Lions vs. Scavengers: Saving the West

We are not just in a clash of civilizations — we are in a clash within civilization: a clash between lions – those who wish to build; and scavengers — those who wish to destroy. The scavengers, for too long, have been winning.

They have been winning because the lions got complacent.

In their complacency, the lions forgot how to defend their civilization — or even that their civilization required defending.

And the scavengers grew ravenous.

The scavengers hit upon a brilliant strategy: what if they could turn one of the great strengths of the lion against himself — that is, the lion’s willingness to admit error. 

In 1946, in the aftermath of World War II, anthropologist Ruth Benedict wrote a famous book titled The Chrysanthemum and the Sword — an attempt to understand the differences between America and her approach to war and that of the Japanese Army. She hit upon a fundamental distinction: the distinction between what she termed “guilt cultures” and “shame cultures.”

Guilt cultures, said Benedict, were frequently present in societies that inculcated “absolute standards of morality” and relied on people “developing a conscience.” Guilt is a private phenomenon: we beat ourselves up when we sin. And this means we also confess our sins and repent of them.

This is essentially a statement of the Judeo-Christian ethic. 

Shame cultures, by contrast, are interested, not in absolute standards of morality, but in how people are perceived by others. 

As Benedict wrote, shame cultures “rely on external sanctions for good behavior.” Those sanctions include enforced conformity, social rejection, and public humiliation. 

If that sounds like Cancel Culture to you, you would not be wrong.

So-called honor killing is an extreme example: the only way to repair the social shame brought on by a daughter who dates someone of whom the family disapproves is to kill her. 

In short, lions are concerned with guilt, scavengers with shame.

To put it another way, lion culture is preoccupied with how God judges people; scavenger culture with how other people judge them.

What happens when these cultures clash?

Let’s examine.

When the lion sins, he, as a mark of his virtue, admits and repents of his guilt.

The scavenger, cunningly, uses this virtue against the lion.

When the lion repents, the scavenger — rather than forgiving — shames, mocks, and demands from the lion ever more repentance, a demand that will never be satisfied.

Because the Lion abides by a Higher Law, the Scavenger uses the Higher Law against him: the Scavenger violates the Higher Law, tramples on it, spits on it, but demands the Lion continue to uphold it. Because the Higher Law is a boundary on the power of the Lion — because the Lion feels guilty if he fails to uphold the Higher Law — the Lion is vulnerable to its invocation; the Scavenger, shameless and brutal, never is. 

The very quality that leads Lions to be Lions — a self-critical perspective that allows the Lion to grow from his mistakes – plays right into the hands of the scavenger.

That is how, in the world of the scavengers, one of the lion’s great strengths, becomes a point of weakness. 

Here is how this conflict plays out. 

The scavenger demands the lion apologize for his speech, which the scavenger says is equivalent to violence. The lion acquiesces. 

The scavenger demands the lion repent of economic freedom, which he now terms exploitation. The lion surrenders.

The scavenger demands the lion renounce equality before the law, which he says is a tool to maintain the lion’s supremacy. The lion submits.

So, what must the lion do to stop this death spiral?

He must recognize the tactic of the scavenger. He must not allow his virtue to be turned against him. He must understand that this itself is a sin. He must stand proudly on behalf of his civilization. He must be a protector, and that requires fully rejecting the critique of the scavenger. 

How can this be done?

First, lions can learn about their civilization — know it from its foundation on up.

We can learn about the greatness of America, with all her flaws; about the glory of Western civilization, with all its weaknesses; about the glory of a universe constructed by a loving God, who grants us free will and expects moral behavior.

Second, lions can and must find solidarity in each other. We can repair our frayed social fabric, make it strong again. We can go to church and synagogue and commit ourselves to family and community.

Then we can stand together against the scavengers and unsheathe our claws.

But even this is not enough: we must teach all of this to our children. For in every generation, the scavenger returns; he dwells in every human heart. If we do not teach our children the ways of the lion, they will become scavengers.

This is the battle. It has been the battle since the book of Genesis: sin crouches at our door, but we can overcome it.

And, with the help of God, we will.

I’m Ben Shapiro, author of Lions and Scavengers: The True Story of America (and Her Critics), for Prager University.