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Conspicuous Compassion: Why Sometimes it Really is Cruel to be Kind [Paperback]

Patrick West (Author)
4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Paperback: 87 pages
  • Publisher: Civitas:Institute for the Study of Civil Society (Feb 2004)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1903386349
  • ISBN-13: 978-1903386347
  • Product Dimensions: 20.8 x 13.6 x 0.4 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 759,002 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Review

Britain is suffering from a severe bout of 'morning sickness', a collective condition characterised by ostentatious recreational grieving. -- The Daily Telegraph

People who wear ribbons to show empathy with worthy causes...are part of a growing culture of 'ostentatious caring'. -- The Guardian

Such gestures show not how altruistic we have become but how selfish, Patrick West argues. -- The Times

Customer Reviews

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars The Cruelty of 'Compassion' 27 Aug 2008
By Ms. M. O'Regan
Format:Paperback
This is quite an exceptional read. Very well written, intellectually rigorous, but clear and concise. It presents itself as being too concise on first glance. When one receives the book, one wonders how it can deal adequately with the subject matter for so short a book. But it is never repetitive. Never puffy with sentimentalism for the `good old days' when society did not suffer from what the author terms `mourning sickness'. Never stuffed with the schmaltzy emotionalism so loathed by the author. There are those who may think it too candid an account of just how far society has degenerated into contrived caring. But then if the book were an alcoholic beverage, it would be a gin and fresh lime: meant for quick, effective consumption. Tinged with bitterness yes, but the tangy aftertaste is unforgettable and very authentic. Complete with acerbic wit. It is an important historical work, aptly cataloguing the destructive nature of superficial kindness. It details a series of paradoxes, such as why we sport ribbons for myriad of causes from pink ribbons for breast cancer to red ribbons for Aids, but how we neglect to wear brown ribbons for the millions who die yearly from diarrhoea. Simply because our own public image is all important. The author is brave enough to direct many of its theses directly at the reader, including advising readers to turn off their TVs and not to engage in personal guilt trips for such massive historical tragedies as the Irish Famine. On that last point, whilst I did find the book very refreshing, I found the treatment of the Irish Famine to be too pithy. What is perhaps most impressive about this book is that it does not pander. Not to any public figure nor to any race, nor to any hip religion. It wants to be above trendiness.... Read more ›
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19 of 22 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Tough but True 27 April 2005
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
At last, someone has been brave enough to tell the truth about Britain's growing culture of "ostentatious caring". West argues that public displays of compassion are more and more about showing others what kind of person you are, and not about helping the poor and unfortunate. In fact, "conspicuous compassion" can even be harmful.

This book is a clear statement of what so many of us feel -- I hugely recommend it to anyone who really wants to do some good in our world.

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