An interesting piece in the New York Times summarized research linking behavior and power:
A growing body of recent research shows that people with the most social power pay scant attention to those with little such power. This tuning out has been observed, for instance, with strangers in a mere five-minute get-acquainted session, where the more powerful person shows fewer signals of paying attention, like nodding or laughing. Higher-status people are also more likely to express disregard, through facial expressions, and are more likely to take over the conversation and interrupt or look past the other speaker. Bringing the micropolitics of interpersonal attention to the understanding of social power, researchers are suggesting, has implications for public policy.... Tuning in to the needs and feelings of another person is a prerequisite to empathy, which in turn can lead to understanding, concern and, if the circumstances are right, compassionate action. In politics, readily dismissing inconvenient people can easily extend to dismissing inconvenient truths about them. The insistence by some House Republicans in Congress on cutting financing for food stamps and impeding the implementation of Obamacare, which would allow patients, including those with pre-existing health conditions, to obtain and pay for insurance coverage, may stem in part from the empathy gap. As political scientists have noted, redistricting and gerrymandering have led to the creation of more and more safe districts, in which elected officials don’t even have to encounter many voters from the rival party, much less empathize with them.
Isn't empathy part of community? The reading this week begins with the link between community and public finance theory. Shouldn't community be more important?
Rich People Just Care Less - NYTimes.com
I agree that the community is more important, it is the people, it is the reason government is even in place, so they can take care of the people in the community which they seem fail to do in many instances.
ReplyDeleteI think this illustrates that there is a huge gap between politicians and the community that they are supposed to represent. If politicians don't see or experience the problems evident in our society, then the problems will not seem real to them. Living in poverty or not being able to afford health insurance are problems that politicians don't have to deal with and are thus problems that don't need to be resolved.
ReplyDeletecompletely eye opening and makes you think differently and how our society works
ReplyDeleteInteresting comments.....your social welfare functions are not utilitarian.
ReplyDeleteTake a look at these figures from the 2009 tax year:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.ntu.org/tax-basics/who-pays-income-taxes.html
The top 10% pay 70% of the nation's income taxes, meaning they're providing most of the funding for social programs. Perhaps they have a right to ignore the demands of the very poor.
I mean, the "top 50%," meaning anyone above the median household income pays 97.75 of the nation's income taxes. Why should the bottom 50% get a say of where to spend money when they contribute such a small fraction?
I agree. The empathy gap definitely exists for these politicians to oppose Medicare or propose cuts in food stamps. I always found it ironic that a group of men decided whether women had the right to get an abortion or not.
ReplyDeleteNo question there is a gap between politicians and the community. I think that stems from the fact that many politicians do not KNOW what is really going on in the communities, or how to be POOR in america! They will never understand.
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