What We Have to Lose

The author's key point is the western approach to culture. According to the speaker, culture is significant and valuable to the citizens of Western nations, but the majority of them exist in denial, refusing to accept its fragility. People take the current civilization for granted, assuming it will last indefinitely. In “What We Have to Lose,” Theodore Dalrymple warns against this perception and explains that people must learn that humanity, through its magnificence and ostensibly limitless wealth, is not “invincible” and will come to an end. In the article, the author points out at some incidences that has happened in the west which could signify the end of civilization. He poses, “Even as I write those words, they are academic. I cannot conceive of a world without the West. Is the problem an academic one? Or are we seeing civilization fall in our time? (Dalrymple)”

Theodore claims in the article that people from the west seems afraid to accept the reality and see there is a decline that is threatening their civilization. He wonders whether the progressives could have being genuinely blinded with regard to the decline; “Or maybe the progressives are genuinely blinded towards our decline. Maybe they believe we are heading to a better place?” (Dalrymple). According to the author, the progressives have lumped together all the multiculturalists, socialists, as well as radical feminists and instilled a sense that there does not exist any problem for whatsoever. People are ignoring trends such as seeing their girls being married off to the Muslim men. Episodes such as the America’s 9/11 tragedy instead of serving as a wake-up call of the civilization that is very fragile are dismissed and forgotten. The author provides evidence of Middle class people who are supposed to be at the epitome of civilization orchestrating attacks against their fellow citizens.

Furthermore, according to Theodore Dalrymple, there is misery in the western countries resulting from vices such as criminality, domestic violence, drug abuse, aggressive youths as well as broken families which signify the decline of civilization. Such vices according to Theodore are a result of nihilistic, decadent as well as self-destructive behavior of individuals who lacks knowledge of how to live. Smoothing over the behavior as well as medicalization of resulting problems present forms of indifference. He points out to the need of a person who should inform these people, patiently and with some understanding of the specifics of the case of the need to change how they live.

How the author support his main argument

Theodore Dalrymple is an experience author who has learned the act of putting the message across in the most effective way. In “What We Have to Lose”, the author uses various stylistical devices in passing his information in the most effective way for digestion by his audience. The author’s writing represents a masterpiece that mixes personal experience, profound refection and timeless wisdom. He has worked at various places around the world and interacted with many people of diverse backgrounds and this is reflected in his writing.

What make “What We Have to Lose”, so persuasive to the audience is the author’s use of real world experiences as he illustrates his arguments. As he analyzes the problems of the poor people and nations, he does not restrict his argument on dry statistical table or even mass media portrayals of their lives but rather on the basis of his personal contact with them. “Many of the countries I visited—Iran, Afghanistan, Mozambique—soon descended into the most terrible chaos” (Dalrymple). He is well travelled in many countries and has worked as a doctor for prisoner, which have given him a rare opportunity for interacting with many people who have shared experience with him. This experience helps him in constructing his argument while using real people giving life to his writing.

The use of examples and evidence also helps Theodore Dalrymple construct his argument. Throughout this piece, Theodore Dalrymple provides real life examples and evidence to prove his point. He uses his life experience as an example to advance his argument. For instance to demonstrate the irony of civilisation he use ten case of rioters in Panama; “I remember watching rioters in Panama, for example, smashing shop windows, allegedly in the name of freedom and democracy, but laughing as they did so, searching for new fields of glass to conquer” (Dalrymple). He links this with more examples of his childhood and his plays with his brother. He connects these experiences very well making the writing more credible. Real factual examples are also used including the Rwanda genocide, to drive the point home.

Moreover, the effectiveness of Theodore’s writing is evidence by his choice of words. He has a rich vocabulary of words and uses the right words as needed in his work. This leads to an almost flawless work which is envied by many. He knows how to stimulate emotions of his readers through the choice of words. He further uses pathos and ethos in his work.

Do you agree or disagree with him? Why or why Not?

The author’s argument is very agreeable. The rising levels of terrorisms in the Western nations is leading to the need to rethink whether civilization is everlasting. This is especially the case when such acts are orchestrated by people who are nationalities of the affected nations. Such activities are an indicator of how fragile civilization is. As explained by Adams civilization is not something that should be seen as everlasting and there is need to educate people on this (Adams). I agree with Theodore that Western people are still in denial about civilization. People are still holding false believes that once attained, civilization cannot be lost.

From the authors’ argument, it is evident that in spite of how preciously civilization is treated, there is a need for people especially from the west to realize it is not “invincible.” Many modern trends have served to show how fragile civilization is thus the need for being aware. The author have highlighted the areas likely to be affected by the end of civilization. In conveying his message to the readers, the authors utilized various stylistic devices. For instance, he uses real life examples having travelled in many nations and experienced a lot. Further, he uses persuasive language and has strong choice of words that helps him in constructing his argument.

Works Cited

Adams, Mike. How fragile we are: Why the complexity of modern civilization threatens us all. 9 December 2009. web. 1 June 2017.

Dalrymple, Theodore. What We Have to Lose. 2001. Web. 1 May 2017.