Why Don't We Complain Essay

Argumentative Essay: “Why Don’t We Complain?” Throughout once in your life, you may have been confronted with a situation where you accept inconveniences instead of taking action. According to William F. Buckley, American people everywhere have refrained from “trying to rectify irrational vexations”. In Buckley’s essay, “Why Don’t We Complain?” he explains some situations that he was involved in where no one would complain to repair an uncomfortable situation. Throughout the essay, Buckley uses his experiences and strong reasoning to show why he believes that the American people do not complain. Buckley attempts to support that the apathy that Americans would accept inconveniences instead of taking action is the cause of many Americans’ apathy toward huge political and social issues, creating a vicious circle of indifference and sheer laziness. After reading Buckley’s essay, I support Buckley’s ideas about assertiveness and helplessness due to three reasons. The first reason why I agree with Buckley’s ideas about assertiveness and helplessness is because many people are shy and afraid to speak their mind; therefore, they often rely on others. Buckley believes that many people are afraid to confront a inconvenience as he states that “we are all increasingly anxious in America to be unobtrusive, we are reluctant to make our voices heard, hesitant about claiming our rights; we are afraid that our cause is unjust, or that if it is not unjust, that it is ambiguous, or if not even that, that it is too trivial to justify the horrors of a confrontation with Authority…”. Many people may often be afraid of what the result is. An example that I recall where I was afraid to complain happened to me just recently, when one of my teachers did a problem wrong on the board. I was scared that if I complained I may have been wrong or that people may have had a problem with it; therefore, I did not complain and I didn’t understand the concept of the problem; this can have a