Unlike folk cultural tradition, modern media-manufactured entertainment enables youth to self-socialize without and against influence of parents, community, and culture. In modernized Western “culture”, such manufacturing of individualistic, self-socialization has become the cultural norm.
(See: Springerlink.com, Adolescents’ uses of media for self-socialization PDF, and
LifeGivingSpring.info/LGS/living/economy/consumerism/)

Scruton states that youth culture is effect of social destruction not cause. The cause is the escapism he mentions, which can only be “corrected” by exposing Western distortion of Christianity, the spiritual root of Western culture.

Modernity attempts to escape judgement because who can love the tyrant that Western “christian” theology created? The Most Holy Trinity was scholastically perverted into a god of condemnation instead of Love, and Western European culture responded by “progressing” as far away from Christianity as possible, and taking refuge in “happiness-seeking” sickeness.
(See: River of Fire by Alexander Kalomiros,
and Picture of the Modern World at pelagia.org)

On immigration, Scruton fumbles. Integrate immigrants into what? The very modernism that he criticizes?

Multiculturalism can only really exist as something positive within the unity of diversity that is the true Church. In secular, pluralistic cultures that the West has created, everyone must resign to being tolerant of strangers in a strange land in order to live in peace, content with “freedom” of speech, religion etc., and agreeing to disagree with those unlike themselves. Anything less is unchristian.

Ethnic integration can best be achieved in pluralistic societies by controlling multi-nationals (corporations) in ways that develop strong local economies like enjoyed by traditional societies that actually had a sense of community. Real community (not suburban subdivisions) is impossible as long as absentee land ownership, long distance travel, trade and communications are allowed to overlord prerogative of local peoples, and as long as people embrace transient modern lifestyle.

The land base (Creation) that sustains a people is what has historically been their “common denominator” and bond, together with language, customs and spirituality. St. John Damascene refers to such Creation as the very “icon of the face of God” that should be venerated and treated with respect.

There is no respect for a cultural land base when that land base consists of all the richest areas of the Earth that are plundered far away, out of sight and out of mind, to create one’s modern “culture”.

On these issues, the ideas of another farmer, Wendell Berry, are far superior. Scruton should consult Berry, who isn’t that far away from Virginia in nearby Kentucky.

Every generation since the very beginning has had its quavering gainsayers, and with the above ludicrous endorsement of young people trying to rouse up an old golden age of supposed innocence, Scruton reveals himself as nothing more than another such cobwebby old voice.