The emotional incontinence of the British
Dalrymple notes in the English
- lack of dignity
- absence of self-respect
- shamelessness of public conduct
- militant slovenliness
Almost the entire population of Britain
looks as though it has let itself go: and considers itself right to have done so.
The change has been wrought
by a gestalt switch in attitude to the public expression of emotion. Where once emotional restraint and self-control were admired, now it is emotional incontinence that the British aim for. It is as if they had undergone potty-training in reverse.
The English have been persuaded that emotions
are like pus in an abscess. If they are not released — by screaming and shouting, hugging and crying, wailing and raging, and the more publicly the better — they will turn inwards and cause emotional septicæmia. The person who controls himself is not only a figure of fun, but a traitor to his own best interests.
It is no surprise, then, that the British are
despised around the world.
