The feel-safe factor
From Hilary McLaughlin Sir: I recommend that James Bartholomew (`The death of decency', 13 November) reads The Cheating Culture: Why More Americans are Doing Wrong to Get Ahead, by David Callahan. President Bush's use of 'faithbased charities' can occasionally do some good. But a very large part of the substantial federal funding of these initiatives — and how does that differ substantially from the welfare state? — was directed to the socalled 'religious Right', who were an essential part of the Karl Rove plan to secure reelection. These 'charities' are not open to allcomers. To benefit from them you need to adhere to the same set of pseudo-religious and political precepts that appeal to these so-called 'decent' people.
No one is perfect, times have changed, and perhaps the Britain of my childhood, where neighbour helped neighbour and a woman got a seat on the bus, has lost some considerateness. But it still seemed pretty reasonable the last time I was there, and I never feared walking home alone from a theatre or a cinema in London or Glasgow or Edinburgh, or returning late to the country if I were staying with relatives there. I would not venture out alone in an American city at night. All that armed and paranoiac decency could be the death of me.
Hilary McLaughlin
Ottowa, Canada
Previous page
