"All the Troubles in the World,"

Paper Summary:

In his book "All the Troubles in the World," P. J. O'Rourke gives the reader his humorous and optimistic interpretations of such unlikely subjects as overpopulation, ethnic hatred and famine. The paper shows that, while at first glance his opinions seem flippant and coy, he raises the complex issue of personal responsibility versus government control. The paper explains how he questions whether governments should be increasing their power over the individual and the environment and whether overpopulation and famine are inherently political problems.

From the Paper:

"Unfortunately, while the comparison is striking, O'Rourke only half-answers the question. His tour of Bangladesh suggests that the government would do well to change its national policies which subsidize jute farming while leaving a scant 17% of its rural population literate. He claims it is a country whose "only resources are human, whose only hope is an educated work force." The most notable difference, then, between those two places is the government systems that are imposed on them. While Bangladesh "seemed to be a country with too many people," it was actually "people without a country." Bangladesh is then too huge a responsibility for one government to manage. "

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