Whatever helps you sleep at night.

This one has been in the back of my mind for a long time. And nobody asked but obviously this is a blog so I’m giving my take anyway 🙂

OK so why is the political arena in America so heavily dominated by two schools of thought with regard to market outcomes? I’m talking about the classic gross generalizations that “poor people are lazy and rich people are smart” and the contrary “poor people are victims and rich people are oppressors.” How did these extreme ideologies get so popular and where do they even come from at all?

It all comes down to one basic human instinct: self-justification. It is completely natural for us as people, given any circumstances in life, to find ways to convince ourselves that we have done no wrong. Let me explain what I mean.

Take for example an individual that is struggling to hold down a job or pay their bills. The notion that this suffering is a direct result of their own action or inaction is a harsh perspective to accept. It’s obviously much easier for that individual to carry the belief that they have been done wrong, either by someone else or some government or some systemically oppressive machine. That belief is a much lighter psychological burden to shoulder. Simply convincing themself that their failures are not their own fault can bring immediate comfort. This kind of perspective is often referred to as “victim mentality” but I personally dislike that term since it’s used in a way that’s dismissive of people who have legitimately been victimized in some way. And also I believe it’s actually the same underlying mentality present in many very privileged and/or successful people.

Here’s what I mean by that. Imagine the opposite of the previous example. This is somebody who is very wealthy and successful in their career. The notion that this success is a direct result of them oppressing others or benefiting from an oppressive system is an inherently self-shaming perspective. Why would they want to implicate themself? There’s also maybe the notion that they really just got lucky. But that doesn’t make anybody feel good. Why would they want to downplay their achievements? On the other hand, the belief that they earned everything themselves through hard work and talent— now there’s something that’ll let you sleep like a baby.

In either extreme case, the same basic mentality is at play. Human beings want to feel good about themselves. Regardless of circumstance. Regardless of the truth. Regardless of reality. What do we tell ourselves when we lay our head at night? The options are simple. “I have done no wrong and I feel good about myself” or “I have done wrong and I hate myself.”

The way I see it, this tendency to justify our actions and feel good about ourselves explains more than just a few of our ideological beliefs. But it can be quite harmful when it detaches us from reality— when we lie to ourselves. Especially when so many key issues that polarize the country come down to a key difference in perspective that is driven by this phenomenon. In other words, when people try to feel good about themselves with regard to their financial successes or struggles, those people end up splitting into two groups. The first group is all those that believe the free market is a fair system that rewards merit and punishes incompetence. The second group is those that believe our system is made up of the oppressors and the oppressed. Quite naturally, wealth and career success become strong indicators of which group an individual falls into.

Now obviously those aren’t the only two perspectives that exist in the vast political spectrum. There are many factors impacting how people view socioeconomic outcomes. But these two ideological extremes seem to be dominating the conversation in America— and that conversation usually doesn’t end well.

The problem is that people appear to be forgetting how to empathize. Or maybe we’re unwilling to empathize. We have debates and heated arguments but all too often we don’t take the time to understand each other’s perspectives. We disagree of course but people most often aren’t so different at their core. Our opinions are just easily affected by our circumstances.  So to put it simply, I believe the key to having a more productive ideological conversation is awareness. First, awareness of your own biases and backgrounds. Then, awareness of each other’s biases and backgrounds. There’s no understating it’s importance.

So let’s talk. But don’t forget to listen too.

Filip, again.