Authored by Frank Filocomo via RealClearBooks,
You've probably heard the refrain before, but it bears repeating: The West is the best.
As I write this, it's nearly one hundred degrees Fahrenheit here in Brooklyn. Thank God for air conditioning.
The air conditioner, by the way, was invented by the New York-born Willis Carrier in the early part of the twentieth century. Willis was, without question, a product of Western Civilization.
Before the AC - which we, no doubt, take for granted nowadays - our ancestors, when faced with the dog days of summer, would have no choice but to sit on ice blocks, drink cold beverages, and fan themselves to stay cool.
Many non-Western countries still resort to these old methods.
The computer in which I am typing this article is also a product of Western innovation. After I finish writing this, I'll use it again later today to schedule a doctor's appointment, wherein I'll likely be prescribed Western medicine.
Okay, okay. What am I getting at here? Well, simply, I am proud to be a product and inhabitant of Western Civilization.
Not all, however, feel such gratitude.
In his latest book, Suicidal Empathy: Dying to Be Kind, Gad Saad documents the myriad ways in which Westerners today engage in ethno-masochism and self-flagellation.
"The suicidally empathetic person," Saad writes, "feels guilty that they were born in the West, whereas others were not as fortunate."
To be sure, we do indeed have it good here. And there's nothing wrong with having empathy for those who've never experienced Western living.
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