Near the end of Caspar Melville's Taking Offence, I finally put my finger on what it is that I hate about it and several other books in Seagull Books' “Manifestos for the 21st Century” series. The problem is that these volumes are insufferably British. National delusions help to mold our character, both for good and ill. Americans see themselves as basically “good,” Canadians are “nice,” and Brits are “clever”—in this case, clever to an extreme fault.
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