Thursday, November 04, 2004
What it means
Bush's victory has left many people in Europe puzzled. We just don't get the power of Bush's 'faith-based' appeal.
This article The Day the Enlightenment Went Out in today's New York Times is a frightening analysis and reveals an alien world.
Fundamentalist Christianity does not have a purchase on voters in Europe, yet other unenlightened forces are at work. Anyone in need of a wake-up call should read Francis Wheen's excellent book How Mumbo-Jumbo Conquered the World.
In Britain, we have few Christian fundamentalists, but plenty of people who create roadside shrines of flowers and soggy teddy bears; who swear by assorted quack remedies and New Age therapies; and who launch a mob attack on a doctor's house because they can't tell the difference between a paediatrician and a paedophile.
We had better understand these irrational forces and ensure that they can never triumph here. I never want to wake up the morning after an election in Britain and have to read or write an article like this.
