4 ms·

I believe it is highly American to believe in self-sufficiency and to minimize the role of luck in success or failure. Whether we go back to the Protestant work

I believe it is highly American to believe in self-sufficiency and to minimize the role of luck in success or failure. Whether we go back to the Protestant work ethic, the Puritan sensibility, gold rushes, unfettered capitalism, the Gilded Age, and our current second gilded age, to me it is clear that caring for others is a secondary concern for many Americans. Just look at the "makers/takers" model of our populace put forward by the top current lawmakers. In this framework, sick people are takers and capitalists are makers.

TeMPOraL 8y ago
> to believe in self-sufficiency and to minimize the role of luck in success or failure. I think that, frankly, those two are in opposition to one another. Self-sufficiency at scale is a game of numbers and luck; systems of thinking that try to put more emphasis on mutual support and shared responsibility for success seem to work more towards eliminating luck as a factor.
NegativeK 8y ago
This is never how it's framed when you actually discuss these problems with people who believe in small government. Every time I've pressed the issue, it's a two pronged response: A) Healthcare costs are too high, and it's due to malpractice/overregulation/other government influences. B) In the event that an individual can't afford healthcare, the community will pick up the tab -- and have the money to do it, since the government isn't taxing it away from them.
- plassma 8y ago
  Ya I have never once heard of someone's neighbor or whoever picking up their medical tab for them.
netsharc 8y ago
It's meritocracy - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTDGdKaMDhQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTDGdKaMDhQ - If you're taught you can achieve success by just working hard enough, then the opposite must be true, that poor people are poor because they're lazy. Paul Krugman has also mentioned, the insane thing is, many of the rich in the USA who inherited their wealth or got lucky with investments also believe that they're successful not because of luck, but because they're hard workers...
eeZah7Ux 8y ago
> American to believe in self-sufficiency and to minimize the role of luck Not at all: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_mobility#/media/File:The_Great_Gatsby_Curve.png https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_mobility#/media/File:Th... If you multiply inequality times lack of social mobility, US scores at the bottom across developed countries.

TeMPOraL 8y ago

> to believe in self-sufficiency and to minimize the role of luck in success or failure. I think that, frankly, those two are in opposition to one another. Self-sufficiency at scale is a game of numbers and luck; systems of thinking that try to put more emphasis on mutual support and shared responsibility for success seem to work more towards eliminating luck as a factor.

NegativeK 8y ago

This is never how it's framed when you actually discuss these problems with people who believe in small government. Every time I've pressed the issue, it's a two pronged response: A) Healthcare costs are too high, and it's due to malpractice/overregulation/other government influences. B) In the event that an individual can't afford healthcare, the community will pick up the tab -- and have the money to do it, since the government isn't taxing it away from them.

plassma 8y ago
Ya I have never once heard of someone's neighbor or whoever picking up their medical tab for them.

netsharc 8y ago

It's meritocracy - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTDGdKaMDhQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTDGdKaMDhQ - If you're taught you can achieve success by just working hard enough, then the opposite must be true, that poor people are poor because they're lazy. Paul Krugman has also mentioned, the insane thing is, many of the rich in the USA who inherited their wealth or got lucky with investments also believe that they're successful not because of luck, but because they're hard workers...

eeZah7Ux 8y ago

> American to believe in self-sufficiency and to minimize the role of luck Not at all: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_mobility#/media/File:The_Great_Gatsby_Curve.png https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_mobility#/media/File:Th... If you multiply inequality times lack of social mobility, US scores at the bottom across developed countries.