Our Culture, What's Left of It poses a controversial question. What if liberal policies are harming us?
Theodore Dalrymple is the psychiatrist of the British underclass. After spending years treating drug addicts, convicts, victims, and perpetrators of abuse he concluded that the main cause of their behavior is culture.
The idea that people should be freed from social convention and self-control, aided by the welfare state has created massive social problems in Britain and other developed countries.
A poor culture leads to poor behavior; which trickles down to policies, parents, and finally to children, where the cycle repeats itself.
He critiques the "ugliness of our modern culture" and how its wide acceptance has impoverished the arts, literature, cities, relationships, families, and our mental being.
Some examples.
Sexual liberation increased unfaithfulness, which lowered trust among couples, which leads to possessive jealousy and domestic violence.
Families not meeting together for dinner every evening leads to bad eating habits, which deteriorate our bodies, souls, and minds.
Today, ugliness is peddled like newspapers as soon as a war breaks out. Music videos in the 70s and 80s had vitality, they provoked positive emotion. Today's stuff is dark, oversexualized, vulgar and lacks positive emotions.
Twerking for example. In what dimension can it be considered sexy, entertaining, or worthwhile? You have women in their prime of beauty and vigor denigrating themselves just because the dance became culturally accepted.
"Art" is whatever the artist wants it to be. Splash period blood on a canvas, attach it with a progressive talking point, and you are considered an artist. The bar is set that low. There are talented and skillful artists out there who are not getting the credit they deserve while modern art is shoved in our faces as "enlightened".
If it's freakish, it's "culture". If it triggers an emotion (even if it's gag reflex) it's art. If it's different, original, foreign, it must be accepted by default. If it feels good you should "go for it". If you mess up, it's not your responsibility. Live how you want to live, then when the world comes crashing down on you, book a session with your therapist and it will all be fine.
With Our Culture, What's Left of It, Theodore Darlympile sheds light on the negatives of the liberal ideas which the west has accepted as indisputable. But what if the way of life championed by these ideas is deeply flawed?