Not everyone is longing to be an American

Dallas Morning News | Rod Dreher:

“Rod Dreher rediscovers the lessons of Samuel Huntington's 'The Clash of Civilizations'.”

Ed Cognoski responds:

Rod Dreher is 80% there. The trouble with most philosophical journeys is that the last 20% of the journey is the hardest.

Mr. Huntington identifies nine distinct world civilizations and explains why conflict is inevitable given the incompatibility of their core values.

Mr Dreher starts with baby steps, making a point that almost everyone would agree with, Muslim, Christian, fundamentalist or liberal.

... The idea of universal values is 'a distinctive product of Western civilization' and not shared by other civilizations.

Mr Dreher is still on track here, although some of his fundamentalist Christian travel mates might be dropping off along about here. Surely they believe that their values, including the very notion that there are such things as universal values, are not a product of their civilization at all, but God-given values true in all places and for all time.

... Preventing catastrophic war, in Mr. Huntington's view, depends on Westerners accepting that theirs is but one civilization among many and devoting their energies to forging cultural cohesion and renewing a confident commitment to our own traditions within the West.

The ultimate barrier that will keep Mr Dreher from completing his journey comes into sight. Fundamentalist Christians will never accept that theirs is but one civilization among many. It is their calling to spread the Good News, to bring all the world to Christ. So, although they are not inclined to accept Mr Dreher's seeming call for tolerance of diversity in the world, they do welcome his call to forge cultural cohesion in the West. They understand "us" and "them". Mr Dreher is laying out a tactical plan: to battle diversity in the world, you must first eliminate it at home.

... All Mr. Huntington asks us Americans to do is to recognize that our values might be universally true, but they aren't universally shared. There will always be conflict between civilizations, given mutually exclusive values and interests, but conflicts can be managed through diplomacy, imagination and, yes, humility.

Mr Dreher is firmly up against the roadblock. Yes, fundamental Christians know that their own cultural traditions are right and everyone else's are wrong. But because we don't have enough military might to impose our world view and it takes time to persuade everyone of the rightness of our worldview, it's best to smile and say, "nice dog" as we look for a bigger stick, a tactical fallback until we can either tame the beast or beat it into submission.

And that's the end of Mr Dreher's journey, 20% short of his destination. Up front, he gives a nod to the idea of universal values being 'a distinctive product of Western civilization' but he just can't bring himself to accept it. He still believes that his American values are "universally true", just not "universally shared." In other words, although he denies it, he still has that "deeply held belief that inside every human being is an American, waiting to come out." Mr Dreher should be complimented for making it as far as he did. Few Americans undertake the journey at all.