It's been a while since I read anything of Steyns; I came to know him reading National Review and when I grew away from that publication largely never encountered him since.
He's more of a multiculturalist than I am; he doesn't seem to espouse the kind of "open borders are the only moral position" argument of a certain kind of libertarian, because he obviously isn't exactly a libertarian; he's a "refined conservative," and you picture him having his positions by being "upper-crusty" and extremely well traveled and cosmopolitan in a way inaccessible to most Americans, whether or not that's biographically true. You imagine that if a conservative listened to NPR, it would be him. But at the same time, he has his views about "the East outbreeding the West, and we've gotta do something."
I groan- and usually quietly slip out the back- when conservatives begin to beat the drum of the birthrate wars, because it always seems to overtly or subtly turn to talk of the need to enlist the women in this war- through a draft if necessary. We're gonna be outbred because our women started wearing pantsuits and getting jobs and complaining, and the West declined because we let them, and it seems to seep into the philosophy of every right-leaning man that talks for too long, and if it's me they're talking to or around I find myself in a "put up or shut up" situation and, surprisingly averse to pointless battle, generally choose to shut up.
Steyn, in his (entirely fair!) appreciation for global tastes- and like many other more sophisticated cons- has a blind spot when it comes to the side of things he attributes as uniquely (and, perhaps to him, too narrowly) American: that our persistent national identity has been shaped by the left AND the right.
Yes, America is the guns and Schwarzenegger and shopping malls, but it is also Rosie the Riveter and gay men NOT being hurled off of rooftops, and because of those things, you aren't REQUIRED to look abroad for nuanced discourse- but it's delightful that you can, and do.
And to be honest I feel less uncomfortable getting these views out of my system here than I do on my own stack, at this point. There, that's a confession.
Thanks for the long comment. I'm in general agreement (which probably doesn't surprise you). Steyn no longer writes for "National Review" (which means I don't pick it up or look at the website). Are you familiar with the Mann vs. Steyn lawsuit (that reportedly led to the schism)?
It's been a while since I read anything of Steyns; I came to know him reading National Review and when I grew away from that publication largely never encountered him since.
He's more of a multiculturalist than I am; he doesn't seem to espouse the kind of "open borders are the only moral position" argument of a certain kind of libertarian, because he obviously isn't exactly a libertarian; he's a "refined conservative," and you picture him having his positions by being "upper-crusty" and extremely well traveled and cosmopolitan in a way inaccessible to most Americans, whether or not that's biographically true. You imagine that if a conservative listened to NPR, it would be him. But at the same time, he has his views about "the East outbreeding the West, and we've gotta do something."
I groan- and usually quietly slip out the back- when conservatives begin to beat the drum of the birthrate wars, because it always seems to overtly or subtly turn to talk of the need to enlist the women in this war- through a draft if necessary. We're gonna be outbred because our women started wearing pantsuits and getting jobs and complaining, and the West declined because we let them, and it seems to seep into the philosophy of every right-leaning man that talks for too long, and if it's me they're talking to or around I find myself in a "put up or shut up" situation and, surprisingly averse to pointless battle, generally choose to shut up.
Steyn, in his (entirely fair!) appreciation for global tastes- and like many other more sophisticated cons- has a blind spot when it comes to the side of things he attributes as uniquely (and, perhaps to him, too narrowly) American: that our persistent national identity has been shaped by the left AND the right.
Yes, America is the guns and Schwarzenegger and shopping malls, but it is also Rosie the Riveter and gay men NOT being hurled off of rooftops, and because of those things, you aren't REQUIRED to look abroad for nuanced discourse- but it's delightful that you can, and do.
And to be honest I feel less uncomfortable getting these views out of my system here than I do on my own stack, at this point. There, that's a confession.
Thanks for the long comment. I'm in general agreement (which probably doesn't surprise you). Steyn no longer writes for "National Review" (which means I don't pick it up or look at the website). Are you familiar with the Mann vs. Steyn lawsuit (that reportedly led to the schism)?
Yeah, it happened shortly after I ended my subscription.