• About Kathy Shaidle
  • Kathy Shaidle: Privacy policy

5 Feet of Fury

Kathy Shaidle's blog. Est. 2000

Theodore Dalrymple on the fallacy of ‘equal opportunity’

April 6, 2014 By Kathy Shaidle

Theodore Dalrymple writes:

But to oppose the notion of equality of opportunity these days is to be thought some kind of monstrous ultramontane reactionary, a Metternich or Nicholas I, who wants by means of repression to preserve the status quo in amber.

Members of young audiences to which I have spoken have almost fainted with shock when I have said that I not only did not believe in equality of opportunity, but to the contrary found the very idea sinister in the extreme, and much worse than mere egalitarianism of outcome.

To say to a young audience today that equality of opportunity is a thoroughly vicious idea is like shouting “God does not exist and Mohammed was not his prophet” at the top of one’s voice in Mecca.

 

More from my site

  • ‘For Kate’s sake, let’s hope her prince is nothing like his dad’‘For Kate’s sake, let’s hope her prince is nothing like his dad’
  • ‘Senator Kennedy accused Bork of everything short of driving a woman into a lake!’‘Senator Kennedy accused Bork of everything short of driving a woman into a lake!’
  • Top 3 Myths about Beatlemania: My NEW PJMedia postTop 3 Myths about Beatlemania: My NEW PJMedia post
  • This is why welfare should be abolishedThis is why welfare should be abolished

Filed Under: Kathy Shaidle

« Mark Steyn looks back on Marlon Brando’s career
Adam Carolla, Dennis Miller and Jay Mohr »

Archives

Copyright © 2026 · Magazine Pro Theme On Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in