The phrase 'Civilisational Erasure' has been doing the rounds recently, but not being applied to past cultures, but to modern day Europe...
This is a popular view within conservative circles in America... who believe that Europe is weak, fragmenting, culturally challenged and basically on its way out, and the ageing population certainly doesn't help this....
This view is driven at least in part by the fact that Europe seems to have just given up on defending itself - whether we're talking about the military, money, or culture.
For conservative America immigration levels are also a big concern for Europe leading to its decline.
But is it all that bad really..?
by a lot of measures, Europe is actually doing better than the United States.
People in Europe live longer, there's generally less inequality, and there is near universal healthcare, while the US is basically a less developed country in terms of its social development.
Crime numbers also make for an awkward comparison, with many European countries being among the safest in the world while the US has all that horrible gun crime!
The conservative focus on immigration also hides something important: the US has more first and second-generation immigrants than most European countries, and its civilization certainly hasn't crumbled because of it. Actually, American business and culture have always thrived because of immigration. This really questions the idea that more people from other places automatically means things are going to decline.
Not a Diagnosis, A Projection
Maybe this is conservative America fears Europe because America is becoming more European... with its declining religiosity and increasing cultural diversity?
Final Thoughts
While Europe certainly does have its problems, it would be nice to think the USA could be more European in 50 years time, and less, well, conservative American!