When you see or hear of people doing much worse than you, do you feel lucky...or superior? (salary, insurance)
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I believe that there are basically two premises that guide peoples opinions. One premise assumes a fundamental equality innately, which leads people to look for external factors and experiences to explain different outcomes. The other premise assumes a fundamental belief that others are inferior to you or your group and thus you look to find fault in their internal nature or make up, as dysfunctional or inferior, while dismissing any external challenges they may have faced greater in degree and kind than what you faced.
Then there is the third premise, which assumes equality cannot exists and which doesn't look down upon others as inferior or consider themselves superior.
You know why equality doesn't exists? When God himself is called a man, equality is buried even before being born.
In my thinking, I never assume that I am better than anyone else as a means of explaining why I have something that they don't have. I basically start with the premise that we are the same and if we are the same and our outcomes is life are a lot different, then I assume they must have went through something that I have not gone through. When I see a person doing badly, I feel that I was lucky....in that I did not have to go through what they went through. I feel that if I were in there shoes.....I would likely end up in their situation and if they were in my shoes, they would end up in my situation.
Reading a lot of these posts and threads I think a lot of people, particular conservatives, I am realizing most of them start with the opposite assumption. When they see people doing badly, they see them as having some kind of dysfunction that they don't have. They assume that if they walked in the persons shoes (and many will tell you they have), that they would still be where they are today because they see themselves as being superior.
I believe that there are basically two premises that guide peoples opinions. One premise assumes a fundamental equality innately, which leads people to look for external factors and experiences to explain different outcomes. The other premise assumes a fundamental belief that others are inferior to you or your group and thus you look to find fault in their internal nature or make up, as dysfunctional or inferior, while dismissing any external challenges they may have faced greater in degree and kind than what you faced.
Good question, I think that most of the people that are struggling made a series of bad decisions in fact I would say every one of them. That doesn't mean I feel superior to them, in fact, many of these struggling people are very likeable and have many qualities that I wish I had.
My financial "success" was obtained through getting educated (through Doctorate), working long hours for many years, taking opportunities, and spending less than I made. It's been far from easy.
Good question, I think that most of the people that are struggling made a series of bad decisions in fact I would say every one of them. That doesn't mean I feel superior to them, in fact, many of these struggling people are very likeable and have many qualities that I wish I had.
My financial "success" was obtained through getting educated (through Doctorate), working long hours for many years, taking opportunities, and spending less than I made. It's been far from easy.
Well you are wrong. Many people get smacked despite having made good decisions. One health crisis can do it. One divorce can do it. Heck, a bad lawyer, a dishonest biased judge. A long term chronic illness. A sick kid, or spouse -the need to be a full time caregiver. Etc.
Well you are wrong. Many people get smacked despite having made good decisions. One health crisis can do it. One divorce can do it. Heck, a bad lawyer, a dishonest biased judge. A long term chronic illness. A sick kid, or spouse -the need to be a full time caregiver. Etc.
I have a college friend on a ventilator right now. Tests have said that it isn't COVID, but, man, it certainly sounds like COVID. He's 49. He has two kids, ages 10 and 13.
It's not his kids' fault that their dad is on a ventilator. And maybe they end up having very successful lives. But it is going to be more difficult than others. This is an example of getting smacked through no fault of their own. My parents are still alive today, and I'm 49. I'm not a better person than my friend's kids are; I wasn't better at planning. I'm lucky.
I totally believe that the government can create theoretical equality. I say theoretical equality in the same way or context of economic "Full employment". Full employment does not mean zero unemployed. At any given point in time there will be people in transition, who are unemployed temporarily between jobs. Those will show up in the statistics and hence there will never be zero unemployment. In the same way, there will never be the absence of inequality, but there is a point of "full equality" as there is "full employment". Thus, arguing that there can never be equality is true, but that does not mean there is not much work to be done to reach a healthy level of inequality, which we are far from.
I totally believe that government can solve problems of unhealthy levels of inequality. However, people, as a whole, really do not want to see that happen. It's like fighting the virus. You can't get enough Americans to buy into the guidelines to make the fight against the virus effective enough to win. It's not that the government guild lines don't work.....its that Americans will not abide by them. Many don't believe it it and hence despite the government effort, it fails. Fighting inequality, by the government, has been doomed for the same reason. Too many Americans are against the effort and will sabotage the efforts of government. Hence, the impediment is not the government....ITS THE PEOPLE. The American people will NOT support the promotion of equality by the government....which then makes any effort doomed to fail.
Equality is not in the will of the people and hence in a democracy, any government effort to engineer it is doomed to fail, as it will face resistance from the people.
Re: the bolded...
In a nutshell, the difference between conservatives and liberals.
Well you are wrong. Many people get smacked despite having made good decisions. One health crisis can do it. One divorce can do it. Heck, a bad lawyer, a dishonest biased judge. A long term chronic illness. A sick kid, or spouse -the need to be a full time caregiver. Etc.
Exactly- 911 shot many down, the 2007 housing crisis added to the years of work going down the drain- and now the virus-- spent most of our lives recouping.
The wars take away the men who leave women and kids alone, the drugs and substance abuse, has created the walking dead with crime galore.
lets not talk about individual problems as divorces, death, illness, and gotta to add hurricanes, tornadoes and floods. etc that drive the nail in the coffin... only those 25% on top feel no pain... the rest DO!
... only those 25% on top feel no pain... the rest DO!
This is absolutely false. Just yesterday there was a story about Liz Hirlwy's ex...he was extremely wealthy (he inherited $600 million when he was 18)...he killed himself by jumping off the 27th floor. The wealthy still have to battle mental illness, drug abuse, divorce, infidelity, illness, and sometimes the perils of fame.
These things are part of the human condition, unfortunately.
Well you are wrong. Many people get smacked despite having made good decisions. One health crisis can do it. One divorce can do it. Heck, a bad lawyer, a dishonest biased judge. A long term chronic illness. A sick kid, or spouse -the need to be a full time caregiver. Etc.
I'm not wrong in saying what I've seen though you may have seen differently. But I do agree that some people fall into the categories you referenced but I just don't hardly know anyone that does.
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