Analysis for Critical Thinkers

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One may wonder why two different people of reasonable intelligence can each look at an issue and see it so differently. The reason may have to do with how they view personal responsibility versus government responsibility and the role of government in general. I often think of this as I discuss current events with people who have different viewpoints than mine.  This is another example of a discussion where facts and statistics will have no bearing since this discussion is only about the way that people think. There is no immediate need for right or wrong here, let us merely discuss how people see the world.

There are those who believe that they are in charge of their lives. They grow up learning that to succeed in this country, you should study hard in school and then try to get a good job so that you can provide for yourself and your family. During times of difficulty, they realize that the world can be difficult but you must do your best. Everybody can make mistakes but you accept them, learn from them and move on. They can try to be whatever they want to be but they realize that it is all up to them. If they do succeed, they feel proud of their long and hard efforts to make it to their position in life. If they do not succeed, they try – try again. They realize that fairness is only guaranteed on the rules of the journey, not on the end result.

On the other hand, there are also those who were brought up not so much with aspirations, but expectations. They feel that everything is somebody else’s fault. They feel that someone else should pay because they are entitled. They think “it’s not fair”. They act like a victim in need of sympathy. You may notice that when you talk to these people about almost any problem, they always refer to “the government” in some way. You never hear them say “I should try to…” rather it is “the government should” or the famous”they” should do something. If they don’t have a job – “Government should provide jobs”. If they can’t afford a house or pay their bills, it is somebody else’s fault and “the government should do something”. This goes for any problem that someone may face in this country – health care, obesity, housing, retirement, education, birth control, personal responsibility – and even television as it switches over to digital. It is all “somebody else should pay”,”it’s not fair”, “it’s not my fault”, “somebody else is to blame”, “I am entitled”, “What about my rights”, “what are you going to do for me?” and “government, government, government”.

For the purposes of this discussion today, I shall not be so bold as to suggest that one particular viewpoint is “right” or that one is better than another. I do not wish to hear statistics or results of studies that supposedly support either world view. Also, I shall not analyze at this time why someone might come to believe either one of these viewpoints. The point today though is this:

 What do you suppose will happen in this country when we arrive at the point where there are more of the second kind of person than the first? What if there are more people expecting someone else to pay the bill than there are people who are actually paying the bill? Never mind who is “greedy” and who is “noble”. What happens when the people who believe in personal responsibility and free-market capitalism become outnumbered and outvoted by the people who believe in government responsibility and socialism? Which party and which type of candidate is most likely to get elected when the people who are looking for something for nothing greatly outnumber the people who will be forced to pay for it all – those that cherish personal responsibility and personal freedom?

We need not suppose. We are there today. Let us all see what happens next.