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Oikophobia
Wall Street Journal ^ | August 27, 2010 | James Taranto

Posted on 08/28/2010 10:07:44 PM PDT by County Agent Hank Kimball

"The British philosopher Roger Scruton has coined a term to describe this attitude: oikophobia. Xenophobia is fear of the alien; oikophobia is fear of the familiar: "the disposition, in any conflict, to side with 'them' against 'us', and the felt need to denigrate the customs, culture and institutions that are identifiably 'ours.' " What a perfect description of the pro-mosque left.

"Scruton was writing in 2004, and his focus was on Britain and Europe, not America. But his warning about the danger of oikophobes--whom he amusingly dubs "oiks"--is very pertinent on this side of the Atlantic today, and it illuminates how what are sometimes dismissed as mere matters of "culture" tie in with economic and social policy:"

'The oik repudiates national loyalties and defines his goals and ideals against the nation, promoting transnational institutions over national governments, accepting and endorsing laws that are imposed on us from on high by the EU or the UN, though without troubling to consider Terence's question, and defining his political vision in terms of universal values that have been purified of all reference to the particular attachments of a real historical community.

'The oik is, in his own eyes, a defender of enlightened universalism against local chauvinism. And it is the rise of the oik that has led to the growing crisis of legitimacy in the nation states of Europe. For we are seeing a massive expansion of the legislative burden on the people of Europe, and a relentless assault on the only loyalties that would enable them voluntarily to bear it. The explosive effect of this has already been felt in Holland and France. It will be felt soon everywhere, and the result may not be what the oiks expect...'

(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Government; News/Current Events; Philosophy
KEYWORDS: elites; elitism; oikophobia
Outstanding riff on Charles Krauthammer's brilliant piece a couple of days ago.

Hank

1 posted on 08/28/2010 10:07:46 PM PDT by County Agent Hank Kimball
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To: County Agent Hank Kimball
It's a good read. This "illness. malady" whatever you wish to call it, needs a name. The general public must recognize this and be aware in order to combat it.
PS: I like your alias - don't worry I promise I'm not Ralph.
2 posted on 08/28/2010 11:41:21 PM PDT by sanjoaquinvalley (Longtime Lady Lurker)
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To: County Agent Hank Kimball

“The idiot who praises in enthusiastic tone all centuries but this, every country but his own!”


3 posted on 08/29/2010 12:34:06 AM PDT by El Sordo (The bigger the government, the smaller the citizen.)
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To: County Agent Hank Kimball

Linked from the WSJ article, very well worth the time needed to read.

http://www.civitas.org.uk/pdf/cs49-8.pdf


4 posted on 08/29/2010 6:48:43 AM PDT by Red Dog #1
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To: County Agent Hank Kimball

.


5 posted on 08/29/2010 7:08:19 AM PDT by sourcery (United We Stand, Divided We Fall: You have to give in order to get)
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To: County Agent Hank Kimball
Oikophobia? May be too much beer, but I didn't understand all that stuff.

When he started, and mentioned oikophobia, and muslims, I thought he was talking about oinkophobia, that unreasonable fear muslims have of swine, that wonderful barbecue meat, ham, and BACON provider!

Then, my mind swerved, and I thought of that other unreasonable muslim fear, fidophobia.

No wonder muslims hate and want to kill everybody. They don't have good barbecue, Easter ham dinners, or BLTs, and don't have access to man's best friend, Fido.

They think a goat or a camel is man's best friend. That could make one want to be a suicide bomber.

6 posted on 08/30/2010 3:48:18 AM PDT by tdscpa
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To: Red Dog #1

Thanks for that link, Red Dog. Very good read indeed.

Hak


7 posted on 08/30/2010 6:15:22 PM PDT by County Agent Hank Kimball (Where's the diversity on MSNBC? Olbermann, Schultz, Matthews, Maddow.....all white males!)
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