Question

What is the central claim Mike Myatt makes in his article “Life Isn’t Fair—Deal With It”? What methods does he use to develop his claim?

Answer 1

Myatt's central claim is that life is not fair. While we cannot control our birth, we can control our choices and attitudes.

Therefore, he argues that life is only as fair as we make it, since we control our attitude and the choices we make. 

To make his point, he uses general example of people who have overcome a variety of difficulties. He uses the specific example of the young man from Africa who came to America with nothing and is now the president of a tech firm. He relates a personal anecdote about his own youth and how he overcame a stroke.

At the end of the article Myatt reiterates that life is not fair, nor should the government try to make life fair. Instead, each individual needs to overcome his or her own difficulties by changing perspective.