The recipient can accept the other player’s offer and take the cash-or reject it, in which case neither player gets anything. In the laboratory, psychologists study the roots of economic and political attitudes through exercises like the ultimatum game, in which one player (the allocator) makes an offer to another player (the recipient) about how to split a small pot of money put up by the researchers. This conservative version of fairness is wired deeply in the human brain, and liberals ignore it at their peril. Read: Liberals and conservatives react in wildly different ways to repulsive pictures Liberal commentators’ failure to understand these dynamics was evident in the many condescending responses to the Tea Party cry “Keep your government hands off my Medicare!” To many liberals, this cry was a simultaneously hilarious and horrifying reminder of the Republicans’ ignorance: OMG, they don’t even realize Medicare is a government program! To me, it was a reminder that Medicare, funded by a payroll tax, is an equitable program, treated rightfully by working people-as in Aesop’s fable about the ant and the grasshopper-as the wintertime fruit of their summertime labor. In other words, widespread support for such programs does not demonstrate a majority preference for need-minded values. However, although Social Security and Medicare are motivated by the need principle (they do much to prevent poverty among the elderly), they are also motivated by the equity principle (what people receive in retirement is related to what they contributed while working). For example, a majority of Americans support specific programs, like Social Security and Medicare, that have been created and defended by Democratic politicians. Pundits on the left often argue, using survey data as evidence, that a majority of Americans hold liberal values. To add insult to injury, Jessie must contribute tax dollars to the $640 billion fund necessary to forgive outstanding loans, including Sam’s. Warren’s plan forgives Sam’s debt, but offers nothing to Jessie, despite her industriousness and self-discipline. Jessie successfully implemented a plan to pay off the debt in five years, while Sam still has much to repay. Consider a hypothetical comparison of two people who graduated from college five years ago with equal amounts of debt. Conservatives tend to value equity, or proportionality, and they see unfairness when people are asked to contribute more than they should expect to receive in return, or when people receive more than they contribute. Still, there are other ways of judging what’s fair. This article was adapted from America the Fair: Using Brain Science to Create a More Just Nation by Dan Meegan, published by Cornell University Press. Indeed, Warren’s plan was also criticized from the left for insufficiently prioritizing those who need debt relief the most. Even when liberal leaders describe policies that are beneficial to everyone, they make it clear that the most important beneficiaries are those whose needs are most urgent. One is by need: Some people have more than they need, and others need more than they have. There is more than one way to decide who is deserving of what. Yet because I’ve also spent the past few years studying how perceptions of unfairness differ for liberals and conservatives, Klein’s language didn’t surprise me in the least. Read: The mental and physical toll of student loans As an American-born psychology professor now living in Canada, I am a strong supporter of my adopted country’s universal health system, which has served my family admirably. More broadly, I favor many of the policy ideas that Warren has been rolling out. I too am a liberal who believes that it is unconscionable to plunge 20-year-olds deeply into debt merely for wanting to educate themselves. Personally, I understand the feelings that Klein’s post brought forth. Child labor regulations a slap in the face to children who worked in coal mines - Osita Nwanevu April 22, 2019
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |