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Eurotrash: Why America Must Reject the Failed Ideas of a Dying Continent – An Unapologetic Polemic on Economic and Cultural Superiority
Why should America try to be more like countries that are worse in nearly every way?
Europe has been declining under the weight of its antiquated institutions, economic fatigue, moral anemia and cultural surrender. Yet American politicians, technocrats, academics, and pundits argue, with increasing popularity, that Americans should look across the Atlantic for solutions to the nation’s problems, including on issues like health care, the welfare state, immigration, and a bloated bureaucracy.
In Eurotrash, David Harsanyi argues we are looking in the wrong place. By every economic and societal measure, the United States is more tolerant than Europe. It is more welcoming of immigrants, but also far more successful at assimilating them. Minorities do far better in United States. Our economy is dominant. Only one European company appears in top 10 corporate powerhouses in the world and only seven in the top 50. Americans make up nearly half of the list.
Americans are far more charitable and happier than Europeans. Our slightly lower life expectancy and our slightly higher infant mortality rate are not a result of substandard care, but a statistical misunderstanding based on the fact we treat every life as one worth saving.
In this biting, fast-moving, and well-researched polemic, Harsanyi debunks prevailing notions about European supremacy and makes an unapologetic case for American exceptionalism, offering insight and reasoned arguments to counter current policy prescriptions.
Europe has been declining under the weight of its antiquated institutions, economic fatigue, moral anemia and cultural surrender. Yet American politicians, technocrats, academics, and pundits argue, with increasing popularity, that Americans should look across the Atlantic for solutions to the nation’s problems, including on issues like health care, the welfare state, immigration, and a bloated bureaucracy.
In Eurotrash, David Harsanyi argues we are looking in the wrong place. By every economic and societal measure, the United States is more tolerant than Europe. It is more welcoming of immigrants, but also far more successful at assimilating them. Minorities do far better in United States. Our economy is dominant. Only one European company appears in top 10 corporate powerhouses in the world and only seven in the top 50. Americans make up nearly half of the list.
Americans are far more charitable and happier than Europeans. Our slightly lower life expectancy and our slightly higher infant mortality rate are not a result of substandard care, but a statistical misunderstanding based on the fact we treat every life as one worth saving.
In this biting, fast-moving, and well-researched polemic, Harsanyi debunks prevailing notions about European supremacy and makes an unapologetic case for American exceptionalism, offering insight and reasoned arguments to counter current policy prescriptions.
315 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 26, 2021
41 people are currently reading
264 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
July 18, 2022
don't know where to start...this joke of an author claimed europe is kills kids with down syndrome...
"agnostics are those ones who can't make up their mind"....the narrow mindedness of the author is bottomless.
the problems of europe listed may be true.....you loser nutbag of a writer - no one has suggested to import the flaws and problems of europe.....somethings done in europe is done right and can be copied.
mr author go back to read the bible....i'm sure you'll find answers to all problems there.
"agnostics are those ones who can't make up their mind"....the narrow mindedness of the author is bottomless.
the problems of europe listed may be true.....you loser nutbag of a writer - no one has suggested to import the flaws and problems of europe.....somethings done in europe is done right and can be copied.
mr author go back to read the bible....i'm sure you'll find answers to all problems there.
August 4, 2024
This is giving 'I'm going to Europe on holiday'. Badly researched. Poorly argued. Just incorrect?
March 31, 2026
Handpicked Eurotrash,
convincing arguments over data I (yet) knew, no need my sifting through:
meritocracy, self-determination, freedom of speech - individual's (my) due.
till I had a backlash
to his talk of God...
my getting garbage, others treasure flawed.
I don't clash.
convincing arguments over data I (yet) knew, no need my sifting through:
meritocracy, self-determination, freedom of speech - individual's (my) due.
till I had a backlash
to his talk of God...
my getting garbage, others treasure flawed.
I don't clash.
March 6, 2025
The American exceptionalism reeking from this book makes me uncomfortable.
December 16, 2021
An effective point-counterpoint structure. In essence this is “American Apologetics”
Well supported with specific data and analysis. All meticulously referenced.
Great source for data and information for defense against those, inside and outside America, who seek to denigrate this great nation.
Well supported with specific data and analysis. All meticulously referenced.
Great source for data and information for defense against those, inside and outside America, who seek to denigrate this great nation.
January 14, 2022
Like the more optimistic, less fatalistic follow up to The Decadent Society: How We Became the Victims of Our Own Success- in that it tackles some of the same problems but doesn't actually assume that US is trapped in the same problems that Europe faces. And. Fuck the French, as a book.
February 22, 2022
Our ancestors left Europe (and other places) for individual freedom, and there is no reason to give up that freedom today and start emulating Europe. This is a well researched and highly footnoted book about the differences between the United States and Europe today and why we do not and should not want to follow in Europe's footsteps. Freedom is not an outdated word. Yet.
February 28, 2022
Americans may be known as proud and uncouth—but this book helps you appreciate why that might not be such a bad thing.
December 25, 2022
Re-read. Highly recommended.
March 4, 2022
This is a very one-sided argument, but it might be the side you haven’t heard yet
December 28, 2022
Very sobering and extremely well written. Everyone in the USA should read this.
February 27, 2026
**TL;DR: Don’t waste your time on this. It reads less like serious analysis and more like right-wing polemic.**
First of all, I identify as neither left nor right. I think facts should come before ideology.
I looked into the author first, and he’s not a scholar in any relevant field. He doesn’t seem to have an academic background in economics, political science, sociology, or anything like that. He’s mainly a columnist and commentator.
Now, lacking an academic background does **not** automatically mean someone is wrong. But this type of writer often has a very predictable pattern: they make complicated issues sound way too neat, pick the data that helps their narrative, and replace careful causal analysis with broad civilizational diagnosis.
That problem feels especially obvious here.
Even the publisher matters. Broadside Books is openly positioned as a conservative imprint. And the title of this book is not written in the tone of calm academic inquiry. It’s very clearly trying to rally people around a conservative political message.
To be fair, not everything in the book is false. Some of the problems he points to are real. Europe has had weaker growth, lower productivity, more market fragmentation, less unified capital markets, and a harder time scaling large companies compared with the U.S. If his argument were simply that Europe has underperformed the U.S. in growth and business expansion over the last two decades, that would be a reasonable and defensible claim.
But that’s not where he stops.
He takes some real problems and then jumps from there to sweeping conclusions like Europe’s ideas have failed, Europe is a dying continent, and America must reject the European model. That’s where the argument starts to slide. At that point, it’s no longer just economics. It becomes a grand verdict that mixes together completely different goals and values into one ideological conclusion.
The healthcare chapter is one of the clearest examples. The confidence of the conclusions is much stronger than the evidence can support, and the book often cherry-picks examples. For instance, comparing Minnesota to Sweden, or comparing major surgery outcomes for Medicaid patients in order to imply that government-led healthcare performs worse than private systems, is not serious comparison. Medicaid patients are poorer, sicker, and more vulnerable to begin with. Comparing them directly to privately insured populations creates huge selection bias. In plain English, he is picking the sample that helps him make the case he already wants to make.
There are similar problems elsewhere. The book sometimes leans on anecdotal material and then jumps to claims like America is the most tolerant country on earth and Europe is far worse. That is an enormous conclusion to draw from thin and selective evidence. The chapter on working hours has the same issue. It turns differences in value preferences into moral judgment, as if choosing more leisure automatically means weaker character or worse work ethic.
-----------
So, my overall view is simple: this is NOT a serious book to read if your goal is to understand Europe, America, or political economy in a careful way. It is a highly ideological book that starts with a conclusion and then arranges the evidence around it.
If you already know that going in, and you want to read it as a piece of right-wing argumentation, fine. But as a genuine source of understanding, I don’t think it’s worth your time.
First of all, I identify as neither left nor right. I think facts should come before ideology.
I looked into the author first, and he’s not a scholar in any relevant field. He doesn’t seem to have an academic background in economics, political science, sociology, or anything like that. He’s mainly a columnist and commentator.
Now, lacking an academic background does **not** automatically mean someone is wrong. But this type of writer often has a very predictable pattern: they make complicated issues sound way too neat, pick the data that helps their narrative, and replace careful causal analysis with broad civilizational diagnosis.
That problem feels especially obvious here.
Even the publisher matters. Broadside Books is openly positioned as a conservative imprint. And the title of this book is not written in the tone of calm academic inquiry. It’s very clearly trying to rally people around a conservative political message.
To be fair, not everything in the book is false. Some of the problems he points to are real. Europe has had weaker growth, lower productivity, more market fragmentation, less unified capital markets, and a harder time scaling large companies compared with the U.S. If his argument were simply that Europe has underperformed the U.S. in growth and business expansion over the last two decades, that would be a reasonable and defensible claim.
But that’s not where he stops.
He takes some real problems and then jumps from there to sweeping conclusions like Europe’s ideas have failed, Europe is a dying continent, and America must reject the European model. That’s where the argument starts to slide. At that point, it’s no longer just economics. It becomes a grand verdict that mixes together completely different goals and values into one ideological conclusion.
The healthcare chapter is one of the clearest examples. The confidence of the conclusions is much stronger than the evidence can support, and the book often cherry-picks examples. For instance, comparing Minnesota to Sweden, or comparing major surgery outcomes for Medicaid patients in order to imply that government-led healthcare performs worse than private systems, is not serious comparison. Medicaid patients are poorer, sicker, and more vulnerable to begin with. Comparing them directly to privately insured populations creates huge selection bias. In plain English, he is picking the sample that helps him make the case he already wants to make.
There are similar problems elsewhere. The book sometimes leans on anecdotal material and then jumps to claims like America is the most tolerant country on earth and Europe is far worse. That is an enormous conclusion to draw from thin and selective evidence. The chapter on working hours has the same issue. It turns differences in value preferences into moral judgment, as if choosing more leisure automatically means weaker character or worse work ethic.
-----------
So, my overall view is simple: this is NOT a serious book to read if your goal is to understand Europe, America, or political economy in a careful way. It is a highly ideological book that starts with a conclusion and then arranges the evidence around it.
If you already know that going in, and you want to read it as a piece of right-wing argumentation, fine. But as a genuine source of understanding, I don’t think it’s worth your time.
December 31, 2024
Well, I managed to squeeze in one more book in 2024, bringing me to 100 on my official list. I've done better in previous years; we'll see how 2025 goes.
Consumer note: Amazon has the hardcover for a mere $5.62 as I type. You could do worse.
The author, David Harsanyi, is one of my favorites. Here, he explains (basically) why the USA should ignore the constant whines of 'Europhiles' who wonder why we can't be more like that prosperous, cosmopolitan, ecological, left-wing continent across the pond.
Harsanyi can be credibly accused of cherry-picking his data and anecdotes, only mentioning the stuff that supports his thesis. Are European countries really the totalitarian hellholes he paints? Sure, they have serious problems. All countries do. Some problems worse than others? Yup, sure.
But he points a pretty damning picture, chapter by chapter, on how Europe is worse: a lot of people fall through the cracks of their ballyhooed healthcare systems; the continent is rife with ethnic and racial strife; their commitment to free expression is increasingly shrinking; demographically, they are headed for fiscal disaster as fewer young people pay for the pensions of more and more geezers; the European Union is an autocratic nightmare, out of democratic control; their "green" environmental policies are unsustainable. And more.
One country Harsanyi doesn't mention much: Switzerland. (Another one of my favorite writers, Kevin D. Williamson, is a 'Swissophile'.) Going through the index entries…
· Page 20: he admits the Swiss score high on the World Happiness Report; he attributes that to their wealth. (Other European countries report similar wealth-linked happiness.)
· Page 159: Switzerland is one of the countries where "faith is dying", but churches are propped up by taxation. (Wikipedia says this happens at the canton level,)
· On a related note, page 210 notes that a Swiss census revealed that religious mothers were bearing "nearly twice" as many children as non-religious mothers.
· Page 221: Assisted suicide is legal in Switzerland, and there are quite a few Europeans who travel there to be killed. Honest.
· And, finally, page 225: Switzerland (similarly to most other European countries) kill the vast majority of unborn babies who test positive for Down syndrome.
As another measure, I looked at the latest Cato/Fraser Institute Human Freedom Index, ranking most of the world's countries, personal and economic liberty-wise (as of 2022). Make of this what you will: The USA is in 17th place in their rankings scoring worse than the European nations of Switzerland, Denmark, Luxembourg, Ireland, Finland, Sweden, Iceland, Estonia, Norway, Germany, Netherlands, and Czechia. And we are tied with the United Kingdom.
As a mostly-libertarian guy, I'd say we could take some lessons from some European countries. While Harsanyi is telling an important story, he's not telling the whole story.
February 23, 2026
from Grok
### 《欧洲垃圾：为何美国必须拒绝一个垂死大陆的失败理念》（Eurotrash: Why America Must Reject the Failed Ideas of a Dying Continent）
#### 總評與大意
讀完David Harsanyi的這本書，我最大的感受是它像一把銳利的解剖刀，無情地切割開歐洲模式的神話，警告美國人不要盲目崇歐。這本書不是純粹的歐洲黑，而是基於數據、歷史與案例，主張歐洲的福利國家、社會主義傾向、移民政策與文化衰退，已讓這個大陸從昔日輝煌淪為「垂死大陸」。作者���籲美國拒絕這些「失敗理念」，堅守資本主義、個人主義與有限政府，以免重蹈覆轍。作為一本保守派論戰書，它充滿火藥味，但邏輯嚴密、論據豐富，讓我反思全球化的「歐洲夢」是否真的那麼美好。總分8/10：論點犀利，但有時過於偏頗，忽略歐洲的正面貢獻（如環保與工作生活平衡）。讀後，我更珍惜美國模式的活力，但也警醒「福利陷阱」的危險。
以下是我對本書的重點整理，每點包括**作者主張**、**精華解釋**與**具體舉例**（來自書中案例），一一列出。這些重點涵蓋書中核心章節，從經濟、政治、文化到移民，系統拆解「歐洲失敗」。
#### 1. **歐洲福利國家導致經濟停滯與依賴文化**
- **作者主張**：歐洲的高稅率、巨額福利與勞工保護，扼殺創新與生產力，讓經濟長期低成長，成為「社會主義溫床」。
- **精華解釋**：福利讓人民依賴政府，失去創業動機；高稅（歐盟平均稅負45%）讓富人外流，窮人陷貧窮循環。美國應拒絕此模式，堅持低稅小政府。
- **舉例**：希臘債務危機（2010年）：巨額養老金與公部門福利導致國家破產，歐盟紓困卻加劇依賴。作者對比美國：低稅州如德州經濟蓬勃，高稅州如加州流失人口。
#### 2. **歐洲移民政策失敗，導致文化衝突與安全危機**
- **作者主張**：歐洲的開放邊境與多文化主義，忽略文化融合，造成社會分裂與恐怖威脅。
- **精華解釋**：移民未同化，帶來價值衝突（如伊斯蘭極端主義 vs. 歐洲世俗）；福利吸引低技能移民，增加負擔。美國應學習，嚴格邊境與文化篩選。
- **舉例**：2015年歐洲難民危機：德國默克爾接納百萬中東難民，導致科隆跨年夜性侵案（超過千起投訴），並助長右翼民粹崛起。作者對比美國：川普邊境牆雖爭議，但有效降低非法移民。
#### 3. **歐洲的道德優越感是虛假的，隱藏衰退事實**
- **作者主張**：歐洲自詡「人權燈塔」，但實際上軍事依賴美國（北約預算僅美國1/3），經濟依賴中國，無法自立。
- **精華解釋**：歐洲批評美國「槍枝文化」「資本主義貪婪」，卻忽略自身問題如高失業率（歐盟青年失業20%）與人口老化。美國應拒絕歐洲的「道德說教」。
- **舉例**：法國黃背心運動（2018年）：高油價稅引發暴動，暴露歐洲環保政策忽略基層痛點。作者對比美國：能源獨立讓美國經濟更穩。
#### 4. **歐洲社會主義扼殺創新與個人自由**
- **作者主張**：歐洲的平等主義壓抑競爭，導致科技落後（歐盟GDP成長率僅美國一半）。
- **精華解釋**：高福利讓人安於現狀，少創業；嚴格勞工法讓企業不敢雇人。美國的「美國夢」是歐洲模式的反面鏡子。
- **舉例**：英國脫歐（2016年）：歐盟官僚主義與移民政策讓英國人厭倦，脫歐後英國經濟雖震盪，但擺脫歐盟稅負，吸引更多投資。作者視此為「拒絕歐洲失敗」的典範。
#### 5. **歐洲的文化衰退與人口危機**
- **作者主張**：歐洲低生育率（1.5以下）與高移民，導致文化稀釋與社會不穩。
- **精華解釋**：福利讓年輕人晚婚少子，文化遺產（如基督教傳統）被世俗化沖淡。美國的多樣性是優勢，但需避免歐洲的「文化自殺」。
- **舉例**：義大利人口老化危機：平均年齡47歲，高福利養老金讓國家債台高築，年輕人移民外流。作者對比美國：移民融入美國夢，帶來活力。
#### 6. **歐洲模式對美國的潛在威脅**
- **作者主張**：美國左派（如桑德斯）崇歐，推福利擴張，將讓美國重蹈歐洲經濟停滯。
- **精華解釋**：歐洲的「平等」犧牲了「機會」，美國應堅持自由市場。書末呼籲：拒絕歐洲模式，擁抱美國例外主義。
- **舉例**：瑞典模式崩潰：曾是福利天堂，但高稅導致企業外流（如IKEA總部移荷蘭），移民衝突頻發。作者警告：美國的Obamacare若擴張，將成類似災難。
### 讀後心得結語
這本書讓我警醒：歐洲的「失敗理念」不是抽象批評，而是活生生教訓——高福利看似美好，卻扼殺活力；開放移民看似人道，卻需文化融合。作為讀者，我同意作者：美國應拒絕歐洲模式，但也反思書中偏頗（如忽略歐洲環保成就）。總之，這是本充滿火藥的保守派宣言，讀完讓我更珍惜資本主義的動能，但也提醒平衡社會公平。值得一讀，尤其在美中歐三極時代。
### 《欧洲垃圾：为何美国必须拒绝一个垂死大陆的失败理念》（Eurotrash: Why America Must Reject the Failed Ideas of a Dying Continent）
#### 總評與大意
讀完David Harsanyi的這本書，我最大的感受是它像一把銳利的解剖刀，無情地切割開歐洲模式的神話，警告美國人不要盲目崇歐。這本書不是純粹的歐洲黑，而是基於數據、歷史與案例，主張歐洲的福利國家、社會主義傾向、移民政策與文化衰退，已讓這個大陸從昔日輝煌淪為「垂死大陸」。作者���籲美國拒絕這些「失敗理念」，堅守資本主義、個人主義與有限政府，以免重蹈覆轍。作為一本保守派論戰書，它充滿火藥味，但邏輯嚴密、論據豐富，讓我反思全球化的「歐洲夢」是否真的那麼美好。總分8/10：論點犀利，但有時過於偏頗，忽略歐洲的正面貢獻（如環保與工作生活平衡）。讀後，我更珍惜美國模式的活力，但也警醒「福利陷阱」的危險。
以下是我對本書的重點整理，每點包括**作者主張**、**精華解釋**與**具體舉例**（來自書中案例），一一列出。這些重點涵蓋書中核心章節，從經濟、政治、文化到移民，系統拆解「歐洲失敗」。
#### 1. **歐洲福利國家導致經濟停滯與依賴文化**
- **作者主張**：歐洲的高稅率、巨額福利與勞工保護，扼殺創新與生產力，讓經濟長期低成長，成為「社會主義溫床」。
- **精華解釋**：福利讓人民依賴政府，失去創業動機；高稅（歐盟平均稅負45%）讓富人外流，窮人陷貧窮循環。美國應拒絕此模式，堅持低稅小政府。
- **舉例**：希臘債務危機（2010年）：巨額養老金與公部門福利導致國家破產，歐盟紓困卻加劇依賴。作者對比美國：低稅州如德州經濟蓬勃，高稅州如加州流失人口。
#### 2. **歐洲移民政策失敗，導致文化衝突與安全危機**
- **作者主張**：歐洲的開放邊境與多文化主義，忽略文化融合，造成社會分裂與恐怖威脅。
- **精華解釋**：移民未同化，帶來價值衝突（如伊斯蘭極端主義 vs. 歐洲世俗）；福利吸引低技能移民，增加負擔。美國應學習，嚴格邊境與文化篩選。
- **舉例**：2015年歐洲難民危機：德國默克爾接納百萬中東難民，導致科隆跨年夜性侵案（超過千起投訴），並助長右翼民粹崛起。作者對比美國：川普邊境牆雖爭議，但有效降低非法移民。
#### 3. **歐洲的道德優越感是虛假的，隱藏衰退事實**
- **作者主張**：歐洲自詡「人權燈塔」，但實際上軍事依賴美國（北約預算僅美國1/3），經濟依賴中國，無法自立。
- **精華解釋**：歐洲批評美國「槍枝文化」「資本主義貪婪」，卻忽略自身問題如高失業率（歐盟青年失業20%）與人口老化。美國應拒絕歐洲的「道德說教」。
- **舉例**：法國黃背心運動（2018年）：高油價稅引發暴動，暴露歐洲環保政策忽略基層痛點。作者對比美國：能源獨立讓美國經濟更穩。
#### 4. **歐洲社會主義扼殺創新與個人自由**
- **作者主張**：歐洲的平等主義壓抑競爭，導致科技落後（歐盟GDP成長率僅美國一半）。
- **精華解釋**：高福利讓人安於現狀，少創業；嚴格勞工法讓企業不敢雇人。美國的「美國夢」是歐洲模式的反面鏡子。
- **舉例**：英國脫歐（2016年）：歐盟官僚主義與移民政策讓英國人厭倦，脫歐後英國經濟雖震盪，但擺脫歐盟稅負，吸引更多投資。作者視此為「拒絕歐洲失敗」的典範。
#### 5. **歐洲的文化衰退與人口危機**
- **作者主張**：歐洲低生育率（1.5以下）與高移民，導致文化稀釋與社會不穩。
- **精華解釋**：福利讓年輕人晚婚少子，文化遺產（如基督教傳統）被世俗化沖淡。美國的多樣性是優勢，但需避免歐洲的「文化自殺」。
- **舉例**：義大利人口老化危機：平均年齡47歲，高福利養老金讓國家債台高築，年輕人移民外流。作者對比美國：移民融入美國夢，帶來活力。
#### 6. **歐洲模式對美國的潛在威脅**
- **作者主張**：美國左派（如桑德斯）崇歐，推福利擴張，將讓美國重蹈歐洲經濟停滯。
- **精華解釋**：歐洲的「平等」犧牲了「機會」，美國應堅持自由市場。書末呼籲：拒絕歐洲模式，擁抱美國例外主義。
- **舉例**：瑞典模式崩潰：曾是福利天堂，但高稅導致企業外流（如IKEA總部移荷蘭），移民衝突頻發。作者警告：美國的Obamacare若擴張，將成類似災難。
### 讀後心得結語
這本書讓我警醒：歐洲的「失敗理念」不是抽象批評，而是活生生教訓——高福利看似美好，卻扼殺活力；開放移民看似人道，卻需文化融合。作為讀者，我同意作者：美國應拒絕歐洲模式，但也反思書中偏頗（如忽略歐洲環保成就）。總之，這是本充滿火藥的保守派宣言，讀完讓我更珍惜資本主義的動能，但也提醒平衡社會公平。值得一讀，尤其在美中歐三極時代。
May 14, 2022
The title can make it seem like it’s a rather harsh one sided critique of European policies…it isn’t. This book presents a comparison of people who view Europe through rose colored glasses and compares it to reality. Primary focus is on economic and social issues, there is thorough research and objective criteria discussed. Every time he is critical of liberal ideals he also calls out far right nationalism. I identify as liberal and I don’t feel this book was too harsh. A quick and provocative read.
January 7, 2024
Easy read and the author makes many good points. I don’t agree with all of the points he makes but he makes good effort to support them. Unfortunately, many of the positive aspects of the USA that he highlights when he wrote this and published it in 2021 continue to be eroded by the europhiles. Much to our detriment.
February 27, 2025
A very balanced criticism of Europe. I liked how the author presented a staunchly anti-collectivist view while also rejecting the extreme right. The explanation that Anti-Semitism, racism, and fascism can arise when speech restrictions and social pressure force out moderate voices on the right was insightful.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 11, 2022
If you want to know what America would be like with decades of almost unchecked center-left or even leftist rule, look to Europe. This book has its flaws (some typos and infelicitous phrasing), but makes a compelling case against importing European policies.
February 9, 2022
soo bad
not based on any actual facts. The author has a certain agenda the conclusions are biased and not based on any actual facts i am so disappointed.
not based on any actual facts. The author has a certain agenda the conclusions are biased and not based on any actual facts i am so disappointed.
June 16, 2022
Makes some very interesting points. The Europhiles that Harsanyi refers to feels like the same people who use terms such as flyover country and deplorables.
May 9, 2023
So much has been working in America for so long. May it continue and revive. I thought this might book might be shrill and complaining, but was delightfully surprised.
January 25, 2026
1⭐️
How this made it to publication is beyond me
How this made it to publication is beyond me
February 4, 2025
The thesis of Eurotrash is that Europe is a continent in decline. Despite this, there is a growing sentiment among the American elite that the United States should adopt the ideas and institutions that are throttling Europe. The author, David Harsanyi, demonstrates in twelve chapters that Europe has little to offer that will lead to the betterment of the American people. Americans must reject failed European ideas, or they will inflict upon themselves the same problems troubling Europe.
Harsanyi begins by discussing the Scandinavian countries, often cited by the elites as models of benevolent socialism that the United States should emulate. Next, he discusses European style socialized medicine, which underperforms American medicine. Over the next several chapters, Harsanyi shows that America is a more tolerant society than Europe, and is much more successful at assimilating immigrants. New arrivals to the United States have access to the American Dream while in Europe they are forced into ethnic enclaves which operate outside of the mainstream.
Also discussed are the U.S. economy, the absence of free speech rights in Europe, the restive Muslim minorities in many European nations, the decreasing ability Europe to fund welfare states due to the aging population coupled with low birth rates, and the low value placed on human life in Europe.
Eurotrash is a succinct, well written book. It should present no difficulties to the average reader. If you want to see why the United States should not follow Europe's example, this book will explain.
Harsanyi begins by discussing the Scandinavian countries, often cited by the elites as models of benevolent socialism that the United States should emulate. Next, he discusses European style socialized medicine, which underperforms American medicine. Over the next several chapters, Harsanyi shows that America is a more tolerant society than Europe, and is much more successful at assimilating immigrants. New arrivals to the United States have access to the American Dream while in Europe they are forced into ethnic enclaves which operate outside of the mainstream.
Also discussed are the U.S. economy, the absence of free speech rights in Europe, the restive Muslim minorities in many European nations, the decreasing ability Europe to fund welfare states due to the aging population coupled with low birth rates, and the low value placed on human life in Europe.
Eurotrash is a succinct, well written book. It should present no difficulties to the average reader. If you want to see why the United States should not follow Europe's example, this book will explain.
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