Parents the missing element in toxic culture
letter published in The Australian, 12 August 2011
[Square bracketed section omitted by Ed]
Theodore Dalrymple has hit the nail on the head when, in analysing the riots in the UK, he suggests “there is no form of bad behaviour that our version of the welfare state has not sought out and subsidised.” It is a reminder of Roman times, when the emperor kept the masses quiet by providing bread and circuses, and of Aldous Huxley’s portrayal of an unworkable brave new world.
Disturbingly, Dalrymple identifies many problems that have emerged as a result of government intervention that has been well-meaning but failed to recognise the importance of individuals having responsibility, to the extent practicable, for their own actions and behaviour. [It is surely now obvious that governments need to get out of the way by eliminating the many policies that are discouraging the assumption of such responsibility. At the same time those who are doing so must be properly protected with police who are not inhibited by politically correct instructions. This applies in Australia as well the UK.]
Des Moore
South Yarra Vic