at this point we really have no reliable information to guess that fraction).

With regards to Europe, we're talking about real-world losses of freedom for everyday people. Guantanemo Bay, as troubled as it is, doesn't make you or I less free.

Parents do not, and should not, have absolute authority over their children. Children are not slaves; a parent does not have the right to abuse their children, or even to limit them by refusing them education.

That's great - now, what does this have to do with what we're talking about?

but the "parents' rights" argument strikes me as weak, because they could be just as selfish and bad educators as the government.

They have a right to be bad educators. I would argue that kids who are homeschooled and taught that the world was created in seven days are receiving a completely inadequate education - but do you think the government has the right to step in and force those parents to homeschool their children differently? Get real.

a book you'd enjoy

By jr Jun 27th 2006 at 3:01 pm EDT

I just found my copy after a bit of searching (I've moved twice since I took the course). You ought to check out a book by my old professor Kathleen Paul called Whitewashing Britain, which focuses on how the British have established a system where one can only be really considered a full citizen if they are native-born and white. And, interestingly, she found evidence that it was government ministries leading the effort, not public opinion. It's a great book, and I think that it's a good study of both the postwar ethnic controversies in western Europe and of a critical flaw in what might be called progressive republicanism (or, as I applied it to you, Hamiltonian progressivism).

Have some more straw

By Assamite36 Jul 9th 2006 at 7:35 pm EDT

Please provide links where the American left and progressive individuals are touting European models as the be-all end-all standard for Americans. (And no, right-wing anti-EU European sites don't count.) Last time I checked, the Left here was fully aware of many of the problems that have plagued Europe as of late, most notably racism, xenophobia, and unemployment. And that's not to say we don't have them - we just have that, and a boatload more.
Otherwise, this post just seems like a simple prop-up burn-down strawman to me.

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