Thoroughly spoiled: criticism of the sentimental society

A merciless and witty analysis In this astute and witty book, Theodore Dalrymple exposes the veiled sentimentality that suffocates public life. We pretend to raise our children well, care for the less fortunate, help the underprivileged and achieve great things, but in the meantime we do exactly the opposite - just because we want to feel good about ourselves. Dalrymple takes the reader on an entertaining, but at times shocking, journey through all kinds of social, political, popular and literary themes, ranging from childhood tantrums, aggression, education reform and honour killings to sexual abuse, Che Guevara, Eric Segal, Romeo and Juliet, the disappearance of Madeleine, public displays of emotion and the role of suffering, and he shows the perverse consequences when we sacrifice reason to the cult of feeling. Drawing on his years of experience as a physician and psychiatrist, Dalrymple shows that we can only hope for change ¿ if we start thinking in the right way.