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Denial Isn't Just A River In Egypt
Nov. 28th, 2012 11:06 amTwo links came to me on the subject of denial. The older of the two is a long article about Thomas Jefferson and slaves. In 1776, Jefferson wrote "all men are equal" and tried to get the slave trade banned in the Declaration of Independence. By 1790, Jefferson was quietly but firmly defending slavery - largely because it was greatly and personally benefiting him.
The second link is a more modern case - a somewhat shorter reflection on Social Security and Medicare. The money quote: However, there is something which needs to be said about the mass amnesia and the willful blindness of the American people as to how and why the milk got into the coconut. A huge swathe of the American people think that society is, in fact, split between makers and takers, between producers and moochers--but they all think that the line is set just one notch below themselves.
Human beings have an enormous capacity to convince themselves that they are good people but "others" doing the exact same thing (or having the same aspirations) are "bad." The only way I know to combat that is to continually point out to people the contradiction.
The second link is a more modern case - a somewhat shorter reflection on Social Security and Medicare. The money quote: However, there is something which needs to be said about the mass amnesia and the willful blindness of the American people as to how and why the milk got into the coconut. A huge swathe of the American people think that society is, in fact, split between makers and takers, between producers and moochers--but they all think that the line is set just one notch below themselves.
Human beings have an enormous capacity to convince themselves that they are good people but "others" doing the exact same thing (or having the same aspirations) are "bad." The only way I know to combat that is to continually point out to people the contradiction.
