Fear-mongering

This book may perhaps be well-intentioned, but it is misinformed and misleading. The rhetoric is designed to sow fear, rather than to encourage productive problem solving.

This book is a response to the challenges of living in an ethnically diverse, pluralistic society. These challenges are real, and clashes between different cultures and ideologies doubtlessly happen. The reluctance of many left-leaning politicians to discuss these issues can be a real problem.

However, having pointed out a real problem, the book takes its rhetoric in a wholly unproductive direction. Instead of addressing the roots of the problem (globalization, drastic economic inequality between countries, lack of effective international cooperation, colonial legacies, etc.), or suggesting practical solutions, the author puts a lot of effort into describing various ways in which immigrants are or could become a threat to the established peoples of Europe. He paints a lurid picture of the hordes of migrants pouring into Europe, bringing with them their barbaric customs, and shamelessly taking advantage of the Europeans' generosity. The solution to all Europe's problems, apparently, is to keep these barbarians out. With such a premise, the only thing that this book can hope to accomplish is to fan xenophobic fears.

Many rhetorical fallacies are committed here: presenting statistics out of context; treating exceptional individuals (e.g., terrorists) as if they were representative of a group (e.g., Muslims); treating large and diverse groups (all immigrants, all Muslims, all Europeans) as if they were a monolithic block with a uniform set of goals and values; portrayal of culture as something static and unchanging; overly simplistic divisions into "us and them." Worst of all, the book aims not to inform, but to frighten the reader. It presents a series of dramatic negative examples: immigrants committing crimes and acts of terror. These examples are memorable and alarming, but are they representative? We are given no numbers that could help us put them in perspective. On the other hand, the book presents no counter-examples of immigrants getting jobs, paying taxes, and living quiet uneventful lives - even though that is how most immigrants live in most places.

While the problems to which the book attempts to respond are real, this kind of rhetoric is counterproductive. The author seems to be asking for a return to some kind of golden age, when Europe was more culturally and ethnically uniform, and the problems posed by globalization didn't exist. I'm not sure that there has ever been such an age, but even if there had been, the clock can't be turned back. It's not only Europe that is changing, but the whole world. It is becoming more intermixed - not the least because of Europe's own foreign trade policies. The influx of immigrants into Europe is as much an effect of change as it is a cause. I would also like to point out that I don't remember the word "globalization" making a single appearance in the entire book; this should give some idea of how misguided it is in its arguments.

The thing that saddens me the most is the large number of positive reviews that this book has. That is how many people are allowing themselves to be manipulated through fear, when they could be using their critical thinking skills to evaluate the book's message for themselves.

67 people found this helpful

Disturbing dystopian preview of tidal wave

Douglas Murray gives the background of the wave of immigration, legal and illegal, that has swept Europe. The introduction of new cultures to Europe, when it occurred at a time that European culture was secure, added new ideas, new costumes, and new cuisines to the continent. However, when those arriving have little interest in assimilating, have even less interest in the parliamentary and relatively free economies, and the history and culture of the host countries, we risk a hostile take-over rather than an enriching and diversification. This is the point of this book's grim conclusion.

The first few chapters outline the problem in philosophical form. Then we get the historical numbers, followed by illustration after excruciating illustration of actual real-time happenings.

Much like herd immunity, when most of a population is secure in its beliefs, newcomers add variety in a constructive way. But if the population no longer values its identity and the newcomers have a more robust but antithetical identity and ideology, the newer and more virulent strains will eventually prevail.

Hopefully Murray's jeremiad is exaggerated, but I fear otherwise.

58 people found this helpful

I'm so glad I read this book!

I didn't understand what all the fuss and hostility was about in Europe these days and this book explained a lot. Douglas doesn't waste words he gets right to the point and then thoroughly explains the moving parts affecting each situation. There are plenty of points made in this insightful overview of pertinent recent history. It's funny that we are inundated with news and media but it seems to function as a big sponge soaking up all the happenings and squeezing them into a grey sludge. The Strange Death of Europe is like a lamp that allows you to see the whole shocking picture. With plenty of detail. Yikes. Good luck Europe. We will all miss you if you don't get your shit together.

47 people found this helpful

Appalling European government crime cover up.

Where does The Strange Death of Europe rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This is an excellent book. I can now understand what is going on in Europe and make sense of all the contradictory reports I hear on the news and watch on TV. I am appalled by the government cover up of crime against women in all European countries. I hope Prime Minister Justin Trudeau reads this book and understands what has happened in Europe with respect to immigration and Islam.

What does Robert Davies bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Robert Davies is able to communicate with the tone of his voice again and again facts which seem incredulous to the listener. I found myself shaking my head time and time again.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

I don't think Hollywood will be able to find a super hero in this book, and that’s all Hollywood can do anymore.

38 people found this helpful

A sobering tale

Extremely well written, Douglas Murray presents a cogent, clear and concise treatise on the sad state of affairs in Europe and the betrayal of the European people by their leaders. It is the most bizarre of times where so many are obsessed by race, racism and stamping out fascism. All the while allying themselves with some of the most backwards of ideologies and depraved people of those found in radical Islam. The book doesn't offer much hope, but perhaps offers the best medicine - truth. Something Europe's ruling class and media outlets seem to care little for.

34 people found this helpful

“The more a society drifts from truth, the more it will hate those that speak it”

This book is a must have. As “one sided” as some may think, it is based on indisputable facts. Two world wars and many lives were lost to maintain and keep a democratic Europe. Now Europe faces another war, a war of ideology and religion. This book gives a very detailed account of that war and what if anything can be done to stem the tide of defeat.

25 people found this helpful

Sheer venom.

- A few parts are good. The first couple of chapters, and the chapter Tiredness and The Feeling That the Story Has Run out, those had some interesting parts i.e. when the author speaks about culture, history and identity. The parts about the role of religion and the effect of Christianity's slow death in Europe are good.

- But when he tries to diagnose threats to culture, they are invariably Islamophobic, biased and exaggerated. He combs the news looking for any instances of Muslim migrants doing anything bad, and he exaggerates those cases as if they are the norm rather than the exception.

- Author unashamedly endorsed Slovakian prime minister's statement, "Islam has no place in Slovakia".

- In one of the low points of the book, he quotes insane Zionist and Islamophobe Daniel Pipes.

- He only mentions Judaism positively, he never mentions Israeli war crimes or pre-Israel Zionist terrorism committed by Haganah and other Jewish groups.

- He's pinning his hopes on Muslims abandoning the Quran to "defang and wound" Islam.

- The author is homosexual, so he tries to find stories of homosexuals being attacked by Muslims, but when he mourns Christianity's death in Europe, never mentions the violence inflicted on homosexuals by the church.

- He mentions several polls where Europeans are purportedly anti-Islamic, and he supports those polls. Then when one of those polls was shown to have anti-Jewish and anti-Buddhist answers, he was surprised. What he's saying: the right thing is to hate Muslims, but it's WEIRD that anyone would hate any other group!

Bottomline: could've been great, but Douglas Murray hates Islam and Muslims and wants you to hate them too. Like every other racist or antisemite or xenophobe, he too thinks his hatred and bigotry are based on facts and reason.

23 people found this helpful

Tried to give it a fair shot.

Couldn't finish it. Begins with an interesting comparison of conflicting cultural differences, then awkwardly devolves into concerns over white racial "purity".

23 people found this helpful

Real story about open borders policy

Real,true story about consequences of uncontrolled flood of migrants, and mass media covering it. Manipulation of media coverage of the story,and politicians telling Europeans, that what they see,and experience,its not there.

22 people found this helpful

Everyone needs to read this book

My head is spinning. My heart is heavy. But I am very grateful to the author and publishers of this book. It is extremely well written. It speaks the truth that so many are unwilling to acknowledge or address.

22 people found this helpful