Huck Posts Sign He Saw in Israel Highlighting Difference Between West and Rest of World
It’s in vogue to mock western culture. Liberal universities are full of young students protesting America and acting as if the U.S. is a land of backwardness amid a world of better, more ideal countries.
There’s often a common factor among people who despise western civilization: They haven’t actually spent much time outside of it.
It turns out that when you leave the comfortable bubble of relative safety and luxury in a nation like the U.S. or Canada, it quickly becomes apparent that things might actually be better here.
That’s the message that Mike Huckabee just sent in his typically good humor. During a visit to the Middle East, the former Arkansas governor tweeted a sign from inside a lavatory — and there’s an important point behind the hilarity.
“Sign in WC in Jerusalem Old City was very helpful,” Huck wrote. “I would never have thought of this without the pictures for a how to guide. Thanks!”
He then posted a “guide” that was found inside the bathroom, instructing people how to properly use a common toilet.
Sign in WC in Jerusalem Old City was very helpful. I would never have thought of this without the pictures for a how to guide. Thanks! pic.twitter.com/hpQRV3jCEQ
— Gov. Mike Huckabee (@GovMikeHuckabee) May 9, 2018
The image of somebody climbing on top of a toilet like a jungle gym is obviously amusing, but it’s the reality of many places in the world. The reason this sign was even needed is because many people in developing countries just aren’t familiar with flush toilets or how to use them hygienically.
Appallingly, it’s completely common for people to literally defecate in the street in many parts of the Middle East, India, Africa, and elsewhere.
In Pakistan and Afghanistan, for example, around 12 percent of residents routinely relieve themselves outdoors without even basic waste management measures, according to data from the World Health Organization. It’s even higher in India, with nearly half the population doing their business in the open.
Consider for a moment just how many luxuries western residents take for granted. A flushing toilet is something most Americans don’t even think about. It’s just there, in our house, in the coffee shop, in the gas station, everywhere.
Learning to use the toilet is something we stress about at maybe age two, and then stop even thinking about for most of our lives.
Yet for many parts of the world, this is an extreme luxury. President Trump may have started a kerfuffle by allegedly referring to places like Haiti as “s–tholes,” but having nothing but a hole — or more disgustingly, the open street — is part of everyday life for many foreigners.
Huckabee hit on an important point, maybe without even intending to: Contrary to the leftist narrative, not all cultures are equal. Some are actually better than others — not just based on opinion, but in objective, measurable ways.
The next time you go to answer the call of the wild, take just a moment to think about all the common luxuries we take for granted. Then remember that these didn’t come from nowhere: They were built and developed thanks to western culture, and that’s worth protecting.
That’s worth conserving.
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