Theodore Dalrymple in New York, Nov 2001 (5 of 5)

Theodore Dalrymple delivered this speech at the Harvard Club in New York on November 14, 2001 to mark the release of his book Life at the Bottom. The event was hosted by the Manhattan Institute, publisher of City Journal, the magazine that published the essays that were collected in the book. Dalrymple is introduced by City Journal editor Myron Magnet.

To learn more about Theodore Dalrymple, visit www.skepticaldoctor.com, an unofficial website devoted to the man and his work.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• theodore
• dalrymple
• dr.
• anthony
• daniels
• life
• at
• the
• bottom
• skeptical
• doctor
• manhattan
• institute
• city
• journal
• politics

[DragonnSlayerr]

this dudes an ultra snob.

[SkepticalDoctor]

No, he's just educated.

[deewit]

Am amazed how few have seen this.

It only proves what TD is conveying!

[aldoreshgaramok]

I just can't believe that there are white Britons that don't know about WWII. They lost what, 300k people in that war, and 800k in the first. I can understand the immigrants not knowing (because its not their people that died), but what the hell man?

Britain is being moronified.

-an american

[2Touchstone]

Theodore Dalrymple is a good writer, but he's not a terribly good public speaker.

[Katiarix]

Oh, how neat it was to find this speech here! I spent the last 2 days reading Life at the Bottom. Fascinating!

[DragonnSlayerr]

you had 8 months to come up with that comment and that's best you could do? is this the type of person who becomes a fan of "mr. dalrymple"?

[DoCuOrange]

Which is funny coming from someone who names himself "dragon slayer"...this is exactly what Mr. Dalrymple is talking about...

[BlindEyeJones]

Maybe conditioning allows them to fake it in the doctor's office. Maybe a defensive reaction. I really don't know.

[sacon71]

I can see why the woman you mentioned would hide her intelligence and ambition from her peers, but I don't see why a patient would do it in an examination room in the presence of a doctor alone.

And Dalrymple probably saw thousands of patients over many years. They couldn't all be faking. And if they were, that would be at least as culturally significant as if they really were semi-literate.

[BlindEyeJones]

"Why," he asks, "would anybody fake it? (fake being semi literate)" Yet he answers that question in the book and gives the example of the woman who wanted to be educated and had an interest in French but was threatened for acting intelligent. She wasn't loyal to her class. Peer pressure dictated that she couldn't aspire and make something of herself. So I wonder why Anthony asked that last question?