Sunday, September 10, 2006

Dumbfaitho Cogito Ergo ... ?

Steve Salerno, author of SHAM: How the Self-Help Movement Made America Helpless, has a bone to pick with empowerment gurus. Whether they be crusading about self-esteem based education, evangelising about "taking charge of one's health-care destiny" (and, as a bonus, eschewing traditional medicine), or sermonising to corporate success junkies about skills, productivity and "the future", their message is always the same: "a positive mental attitude will carry the day".

Salerno demurs:
You cannot have a life plan predicated on the belief that everything is equally achievable to you, especially if that same message has been sold indiscriminantly to all-comers. In the grand scheme of things, knowing one's limitations may be even more important than knowing one's talents.

5 comments:

Adam said...

wow. oprah baloons harnessed to a tornado. very nice indeed.

Adam said...

wow. oprah baloons harnessed to a tornado. very nice indeed.

Lunar Brogue said...

Thanks Adam. The tornado needs anger management; it may have to talk to Dr Phil.

Adam said...

hey! i misspelled balloon! twice!

Lunar Brogue said...

No, it's okay. There are two "l"s in your complete commentary. It's the four "o"s that have got me baffled.