Jordan Swaim
9/21/2014
S/R
Why Don’t’ We Complain? In the essay, “Why Don’t We Complain”, written by William F. Buckley Jr., the author explains some situations that he was involved in where no one would complain to fix an uncomfortable situation. He argues that Americans would rather face the inconvenience such as sitting in miserable heat on a train or not having your lunch tray collected on a plane. Buckley writes this essay as a result of constantly finding him accepting the inconvenience of life that could easily be fixed if he were to just speak up. The first theory Buckley stated is that everyone expects someone else to complain instead of them. You can’t go around expecting someone to always do the job for you. You need to speak for yourself. If no one is ever willing to say something, then how is the problem ever going to be solved? I felt that this problem was one if the author’s powerful points in this essay. One example he used, was one day when he was on a train and the temperature was very uncomfortable. It was 85 degrees on the train but below freezing outside. He knew that everyone was suffering from the heat, including himself, but no one ever said anything about the temperature being changed. He then said, “It isn’t just they who have given up trying to rectify irrational vexations” (pg. 77). People always expect someone else to stand up and complain about the situation. The second theory that Buckley explained was that people are afraid to state their mind. He says that people may be afraid to complain. He said, “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…” (pg. 78). I think that people sometimes are scared to fight for their cause. They feel like whatever it is that is wrong or uncomfortable isn’t a big of enough deal to say anything. They are afraid of what may happen if they do. The third theory that Buckley made is that the high-powered government is taking away rights from the people. He states, “Every year, whether the Republican or the Democratic party is in office, more and more power drains away from the individual to feed vast reservoirs in far-off places, and we have less and less say about the shape of events which shape our future” (pg. 81). Only a few Americans are willing to stand up against the government and fight for what they feel is right. Buckley’s purpose in this essay is to convince Americans that it is time to start complaining. They need to say something to someone with the power to change the problem, so he or she and everyone can benefit from the needed change. People are always expecting someone else to complain. People afraid to stand up and fight for what they believe. People are often too shy to argue and change the situation, but we need to learn to speak up if something is bothering us or if something isn’t going right. We can’t rely on others to take the initiative.