Why the Rest Hates the West: Understanding the Roots of Global Rage [Paperback]

Meic Pearse (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 13, 2004

"Why do they hate us so much?" Many in the U.S. are baffled at the hatred and anti-Western sentiment they see on the international news. Why are people around the world so resentful of Western cultural values and ideals? Historian Meic Pearse unpacks the deep divides between the West and the rest of the world. He shows how many of the underlying assumptions of Western civilization directly oppose and contradict the cultural and religious values of significant people groups. Those in the Third World, Pearse says, "have the sensation that everything they hold dear and sacred is being rolled over by an economic and cultural juggernaut that doesn’t even know it’s doing it . . . and wouldn’t understand why what it’s destroying is important or of value." Pearse's keen analysis offers insight into perspectives not often understood in the West, and provides a starting point for intercultural dialogue and rapprochement.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

*Starred Review* The root cause of non-Western nations' anger toward the West lies not in economics, religion, or foreign policy, church historian and business-studies teacher Pearse says, but in modern Western culture, which traditional societies see as barbarism. Specifically, they see in the West societies that forget ancestors, derogate religion, exalt triviality (sports, entertainment, fashion), endorse sexual shamelessness, deprecate family, and discard honor. Westerners are surprised to be called barbarians, because they associate barbarism almost exclusively with dirt and cruelty. To reduce Western surprise, Pearse probes the beliefs that eventuate in the qualities non-Westerners decry. Those doctrines include modern personal integrity (being "true to oneself"), human rights, progress, impartiality or equality of treatment, "imagined communities" (e.g., nation, class), and industrial efficiency. The practical consequences of these beliefs are social atomization; personal irresponsibility; dehumanizing impersonality; and other wounds to traditional families, communities, and conceptions of the person. Perhaps the West itself is dying of modernism through declining birthrates and increasing dependence on immigration in all Western countries. Westerners ought to become normal again, and Pearse urges revivals of belief and behavior in the West that more closely approximate those of "the Rest." This is no "fundamentalist" altar-call harangue, however, but possibly the best, most intelligent, most humane brief argument that the West, rather than the Rest, needs reform. Ray Olson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

"This is . . . possibly the best, most intelligent, most humane brief argument that the West, rather than the Rest, needs reform." (Booklist (starred review), June 1, 2004 )

"Immensely rich insight, written nicely by a learned and penetrating thinker. This may be the best Christian reflection on the deeper questions around globalization, global culture wars and the great clash of civilizations I've yet seen. . . . If you've only got time for one book of this sort, pass by Chomsky and Perle. Skip narrow-minded ideologues like Michael Moore and Ann Coulter and read Meic Pearse. He is a thoughtful Christian who brings theological acumen and global sensitivities to his critique of modernity, and offers profound Christian insight as he unpacks the deep divides between the West and the rest." (Byron Borger, Hearts & Minds Bookstore, Dallastown, Pennsylvania )

"Meic Pearse has exposed our therapy culture in its failure to move us from self-absorption to the freedom of self-esteem found when we truly serve others. . . . This book is necessary reading for all who would be responsible leaders and informed Christians in the twenty-first century." (Myron S. Augsburger )

"I know of no more urgent discussion in our day. . . . Could someone please get a copy to George W. Bush?" (Philip Yancey, author of Rumors of Another World )

"This is a passionate, unfashionable and important book, recommended reading for anybody who has begun to suspect that the Western economic and cultural project is unsustainable." (Richard Chartres, Bishop of London )

"This book is a serious and stirring call to Christians to reaffirm the central position of their faith. In an age which mistakes nescience for open-mindedness and enforced nihilism for toleration, this call to know, to affirm and to witness deserves a wide audience." (Roger Scruton, author of The West and the Rest: Globalization and the Terrorist Threat )

"Meic Pearse specializes in asking difficult questions about the most significant issues facing us today--about religions, about politics, and about how cultures and societies come into conflict. . . . This is a challenging, provocative book, with a broad social and historical vision." (Philip Jenkins, Distinguished Professor of History and Religious Studies, Pennsylvania State University, author of The Next Christendom )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 188 pages
• Publisher: IVP Books (May 13, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0830832025
• ISBN-13: 978-0830832026
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #502,454 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good observations but not what you'd expect from the title, January 13, 2005

By 

J. Minatel "jimmin" (Fishers, IN USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Why the Rest Hates the West: Understanding the Roots of Global Rage (Paperback)

With a confrontational title like "Why the Rest Hates the West" you might expect a scathing talk-radio-style diatribe about the evils of the uncivilized non-western world. Or you might have expected the author to blame Western imperialism, Judeo-Christian religious history, and ecological shortsightedness for terrorist attacks.

Refreshingly, the book offers fodder for neither set of extremist views. Instead it's a reserved and rather academic (although readable) study in the differences between the post-modern West and the rest of the current world and all previous world cultures. In taking the high road though, I get the sense that the author might have titled this book "A History of Post-Modern Western Civilization's Moral Failings and their Long Range Impact on Global Demographic Shifts" and the publisher's publicist probably played a role in the "Hate" title despite little content in the book supporting it.

The author makes several keen observations on differences between the current west and non-western worlds. He details that the post-modern world has rejected its own religious heritage (despite the cries of the American left in the days following the 2004 election, the U.S. is not in danger of becoming puritanical although the U.S. does have a larger percentage of practicing Christians than many European countries). He looks at the west's history from the Renaissance, Enlightenment, Reformation, through the Victorian, post-Victorian, and finally post-modern ages. He observes the effects of all of these upheavals on the institution of the family.

His first main conclusion is these changes along with industrialism have combined to devalue social institutions like the family and local communities while elevating the importance of individualism, nationality, and human rights. It is however the institutions of family (including ancestors) and local communities that all previous world cultures and the current non-western civilization still hold dear and it is this distinction (not religion itself or militarism) that separates the west from non-west today. The pre-industrial non-west can't afford the luxury of "individualism" - families need to stick together for mere sustenance and survival. Nationality is expressly rejected by Islam. And abstractions such as "human rights" mean little to anyone struggling day to day for clean water and food. Pre-modern societies who don't know where tomorrow's meal might come from also favor stability over change, so even an "evil" dictator who is stable is preferable to a change that might endanger the family's day-to-day living. Divorced from the reality of day-to-day living by hyperprosperity, the west can afford temporary instability in the name of the long term march of freedom and can't understand how anyone could deny the value of freedom.

While he doesn't say so explicitly (unfortunately) the inevitable conclusion I drew from the book up to this point is that the west, in its all-knowing all-powerful elitist style fails to understand that today's west took some 500 years of history to evolve. But we then turn around and try to force 500 years of "progress" down the rest of the world's throat in the name of "freedom" or "human rights." If the rest of the world is to find "freedom" or "human rights" they're going to have to find it on their own terms, in their own time. Neither the approach of democracy at the point of a gun nor the approach of peaceful mediation to convince the non-west of the intellectual superiority of "tolerance" and other western values will advance real freedom's march by a day. (These are both laughable approaches considering the arbitrary geographic boundaries imposed by the west "joining" vastly different religious sub-cultures into pseudo-countries.)

He concludes the book with an unexpected twist: he ties all of the post-modern west's rejection of religion and tradition to staggeringly low birthrates in Europe, birthrates so low that they point to a population implosion. Along with rising senior citizen populations thanks to longer life expectancy, economic struggles result from an imbalance in the ration of workers to retires. These trends open the door to a flood of immigration to fill the European void and the current trend is this immigration is decidedly non-Western. The new immigrants aren't westernizing, are holding dear their traditional values including family which means higher birthrates in their populations, leading to the conclusion that "western" culture as we know if today in Europe will cease to exist within 100 years and will be equally balanced by the influx and growth of non-Western traditions. He paints a slightly different picture for the U.S. where the birthrate is at least holding steady at the minimum population rates but points out that immigration will reshape the U.S. as well. The only alternative is for the west to re-adopt traditional values.

And with that, the book ends. Not with a conclusion that the "rest" hates the "west" but that the current west is not viable because the population is not self-sustaining and that the non-west will overtake the west via population growth.
While in general he makes many good points and I felt I learned from reading it, there were things I didn't like about this.
First: the disconnect between the title and the material. He made very little effort to link his lengthy discourse on the last 500 years of western history to "hate" for the west from the rest.

Second, while the issues of family and local community are important to many people non-western world, I think he vastly understates the role of religious differences in creating and maintaining the current divide. Millennia of religious differences and western military domination the last several hundred years are hatred's foundation. The fear that the western non-traditional values will be part of the west's cultural steamroller only adds heat to hate's fire.

Finally, on the population sustainability note, I thought he failed in not connecting that if the non-west sees the west's non-sustainable birthrates, the non-west may fear the west will take the only other route available to any demographic that can't sustain through procreation - converting others (the non-west) to western culture.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, November 19, 2004

By 

Gordon Hackman "absent minded prof" (Buffalo Grove, IL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Why the Rest Hates the West: Understanding the Roots of Global Rage (Paperback)

This book is an excellent analysis and critique of the ills of contemporary Western culture, and their relevance to the relationship between the West and the rest of the world, particularly in the light of international terrorism such as the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

The author's basic argument is that the contemporary West lives in a state of nearly complete disconnection from the reality that most people inhabit or have inhabited both now and throughout most of human history. In many, if not most places in the world, people struggle for daily survival, living in the ever present shadow of death and chaos. As a result, they understand the importance of moral order and a belief in the transcendant that gives meaning to life. We in the West, on the other hand, enjoy political stability, technological sophistication, and a level of comfort and safety unparalleled in human history. Largely padded and pampered from the harsh realities of daily survival that most people have to contend with, we have largely discarded a belief in the transcendant and have replaced objective morality with self-centered hedonism. As a result, the author argues, we have become infantile, technologically sophisticated barbarians, and this is how the rest of the world largely views us. Furthermore, our great power and influence around the world, causes many people from more traditional cultures to view us as a threat to decency, moral order, and the survival of everything they hold dear. As a result, the West is hated in many places. As a result of their often condescending attitudes towards those they view as less advanced, Westerners are often completely incapable of understanding these realities.

The book is succinct, reasonably short, well written and well argued. The author lays out well the historical factors that have led to our present situation, as well as the crisis that is currently facing the West. He also does an excellent job of critiquing the condescending attitude held by many westerners towards traditional religious and moral beliefs, and showing how even our much vaunted "tolerance" and acceptance of other cultures is really a joke. What is needed, he argues, if there is any chance of saving the West, is a return to some kind of solid, public moral commitments, and a resurgence of public religious beliefs. Things don't look particularly hopeful on this account.

All in all in excellent book. Highly recommended.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Refreshingly balanced look at the current global divide., June 27, 2005

By 

Jim (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Why the Rest Hates the West: Understanding the Roots of Global Rage (Paperback)

Having lived nine years in Central Asia, I was a bit nervous upon receiving this book. Was it another book bashing American culture and totally missing the point? The author himself identifies that modern tendency as "self-loathing" and demostrates how that tendency only serves to exacerbate the problem. What follows is a balanced view that forces Western readers to realize that the rest of the world sees reality through a different filter. The result is a very accessible and understandable reading of the current situation in a way that academically lays out the scene rather than trying to bash one culture or another. Highly recommended to the lay person who wants to get an honest glimpse into what may appear to him/her to be a highly irrational reaction among nonwesterners.