Crackpot authorities want to know

In our previous post we compared the vampire's quest for blood with the moribund multiculturalist's quest -- in Amir Taheri's words -- for "a second youth in the energy and passion of political Islam." A little background from Wikipedia lends further insight: "Vampires are mythical or folkloric creatures, typically held to be the re-animated corpses of human beings and said to subsist on human and/or animal blood, [and] the historical practice of vampirism can generally be considered a more specific and less commonly occurring form of cannibalism. The consumption of another's blood (and/or flesh) has been used as a tactic of psychological warfare intended to terrorize the enemy" or -- more aptly in our comparison -- to take on the strength of the enemy. Unlike the case with the human version after which they are named, vampire bats' "blood [letting] does not hurt the animal." (Photo credits: "The Vampire" by Sir Philip Burne-Jones, 1897, ArtMagick, and "Sponsor a Vampire Bat" at Bat Conservation)

"Capitalism and globalisation are feared and loathed, yet barely understood" by the French, writes EURSOC. The solution? A government program, naturellement:

Deeply concerned that many of its citizens have barely a basic grasp of the realities of international economics, the French government plans a new body to help France learn to love capitalism.

The Council for the Diffusion of Economic Culture opens later this year, as a branch of the finance ministry.

We applaud the ends if not necessarily the means:

Even the council's supporters would accept that it has its work cut out: Finance minister Thierry Breton bemoaned France's lack of an "economic culture" earlier this year. A recent opinion poll showed that French citizens were far and away more hostile to the free market than pretty much anywhere else in the world.

The Council, they hope, "will seek to promote financial education through popular culture including television, the print media and computer games."

Computer games sound promising, but as EUROSOC notes:

Making progress with France's media could be the most difficult task the new council faces. France's broadcast and print media lean heavily to the left.

Attempts to explain the realities of international economics are drowned out by the voices of protestors, whether trade union leaders, state-sponsored academics or political journalists themselves.

Sound familiar? Don't confuse Marxist diehards with the facts. Amir Taheri's critique of Britain's multicultural elites -- blogged here only this morning -- would seem to apply equally to French and other Western elites:

That elite shares political Islam's triple-hatred of the West: hatred of Christianity, capitalism and democracy. Today some traditional anti-Christian, anticapitalist and antidemocratic forces in the West are seeking a second youth in the energy and passion of political Islam.

Like the self-loathing British multiculturalists who would appropriate the life force of religious zealots to reanimate the dead ideology of their youth, their fellow Marxist diehards in France would appropriate the wealth of an aging, shrinking population of productive citizens to perpetuate the utopian dream of a welfare state. Will Benedetto be the one to flash the cross before their eyes and drive the stake into the heart of the undead? Crackpot authorities want to know.

Comments

[goomp]

I applaud the idea of The Counsil for the Diffusion of Economic Culture but wonder who is to teach it. The Elites have no comprehesion of what makes an economy vibrant. Look at the Post Office vs. UPS or Fed X. The Elites are the teachers and they don't understand the necessity of work without waste if one is to grow an ecomomy.

[enrevanche]

"Under capitalism, man exploits man. Under communism, it's just the opposite." - John Kenneth Galbraith

Critics of globalization may have some valid points to make, but in the long term, being opposed to globalization is like opposing the tides or the weather; it's happening unstoppably, regardless of what individual opinion or group consensus may dictate. It's the ruthless logic of global capitalism, and I say that as someone who loves both free markets and liberal (in the classical sense) democracy.

Sure, I have to worry about losing my job to an Indian engineer who makes USD 15K a year or less, but on the other hand, we love our Chinese-sweatshop-built Apple Macintoshes and iPods, don't we? I sure do!

[pb]

Love the vampire bat! I hope people will put aside any vulgar fear of the unusual and simply appreciate the innocent beauty of that little fuzzy-face.

Not at all like real-life human vampires, sucking the life and will out of their supposed economic/political inferiors...

[Teresa]

Capitalism is hard work and for those who have been sitting around doing nothing, having everything handed to them - it's such a shock to the system to think about working that they just can't stand it.

I can't tell you how many people I've talked to, who have been to France, and come back saying how much they LOVE the "laid back" culture, the way the French seem to be "enjoying life" in a way Americans do not.

I say to them - being on a perpetual vacation does not pay the bills. France's bills are coming due and they are in big trouble.

There is much to be said for the energy and drive we have here in America. It's not "restful" but compare the accomplishments and standards of living in both countries. I prefer the unrestful America because we're alive and lively... not in a near catatonic state.

I hope they are able to accomplish the teaching of economics. It would do them a world of good. But first you have to make them understand that the system isn't always "fair" - there are successes and failures. That will be a nearly impossible lesson for those who have a socialist mindset.

[bird dog]

Good piece. Sounds almost like No Pasaran - and that is a high compliment!

Have a good weekend.