Europe is the bastion of human civilization.

Europe is getting at it after many mistakes in the past. Mistakes that are more akin to human nature then specificity of culture. That said yes atm Europe is sort of the last dying light regarding respect for human beings, people's rights, the elderly, and looking for a feasible solution to mankind that is not based on brute force Darwinism. We banned death penalty, we treat people in hospitals for free along with pharmaceutical support, we have free decent education, above average levels of literacy compared to first world countries, and the ideals of French revolution are still at the core of the European project. Its hard to push upstream but at least for now we still do it.

WOW.
We do not treat people free in the hospitals. Some countries have health insurance which you pay into every month, other countries you pay it over your taxes. On top of it you might have to pay to see a doctor.
Not all countries do have free education. It is not like USA where some is free, some is very expensive and there are a lot of scolarships.
But you have to pay for your education in some countries or some education. If it is as you say free - every working person has paid into the education over their taxes.
Of course now we have the politicians in EU who are living high and mighty on their power and coming up with laws which do no not fit in every country.
1.800 per year the last 10 years.
What did we have of wars last century
WWI and WWII, Russian Revolution, Yoguslavian war, Cyprus/Turkey,
Spanish war, Cogadh na Saoirse, 1919-1921

Yes we do pay very high taxes and we do respect the Res Publica. Thank you for reminding me. Difference being that poor people get help instead of paying taxes...its the middle class that supports the system and takes half the income of every worker cause rich bastards hide the money overseas...Yes some of our politicians as in every place, are dirt, corrupt, and dumb, but such is life. One and the other (people and the State) are not to be confused.

We don't do Thatcher or Reagan free for all objective liberalism and we don't believe Ayn Rand was very smart !...

But you do believe that Le Pen is very smart.

Le Pen well pointed, bullseye, the European "Trump"...but he wont get anywhere near the chair..

What cultural contributions have been made by Europe... since Abba?

The fact that you ask such a question is entertaining, points for that, good troll !

Is that why we have a country in this hemisphere, due to the bigotry of Europe which made early pilgrims willing to come to a land that had disease, and other hardships? Try giving "respect and honor" to Calvinists.

You really are 1 dimensional right ? Sheeesh all cultures in the world one time or another in History had colonies and you call us bigots ?...its amazing the amount of Edipo complex you have with Europe...I have to wonder what some of you would say under hypnotism...you must really love Europeans...

I love the post, Max.

Foofie, Either you meant this ironically and you have a better sense of humor then I imagined, or you are completely ignorant about colonial history. Sometimes I am not sure with you.

The Europeans brought smallpox with them which devastated a relatively healthy population, and they brought hardships (including slavery).

From the Greeks to the XX century must of what has been done has been done by Europe hands down. And some of what is being undone is being undone by non Europeans...

Some civilization they have in Europe.

Stupid people are everywhere and Europe is no exception. We have plenty of those to. Now the ideals and the culture as far as I honestly can see are far closer to the right track. Brute force Darwinism wont cut it for the next step of human social evolution. You guys better start treat people right back there instead of letting them sunk into despair and rage. As for individual rights those stop where a civilized society begins.

One has to be truly alienated to dismiss and forget all the Science, all the music and music composers, the whole Phiilosophy since Plato, that sprung from Europe to the World. It takes a special kind of ungratefull ignoramus to bypass it with some anedoctal clichés...Europe is 10x less racist then the US, 10x more laied back n joyful, 10x less hateful, and certainly 10x more balanced and tempered when it comes to mood swings...since we are close cousins with the US and pratically the same the distinction is in culture. We opted for a social State and cooperative Neo Darwinism that pulls the best potential out of people instead of breaking them and manipulate them into oblivion. I would never trade my European quality of life for the pseudo American dream and the whole fanfarre about freedom snake oil salesmen advertising.
Again make no mistake here, I LOVE America for many good well founded reasons, but America is not above blunt honest criticism. And it better be done within family.

It all started with the greed of the Portuguese. There was a younger son of the king early in the 15th century, Enrique. His mother was Phillipa, the daughter of John of Gaunt, so you know he was bad news. Since he as not going to be king, he was at loose ends, so he decided to sail to the northwest coast of Africa, land and conquer the inhabitants. The only problem with that was that the Moroccans kicked his scrawny Portuguese ass--he had to get out of the conquest business. So, he swiped some islands out in the Atlantic, and sent his boys further south on the west coast of Africa. There, they discovered that for a chest of glass beads and other cheap trinkets, the locals would fill the chest with gold dust, or give them lots of ivory--and, of course, slaves. Those raggedy-ass Portuguese had always been as poor as church mice, but now visions of glory . . . well, wealth, anyway, began to fill their heads. They were kind of slow--it took them three generations to sail around Africa and then head out to India. But they evenutally got there. They lost half the men on that expedition, and two of their four ships, but the gem stones and spices they brought back paid off the entire cost of that expedition, at a rate of sixty to one.

Well, after that it was all down hill for the rest of the world. Every European with a couple of boats and a plausible line of bullsh*t set up to be a great explorer . . . like Enrique, Prince Henry the Navigator. They stole everything that wasn't nailed down, and pried up a good deal of what was nailed down. They cobbled together this god bullsh*t to justify the wholesale robbery, rape and murder . . . yeah, yeah, that was it, they were saving souls.

Not bad work, if you can get it.

Oh yes we Europeans are such wonderful people....
It is so easy not be a racist when you hardlly have anybody from another race in your country.
It has been so easy the last 100 - 150 years - not to go any further back - to be laied back and joyful in spite of the wars we have had from 1848 - 1900 only 13
and we can add a few more 1900 - 2015
These wars of course also prove that we are less hateful and less tempered.
We are more tempered when it comes to mood swings in certain areas of Europe maybe.
We opted for a social state - politicians like Franco certainly did and Hitler of course and a few more like that.
Most important of all - it is wonderful with people like you who really can tell about Europe with a balanced arraogance one hardly find normally.
I think we should all rise and toast for your enormous knowledge about Europe which seems to be a deep and empty hole.