Theodore Dalrymple on the Capacity of the Poor

"The first thing I would say to those who say that we must come and give, otherwise these people are incapable of improving their situation or getting out of their poverty, is to ask them why...Why are these people uniquely unable to get out of their poverty? Is there not evidence, in fact, that when given the opportunity, they do in fact, uh, get out of poverty themselves?" - Theodore Dalrymple, Writer and Psychiatrist (UK)

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• Theodore Dalrymple
• PovertyCure
• Poverty Cure
• development economics
• paternalism
• charity
• aid
• foreign aid
• international aid
• human resource
• human capital
• poverty
• developing countries
• third world
• prosperity
• philanthropy
• mission trips
• international development
• the poor
• Africa
• South America
• Asia

[rovacab1]

Because some of us had not had the education u have had Dr. I read ur junk medicine, and i would love one day to watch you suffer heroin withdrawals, and then would you say its just a bout of the flu?

[thatsmyrail]

@6musky He hits the nail on the head sometimes, but his discourse never rises above the level of: 'Everything goes wrong in this world'. This kind of non-constructive conservatism claims to fight lethargy and nihilism in society, but he ironically fights it with the same weapons. He's basically a sophist.

[6musky]

@thatsmyrail

He is a doctor and psychiatrist in urban slum areas and prisons, he deals with real-life problems every day.

[thatsmyrail]

This man basically tells the things the upper middle-class wants to hear. He over simplifies social issues without any form of nuance or deeper knowledge of the matter. Basically a very self-righteous man who stands far away from real life and real problems.

[nathfrancis01]

@satanidomini very well said.

[raveninaforest]

@satanidomini Exactly. These "aid charities" make themselves out as being the realistic, genuinely compassionate ones. This is a tactic to patronize and misrepresent the motives of foreign aid/development organizations to make them seem out of touch and naive. This "realistic" approach is just a front for achieving what they world really want -- little to no aid. And, as you point out, what an insult to suggest that the grassroots orgs have ever been against self-sufficiency and micro-finance.

[LuckySantiago]

@AirstripOneProle Do you know anything about development?

[MusicGeekAndProud]

i'm sorry but the guy's a big idiot

[hennypenny247]

This is profound and relevant! Foreign aid is the new colonialism. I see raveninaforest has the same ability to ignore the repeated failure of foreign aid as the Democrats and government economists have to ignore the repeated failures of Keynesian economics - which have been put on steroids and multiplied by Obama.

Don't take my word for it. New voices from the third world are telling us we are RUINING their countries with aid. Aren't we also showing a lack of respect for their abilities?

[raveninaforest]

@Finnbar01

"And yet look at Africa today. It is worse off now than ever"

This exactly the kind of circular reasoning which has led to such poor levels of foreign aid. That the intellectuals have been saying it doesn't mean much has been done (it hasn't). And that Africa is still in dire straits doesn't mean that investment, international development and poverty reduction programs don't work (they do). If the public and politicians acted on the evidence, global poverty could be ended very soon.