The Tears of the White Man: Compassion as Contempt

Pascal Bruckner's The Tears of the White Man is an old school classic concerning the guilt westerners feel towards citizens of the third world. It also describes the guilt whites feel towards people of color in general, but is only vicariously applicable to the United States. An introduction by William Beer ties its narrative to the American experience but Bruckner himself, a Frenchmen, doesn't directly address it. Over the years I've noticed that some of the most brilliant rightists come from countries in which you would not expect to find them, such as France and Israel. Bruckner himself is a reformed guiltist and we should all be grateful that he made the transition from emotion to logic in the seventies and eighties. As a writer Bruckner is clever and precise. The idea that compassion is actually a form of contempt is blatantly evident and one recognizes its truth shortly after hearing it. I read that the work had an influence on the career of Michel Houellebecq which is a testament to its importance. Despite being penned in 1983 it stood the test of time and is still applicable to the present day. Additionally, it is a potent analysis of leftist thought and leftist psychology. I definitely profited from reading it.