Reviewing Mark Steyn

[Originally posted January 5, 2006.]

The article It’s the Demography, Stupid: The real reason the West is in danger of extinction by Mark Steyn raises some interesting ideas. Unfortunately, they are buried beneath an avalanche of poor writing, right-wing propaganda, and endless rambling side-trips.

To summarize, he posits that the Western culture in Europe will die out and be replaced by a Muslim society. Why? The birth rates of Muslim families far exceed those of European families, so the Muslim population in European countries will eventually become the political majority. He cites Nigeria as an example of the world’s future, perhaps as soon as 30 years from now.

I found the article difficult to slog through. Most of it is consumed with laying blame on liberal European governments and their multicultural tolerance. His point could have been made in far less space and with far less inflammatory wording. I also noted Mr. Steyn failed to provide a solution to the impending crisis. Perhaps because saying outright, “kill off all the liberals and Muslims, lock up all the borders, and get the women barefoot and pregnant again” wouldn’t quite make it past his editors. Or perhaps he is looking forward to “Sharia, circa 2040.” Muslim law probably wouldn’t be too hard for a conservative to live under.