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I know this isn't a popular idea, but I think people need to be more empathetic to those who have been entrusted with power. I despise corruption, but I think

by steego 10y ago

I know this isn't a popular idea, but I think people need to be more empathetic to those who have been entrusted with power. I despise corruption, but I think we do ourselves a disservice when we focus all our attention on the officials who are being corrupted while allowing armies of policy experts to influence official's opinions while funding their campaigns. The question shouldn't be "Does power really corrupt?", the question should be, "Does power become a magnet for special interests hell bent on corrupting it?"

awakeasleep 10y ago
The very nature of power forces people to be empathetic to those who wield it. Thats almost the definition of power, and it's also what corrupts people.
- steego 10y ago
  That's a good point. People tend to be empathetic to those who they feel like they represent them, so they'll be more likely to forgive corruption as they'll chalk it up to the landscape in which the official has to operate. How do you get people to focus on the landscape of corruption rather than politicians? Politicians are easier to blame because they have a name and a face. How do you train people to target landscape? ADDED: How do you get people to focus on the elements of conflict of interest in larger systems rather than people?
- anexprogrammer 10y ago
  This, probably apocryphal, quote applies: Those who want power shouldn't have it, those who enjoy it do so for the wrong reasons.
  - noobiemcfoob 10y ago
    You see these types of quotes all the time, but I've started to question their wisdom. Is it really hard to imagine that the most qualified ruler might happen to recognized themselves as the most qualified ruler and therefore want the position? Maybe I'm just being optimistic that a quest for peak social optimization doesn't necessarily lead to a dictatorship...
    - anexprogrammer 10y ago
      No it's not that hard to imagine. But when I look at politicians, on either side of the Atlantic, that's not what I see. I see a lot of hard working MPs lost in the system, doing as the party machines tell them. They're more subservient than powerful. I see the stars and office holders following a much more Machiavellian approach. A good question is whether that's mainly down to the types of people getting involved, or the party machines that have developed.
- dang 10y ago
  It compels them to be subservient—or rebellious, which is the same thing with a bit flipped—but neither of those is empathy. I'm not sure empathy is possible except among equals.
kordless 10y ago
I think people need to be empathetic to those who have been entrusted with power, but I also think most people in power didn't get there by trustworthy means. There's something to be said for making things sacred. How power is arrived at, the people who hold it, how it is managed moving forward, and how that power changes (nay, MUST change) over time.

by steego 10y ago

awakeasleep 10y ago

The very nature of power forces people to be empathetic to those who wield it. Thats almost the definition of power, and it's also what corrupts people.

steego 10y ago
That's a good point. People tend to be empathetic to those who they feel like they represent them, so they'll be more likely to forgive corruption as they'll chalk it up to the landscape in which the official has to operate. How do you get people to focus on the landscape of corruption rather than politicians? Politicians are easier to blame because they have a name and a face. How do you train people to target landscape? ADDED: How do you get people to focus on the elements of conflict of interest in larger systems rather than people?
anexprogrammer 10y ago
This, probably apocryphal, quote applies: Those who want power shouldn't have it, those who enjoy it do so for the wrong reasons.
- noobiemcfoob 10y ago
  You see these types of quotes all the time, but I've started to question their wisdom. Is it really hard to imagine that the most qualified ruler might happen to recognized themselves as the most qualified ruler and therefore want the position? Maybe I'm just being optimistic that a quest for peak social optimization doesn't necessarily lead to a dictatorship...
  - anexprogrammer 10y ago
    No it's not that hard to imagine. But when I look at politicians, on either side of the Atlantic, that's not what I see. I see a lot of hard working MPs lost in the system, doing as the party machines tell them. They're more subservient than powerful. I see the stars and office holders following a much more Machiavellian approach. A good question is whether that's mainly down to the types of people getting involved, or the party machines that have developed.
dang 10y ago
It compels them to be subservient—or rebellious, which is the same thing with a bit flipped—but neither of those is empathy. I'm not sure empathy is possible except among equals.

kordless 10y ago

I think people need to be empathetic to those who have been entrusted with power, but I also think most people in power didn't get there by trustworthy means. There's something to be said for making things sacred. How power is arrived at, the people who hold it, how it is managed moving forward, and how that power changes (nay, MUST change) over time.