A Little Dalrymple

I will admit it: I am addicted.  The mysteries of why, and how of life - of philosophy, politics  society and history - are constantly on my mind. In my view, conversation on these matters trump nearly all others. They are the meat of life, the subjects of my idle-time musings as well as more structured reading and reflecting.

The Manhattan Institute's web site has introduced me to a writer not well known in the USA, Theodore Dalrymple. Dalrymple is a British psychiatrist who, among other things, treats treats inmates in England.  He is also a prolific writer.  While his language and perspective are distinctly British, his themes apply well to the US, especially as we contest the future direction of our country. So, definite Dalrymple candidates for my Kindle are:

Life at the Bottom Written in 2001, Life at the Bottom is a study of life in the underclass and why it persists as it does. According to one reviewer, "Dalrymple’s key insight in Life at the Bottom is that long-term poverty is caused not by economics but by a dysfunctional set of values, one that is continually reinforced by an elite culture searching for victims. This culture persuades those at the bottom that they have no responsibility for their actions and are not the molders of their own lives."

Not With A Bang But a Whimper: The Politics of Culture and Decline The title is drawn from TS Elliot's poem "The Hollow Men," the final stanza of which reads:

This is the way the world ends

This is the way the world ends

This is the way the world ends

Not with a bang but a whimper.

Quoting from Amazon's summary: "[Dalrymple] takes the measure of our cultural decline, with special attention to Britain - its bureaucratic muddle, oppressive welfare mentality, and aimless young - all pursued in the name of democracy and freedom." 

Last but not least on my reading list from this prolific author is Spoilt Rotten: The Toxic Cult of Sentimentality.  Again quoting from the Amazon summary: "[Dalrymple] grinds his axe at our sentimentality-centric culture where feelings have become the yardstick of everything we do: safe driving, education, taking of responsibility (none), sentimentality (everywhere). In this forensic polemic of maudlin popular culture from X-factor to Super Nannies, Dalrymple wields his scalpel at all our modern sacred cows. Children will be speechless, for once, parents will hang their heads in shame!"

Ah, yes, sentimentality and feelings trumping common sense and reason. These are quixotic, hard to pin down yet, unfortunately, underscore (undermine is closer) our national discourse and policy formulations.  

I commend you to investigate Dalrymple - and The Manhattan Institute, as well.