The Sage Observer

Why Do We Believe?

          Reading and listening to the many comments frequently expressed by people and the media when discussing the plight of the poor, our underclass, relative to the rich and well-off, the illustrious elite among us, I can’t help being struck by the tenor of some of the many critics: “Those lazy loafers–they don’t want to work; People like that think the world owes them a living; Anybody who really wants a job can find one–if he (or she) will only look; We’re creating a welfare society of misfits, losers, and dependents–Socialism, Communism; It’s their fault they have no money; If they sacrificed, saved, planned, and did the right things like I did, they wouldn’t be in their present predicament; They wouldn’t need social security, etc., etc.” And on and on it goes.

          Now I’m not a psychologist. Of course, I studied a course or two in college as many as some of you, most of which seemed more like a course in statistics; but, really, psychology is not my thing. In the course of my lifetime, however, I have seen a few streetcars go by–not to mention a few other matters; and there are a few things I have noticed about people.

First, almost (if not all) people are mentally lazy–they don’t like to think and will resist doing so to the fullest extent possible. Yes. You’re right. That includes me, too–I’m among the worst. The only difference is that some of us are more so than others (except, maybe, for someone exceedingly brilliant–Albert Einstein, perhaps). I have believed this for a long time, and told others, although I couldn't understand why. That is until I recently read a book, Thinking Fast and Slow, by Dr. Daniel Kahneman, winner of the 2002 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences. In his book, Dr. Kahneman tells us we have two types of thinking, Type 1(Thinking Fast) and Type 2 (Thinking Slow). In the Type 1 mode, the one which we use first and most always, we make quick and fast decision–reflex like. We use slowly (at times, not at all) the Type 2 mode for our reasoning and calculating. As a quick and simple example, if I ask you how much is 2 X 2, you will immediately answer 4, without even thinking–you will not go beyond Type 1 to answer. The answer is embedded within your memory. If, on the other hand, I ask you how much is 212 X 15, most probably, Type 1 doesn't have the answer (If it does, you are much smarter than I am). You will be forced to use Type 2. To the fullest extent possible, we will use Type 1 thinking, thinking fast, to make decisions and resist using our function of reason, Type 2, because it is more difficult and takes longer. The reason for this is that Type 1 is firmly embedded within our brain–it is a defense mechanism. If a bear is coming after you, there isn’t always time to think.

The reason I am telling you about all of this is that, for almost all of us, we don’t like to read, we don’t like to calculate, we dislike complexity, and we just don’t like to think in general–the results of which are that we are very ignorant about many things. Our decisions are based on the information stored in Type 1, consisting of life experience, what we have learned in school, misinformation based on the lies and propaganda constantly fed to us over time by the media and others, and our biases and prejudices. This goes not only for our political views but for everything else.

There is another factor which I have observed in human behavior. It, too, I believe, is one of our defense mechanisms firmly ingrained in our subconscious memory. It is a human tendency for us to compare, to judge, to measure, ourselves with one another on a regular basis. This is a subconscious defense mechanism because, in one way or another, more or less, we compete on a continuing basis. Is he (or she) bigger? Is he stronger? Is he better looking? Is he smarter? Does he have more wealth? Is he my type? Do I like him? Is he as good as me or in my class? We constantly evaluate one another–again, subconsciously. Now, let me propose a question for you. If you can think of the other person (maybe even your adversary) as “lesser” than or lower in status than you–if you “put him down” in your eyes and/or the eyes of others, what does that do for your ego? Doesn't that make you feel superior? Think about it.

What does all this have to do with the poor among us–the underclass? Does what and how we think affect our view of this problem? Does it affect the color of the lenses in our glasses through which we view things? How reliable is our viewpoint (in the above, in politics, or in anything else about which we may form an opinion) in light of the above?

Ronald Miller

mtss86@comcast.net