Thursday, August 21, 2008

The Failure of the Social Contract

The LeviathanWestern Civilization is defined in part by the ascendancy of civil society and the rule of law within its component nations and cultures. Taken together these functions comprise what is commonly known as the social contract, the arrangement by which people agree to accept restrictions on their liberty in order to secure it under a form of consensual government.

The political form that results is not specified under the generalized umbrella of the social contract. A constitutional monarchy, a democracy, a constitutional republic — all of these forms, and presumably others, could be established by the consent of the governed within a given social contract.

A man agrees to restrict his liberty in certain ways — to abide by the law and pay taxes — in order to live in an ordered civic structure, one in which all citizens may partake of the commonweal. A society in which the social contract does not function, in which there is no rule of law or civil society, is a dystopia in which life is nasty, poor, brutish, and short.

All of this came to mind when reading Fjordman’s comment on this morning’s post about the disorder that has begun to grip Sweden:

I read a public comment from the Stockholm police saying that if somebody tries to rob you, you should just give them the money. There was just nothing they could do about the wave of robberies. So why should people still pay taxes? The country is totally out of control, as is much of the rest of Western Europe, yet people are supposed to pay some of the highest tax rates in the world and get demonized by the media and beaten up by left-wing extremists if they protest.

The social contract in Sweden and othern Western nations has failed. Some countries are worse off — Britain, the Netherlands, and Sweden are probably in the more advanced stages of social disintegration — but all are affected.

This same process holds sway even where Islamization is not an issue, and even in countries which are not entirely Western.

Because of the suicidal US immigration policy, we often complain about Mexico in this space. But it’s important to remember that even though its middle class may be relatively small, there are still millions in Mexico who would live like other Westerners if they possibly could. They would prefer normal lives in a place where they could raise their families in a secure environment without violence and social degradation.

Unfortunately, their government, like Sweden’s and so many others, seems to be abdicating its most fundamental responsibility under the social contract: it is failing to offer basic protection to its citizens.

Consider this news story about conditions in Ciudad Juarez:
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Red Cross Gets Radio Threats in Mexico Border City

Red Cross workers stopped treating gunshot victims for several hours in a violent city across the border from Texas after receiving death threats over their radio frequencies, officials said Wednesday.

Two voices were heard over Red Cross radios Tuesday night threatening to kill emergency workers who cared for gunshot victims in Ciudad Juarez, local Red Cross chief Jorge Diaz said.

The Red Cross ordered its personnel to stop treating shooting victims while it decided on additional security measures, Diaz said. City government spokesman Jaime Torres said service resumed Wednesday afternoon, after police were sent to accompany ambulances.

The first voice used a vulgar expression to threaten emergency workers and the second warned that Red Cross personnel “will fall one by one.” The identities and motives of the speakers were unknown.

Two months ago, the Red Cross was forced to restrict service in Ciudad Juarez, a city of 1.3 million that is home to the powerful Juarez drug cartel. The local Red Cross hospital stopped providing 24-hour emergency service after gunmen killed four people then being treated for gunshot wounds. Emergency service there now ends at 10 p.m.

Police protection for ambulances further strains a city police force that is already under siege. Many officers in Ciudad Juarez have been killed — some after their names appeared on hit lists left in public.

So when darkness falls in the city, the rule of law ends, and it’s every man for himself.

Like residents of Malmö or Luton, the people of Ciudad Juarez can no longer rely on their government to maintain a minimum of social order and enforce the law. The social contract has failed, and if conditions like this persist for any length of time, the descent into the “War of All Against All” will begin.

The following story from the Netherlands seems to be related, although the failure of the State in this case is more subtle:

Government Says Dutch Identity is Respect for Laws

Residents of the Netherlands do not have to conduct themselves as ‘Dutch’ as long as they endorse the core values of the Dutch constitutional state. This is the nub of an official comment given by the cabinet on the report “Identification with the Netherlands” by the Scientific Council for Government Policy (WRR).

“The core values of the Netherlands constitutional state are the basis for identification with the Netherlands,” Justice Minister Ernst Hirsch Ballin and Integration Minister Ella Vogelaar say in a letter to parliament. “The government should work for a society that (…) encourages participation. It is however the responsibility of every citizen to actually participate and show themselves to be involved in the Netherlands society.”

The cabinet wants an “identity that excludes no people and that leaves room for people to be able to identify with the Netherlands in their own specific way.” The government “cannot and will not prescribe what Dutch nationality means for people and in what way people identify with the Netherlands.”

Among the tasks of the government, the cabinet includes “the fostering of freedom, respect and tolerance” while “a second task lies in the area of binding via citizenship.” Integration policy is part of this, but the white Dutch should also adapt, the cabinet suggests. “Active participation in Dutch society is a task for all citizens.”

The usual Multicultural mantra can be heard here: the native Dutch must accommodate themselves to the newcomers at least as much as vice versa.

And you’ll notice that the listed functions of the government don’t include the protection of its citizens or the maintenance of a minimum of security within the nation’s borders. Just fostering tolerance and “binding via citizenship” — whatever that might mean.

Endorsement of “core values”, but only the vaguest hints about what those values might be. The inclusion of everyone and the exclusion of no one. No prescription about what it means to be Dutch.

How does one identify with the Netherlands when “Dutchness” doesn’t exist?

Nothing about the rule of law, but only respect for laws in the abstract. No mention of which laws must be respected. Presumably any law, including sharia, will do.

Being Dutch doesn’t involve speaking a certain language. It doesn’t include an shared genetic heritage. It doesn’t refer to a particular set of customs evolved over centuries in a particular place. It doesn’t include any given religion or set of moral values.

It simply tolerates everything, includes everyone, and sits in judgment on nothing. It is the perfect end state for the West, an absolute Multicultural paradise.

Every single person in it identifies with…

Nothing.

This is the final, complete, total, and utter abdication by the State of its fundamental authority.

The social contract is broken. It’s deader than a dodo.

The good news is that no one has an obligation to pay their taxes any longer.


Hat tips: VH for the WTOP story; TB for the NIS article.

10 comments:

History Snark said...

This has been coming for a long time. There are cities in the US (my hometown of Detroit being one) where the police are afraid to respond to calls of a crime in progress. Thus, no protection from criminals.

Two years ago, I knew a couple whose house was broken into. They called the police, pointed out one of the likely thieves to the officer, and also pointed out that there were obvious fingerprints left in the house. The officer did nothing.

Calling the police in that instance serves only one purpose: They make a report which a victim can use to make an insurance claim. Nothing more.

Shortly after that, I started sleeping with a .45 under my pillow...

Whiskey said...

I have some thoughts on how the social contract may be robust or not.

It depends on the elites. In Cuidad Juarez, England, the Netherlands, much of Sweden, and Detroit, the local elites do not want for a variety of reasons to enforce the social contract and have no consequences for that failure.

In New York City they did. Thus, Rudy and Bloomberg. Though a wet-nurse nanny-stater, Bloomberg has kept Rudy's aggressive police action. Donald Trump, Disney and ESPN, Wall Street, and a myriad of real estate (not a liquid investment to put it mildly) and financial interests that depend on NYC being relatively safe and secure insure that Bloomberg keeps the streets safe. After the near-meltdown of the Crown Heights riots under Dinkins, New Yorkers (and just as importantly, elites with money) voted to put in Rudy, and Bloomie afterwards. Even if it meant voting Republican.

In Mexico, the wealthy don't care, many probably have ties to various nefarious dealings and at any rate must have a corrupt system to game it -- Carlos Slim, the world's richest man, built his wealth on monopolies extorted by gaming a corrupt political system for exclusive phone and cell phone rights.

In Europe, the elites don't care because they live in wealthy enclaves, with bodyguards and limos. Much like San Francisco Democrats. In Detroit, the local black power block that runs things have a vested interest like Carlos Slim in institutionalized corruption and violence.

Thus, if we want to identify places where the elite will sacrifice PC and Multiculturalism, we will have to look at elites invested heavily in local real estate, and thus dependent on public safety. Even better when corporations which have even more resources to look after their bottom lines have substantial investments in areas.

Likely, the NYC model of allowing direct ownership (not leasing) has proven superior in insuring elites get aligned with ordinary people in providing public safety.

Diamed said...

Gun-Totin: Same thing happened with me. Burglars broke in through a window and made off with my stuff while I wasn't there, but the police when they arrived didn't even bother to check for fingerprints on said window. They blamed me for leaving such 'fat jusicy targets' in sight from outside, rather than the criminals for breaking the law. Typically they never found any leads and nothing was achieved.

Due to Giuliani and the 1990's in general, we now know that crime can be completely controlled whenever the state is willing to do so. It isn't difficult, it just requires harsh, long sentences and a dedicated police force that will arrest anyone even for the most minor offenses. If we wished to eliminate crime altogether, we could do so tomorrow. However, people are such do-gooders that they'd rather anarchy and chaos ruled the streets than give tough jail sentences to 'misguided kids' or 'victims of racist oppression.' So for them to wear various jewels of compassion on their necklace of liberal virtues, the common man must be thrown to the wolves. This is obviously a declaration of war and they should be hung up alongside the criminals they protect.

It isn't just Ciudad Juarez, all of Mexico is in an anarchic crime spree. Thousands are dying in their gang fighting and even the police are involved in kidnapping-for-ransom rings. As Mexicans move north, they bring their habits and customs and way of life with them. We are importing crime, drugs, gangs, high school dropouts, a foreign language, scab labour, and baby factory welfare mothers by the millions. There cannot be a simpler version of full-scale betrayal of any and every duty of the state.

The USA refuses to defend its gene pool or give any future for the descendants of its ancestors. It refuses to defend its language and has allowed a new one to take the place of the old. It refuses to provide safety against crime. It actively makes it harder to find a good job or high wage by importing endless cheap labor competition. It strains the environment by overwhelming it with additional unnecessary people. It does not build infrastructure at the same speed the population expands, making everyone worse off and poorer by the day. It does not protect against potential terrorists crossing the border. It refuses to teach US history in a positive light or celebrate Christmas or install any common values in the populace. In fact it's hard to say what part of the social contract the United States government is fulfilling. If anyone knows one, feel free to tell me!

For this reason the USA is dead and must be escaped from as soon as possible. Secession into a smaller core society that in fact is willing to uphold the social contract would massively benefit us, just imagine not having to worry about crime, imagine not having to lock anything and having no fear it will be stolen. Imagine schools that don't teach your kids to hate themselves and adopt homosexuality by first grade. Imagine taxes extremely low because the government does not care more about pandering to minorities than you. And most of all, imagine a stable homeland for your children, grandchildren, and great-granchildren who will all grow up around people like them who care about them and appreciate them, never bullied, never beaten, never singled out as 'racist' or 'the cancer of human history,' never discriminated against, never insulted for being who they are, never gang raped, never feeling like the odd man out or a stranger in their own homeland, never rounded up and gassed as part of some 'final solution,' but deeply connected to their neighbors, friends, relatives, coworkers, classmates, and leaders.

History Snark said...

Diamed: Mexico has "progressed" to the point that it is almost completely in anarchy. Stratfor, among other groups, has suggested that if it gets too much worse there, the possibility exists that the US would have to intervene there.

In one sense, the only way to restore any sense of normalcy to the US/Mexican border might be for the US to just turn into the imperialist bully everyone already accuses us of being.

The good news from that angle is that we could get the Mexican oil for cheap

Michael said...

If these minority groups are not made to assimilate, what's to stop them from declaring their independence?

The United States and Europe have set a dangerous precedent with the recognition of Kosovo. We have seen the consequences in South Ossetia. A minority within a country declares their independence or is absorbed by the "motherland."

The justifications for these situations leaves little doubt that this will become a trend. The Southwestern United States comes to mind, although I'm sure there are better examples (this one just happens to affect me the most).

Steve said...

Diamed: What you described would certainly be Heaven on Earth to put it mildly. Here in Canada, our moronic government paid millions to a bunch of Indians who complained that their ancestors/compatriots were discriminated against in an incident called the Komagatu Maru incident where they just decided to show up at one of our Pacific ports and demand that we let them in. Thankfully our Government actually had a backbone back then and forced the boat to leave port with our only warship purchased from the British called HMCS Rainbow. If only we could deport so-called "refugees" at the point of a rifle.

But it just goes to show how far a nation can decline in quality in just about 90 years. Even if the Canadian government held a referendum of immigration, the results would be skewed and void because modern immigrants would be allowed to vote and our youth has been indoctrinated with nationally suicidal tendencies.

GOD help us.

ɱØяñιηg$ʇðя ©™ said...

I have no doubt that if I stopped paying my taxes tomorrow, the same cops that recommends me to hand over my money to the thugs, would rather brutishly kick in my door and drag me away in cuffs the same very day. Funny how they never seem to have any resources to react to violent crimes while they at the same time have unending resources to chase speeders. I wish we at least had the same liberal gun laws as you. I would also feel much safer with a 45 although I have never even hold one IRL. If I even tried to get one it would probably only result in my poor ass thrown into the slammer for many long years. But any multicultural scum who blows my brains out will be out after only a few months or a few years as worst.

Anonymous Infidel said...

Diamed:

I don't think the situation in America is bad enough that secession is our only option.
Even in the southwest, illegals don't mass murder Americans and demand their own nation. (yet, but I see it happening in the nex 10 to 15 years)

Diamed said...

Illegal aliens via crime and drunk driving are killing over 3,000 americans a year. They are the principle source of the drug trade which kills another 40,000 a year. They are in fact mass murdering us.

They don't need to demand their own nation, they can simply demand the entire nation for themselves. At current birth rates and immigration, they will be the majority of all of it. Why break away then, they have every reason to stay so they can tyrannize over us and parasitically tax our work for their welfare. It is us who must demand our own nation because currently we are slaves to the minorities. We are second class citizens with inbuilt discriminatory laws made against us. We are taught to hate ourselves in school. Half of our work is taken form us and redistributed to minorities. Our land is given away for free to millions of uninvited illegal aliens. The media always shows every criminal to be white, every brilliant lawyer, doctor, president, or CEO to be black, and presents everything in such a way that whitey is always to blame. This media subtly poisons and corrodes us from within, as we assume that what's shown on TV must in fact be true in the real world as well. Hate against us is magnified in minorities, loss of confidence and apologism magnified in us. I can't find fjordman's quote, but remember the white college girl standing up and telling her amerindian professor "You are great, you have a culture, and I think that's great. We have nothing. We are nothing, just nothing." and no one dared to contradict her. The amerindian, having more pity for us than we have pride in ourselves, remarked that when women's heads were on the grounds, that was when you knew your tribe was conquered. So to say that things aren't all that bad yet, after all they aren't demanding the southwest, is completely missing the point. They have demanded not the southwest, but all of America. They have demanded we serve perpetually as an untouchable caste, always regarded as the most deeply evil and worthless people in America, who must repent for their innate evil by shoveling out endless tax money and lying praise and unearned respect to the blessed, deserving minorities. (Who will soon be the majority.) If they just wanted another all-hispanic state, they could have chosen one of the 24 already pre-existing such states in south/central america. No, they don't want their own country, they want a white country they can exploit and feed off, and this is exactly what we must prevent.


They will never want to secede, they have the whip hand. It's us who must want our own nation.

laine said...

Diamed is likely right. The latest projections show America with whites in the minority by 2042, a full ten years earlier than previously projected. It's a reasonable guess that the experts are still off in their math and it may happen as early as 2032. In fact, major urban centers are hovering there now. It's the rural areas that are the holdouts.

The expected new proportions will be Hispanics 30% (almost doubled), Asian 9% from 5% and blacks holding steady at about 12%. What Hispanics have made of every country they control is a basket case so their dominance does not augur well.

Whites will not get minority privileges. Whitey will instead be the golden goose sold into tax slavery to support the indolent, squeezed and squeezed until it dies or rebels.

There shouldn't be much joy in non-Whiteville either, as whites have been feeding much of the third world, especially Africa. If the charity case nations expect the Chinese to take up the humanitarian slack after the USA is swamped, they'll perish in the millions.

Non-white nations have not evolved beyond helping only themselves. It's going to be a Hobbesian world, a new Dark Ages in more ways than one.

Multiculturalism will have been the cause of death for many, non-whites as well as whites. Take a good look at the world, at why some nations are successful and others are chronic failures. Whose brilliant notion was it that recreating those dysfunctional cultures within only the successful (white) nations was going to end up any better? The belief that doing the same thing will result in a different outcome is a mental illness and we allowed the mentally ill Left to foist their grand delusions on us.