How the world really works

NOTE - This thread actually could have been in politics or philosophy forum, as it really crosses subject boundaries.

This is very close to my own heart/mind. I have read quite a few books (and plenty unread so far) on how things get corrupted in society. I want to clarify exactly what I mean because I think this often gets misunderstood. I have to speak in generality because there is so much here and it is systemic right through society.

When people talk of corruption or things going wrong, they typically think of bad actors or mistakes. Imperfection is part of life and cannot be avoided. People get punished and systems reform (or die) and are replaced. In this naive view of the world, it makes sense to trust authority, experts, etc. Systems and checks and balances are in place to keep things working relatively smoothly (or as smoothly as possible) and there is no need for radical change.

This view is dangerously naive and wrong. In my experience of life and fairly extensive reading, it seems that every part of society and life is open to abuse, and is abused. Even authorities charged with spotting and eliminating corruption or errors, they are also flawed. A big part of this is when private enterprise is at the heart of an institution or company etc. I have been reading about the Drug Industry and how they actively ignore and even demonise natural treatments which are often better than the drug equivalents. This is just one example, I have read about the CJS in US locking people up unfairly to make more money, I have a book about the Holocaust Industry etc. etc.. It seems there is nowhere this endemic corruption isn't thriving, along with people happy to go along with it. Profits over people's welfare and lives and justice. It's a depressing picture. Bias in the news is not widely known about, but exists in even the best news channels (see medialens website for eg.).

But what is perhaps even more surprising/frustrating is the number of people unaware of this (probably mainly Sensors). My ISTJ brother, for eg. cannot believe that a doctor could actually prescribe you a drug which makes things worse for you, without everyone in the health industry and health service being in on a conspiracy. He cannot see how it is all the assumptions he is making in that statement which is where the errors are made (either through ignorance, lack of power, care or willful greed). Every gap is exploited. It's not simply about how good or well meaning each person is in the chain, it is the makeup of the chain which allows errors and corruption which is often almost invisible. But can these assumptions be challenged, or will MBTI limitations of Sensors always be a block? Is this mainly the fault of the mainly SJ world we live in?

Even the whole 'capitalist system' (I know it's more complex than that) to many seems optimum with it's own ethical core. This is also dangerously naive.



Sometimes this awareness has made me feel quite depressed because as an INFJ who cares a lot about these things, and wants to put them right, it feels like I am fighting a futile battle. Many great books have been written, yet the situation persists. It seems that if systems are improved, some people will still find a way round them. But none (or little) of it is inevitable. That's what frustrates me. The willfull ingorance and blind assumptions of many allow the system of abuses to persist, and people suffer as a result.

I think this is the kind of thing that frustrated Jesus. Evil is what men do, not just what a few rogue characters do. Artificial institutions will always be fundamantally flawed, irrespective of their objectives? Anyone have the answer? Are things slowly improving? Am I being too negative?

 

I’m arguing for people getting rewarded in proportion to their contribution to society, as far as possible. No other goal can be as sensible or idealistic as that, because it rewards talent and makes a fairer society. There would of course need to be a safety net for disabled/old people etc.

The problem is society pretends we live in an approximate meritocracy when we are far from it. This is the horrible lie.

 

I get that personal happiness (or the lack of it) usually stems from our personal relationships which is why my life has mostly been lacking happiness. Then we project our unhappiness onto other things. I sometimes wish I could be more normal, then I might be happy. Lately I’ve been considering how small and insignificant most of our lives really are, and how I can’t imagine myself being content with such a life. Does anyone else feel they need something bigger? I feel like something inside is crying to be heard. It’s hard to put into words. Maybe I’m a little depressed. I feel existential crisis and angst. I don’t feel real much of the time, imposter syndrome and all that.

I think good books do make some difference, and we are probably making very slow progress; and that writing such a book can provide some satisfaction and maybe even financial reward.

 

I find this hard to believe. Don’t take this the wrong way, but what you said there can be deconstructed. I could write an essay in response. You are an INFP, which might explain the different perspective.

You made me think of animal farm and the quote “some are more equal than others” lol. You are accepting the status quo as inevitable and something we have to accept. I could never do that because I see so much wrong with it that needs changing.

 

I love the word AGENCY. Human agency is often forgotten in such discussions but it is the driving force behind all progress. If we want to bring societal change, then the written word is the most powerful. Books can and do change the world.

Rewarding merit happens already, but it’s mostly unfair. Parasitic and wasteful jobs are often well paid while critical jobs usually much worse. I’ll give you an example. Cant remember all the details, it’s from a book: I think this happened in New York and Ireland on different occasions: binmen went on strike and public health crisis meant it was sorted in days. Bankers went on strike, people found way round it. Bankers are paid more than binmen but their job has less real value.

Don’t forget a lot of wage disparities between professions is not because it’s what the market created via supply and demand, no it’s more to do with historical power imbalances. Elites chose the easiest professions and paid themselves handsomely while keeping the working class down. Note that wrt class conflict, the major problem today is a powerlessness of the working class majority. This is because the overclass has taken apart Democratic pluralism and largely replaced it with technocratic neoliberalism. This has resulted in a lack of countervailing power from below. This is not because the elites are superior and work harder/better. No it’s mostly about a rigged society which mainly works for the elite/professional class. Besides this being unfair, it actually creates a highly dysfunctional society where even the rich suffer to some degree. The Spirit Level book gives statistics to show that more equal countries actually perform better overall, so it makes sense for most in society that things are more unequal. Also, most are not very aware of how unequal our societies actually are. We are a lot richer than we were a few decades ago, yet we have more poor now than ever. Most of the benefits of greater prosperity are going to an increasingly fewer number of rich people.

The majority of poor people do have lots of power but no means of wielding it other than mass protests/strikes. The political system isn’t working for them. Then populists come along and promise solutions to their legitimate grievances, but they are usually charlatans and don’t have real answers.

I think how we can explain the detachment from politics of many people is simply greater affluence, and an appearance that any different reality is impossible. It’s a grand illusion. My goal in my writing is to make clear this is not how it has to be. In an age of unprecedented communication, and the current standard of living crisis, I think change has to come soon. The overclass have squeezed many working people too hard for too long and the cracks are showing.

 

Have you seen the film Into the Wild?
That ended well lol

 

In many ways I try and keep life simple to protect my psyche. I think sensitive people have to do that. I probably have gone too far at times though.

One thing I’ve noticed on here is INFJs generalise like crazy. I’ve learnt not to do that and it’s very useful to avoid it as much as possible.

 

Well we’ve seen the destruction of Democratic pluralism and it’s replacement with technocratic neoliberalism. This has made class conflict mostly 1-sided, with the overclass in charge. Naturally their abuses of power are causing widespread discontent. This is an unprecedented situation. It cannot be understood by past trends or situations, although there is some similarity with the old class system of the late 19th century. But instead of wealth and merit largely based on birthright, it’s now based largely on a fake meritocratic basis. Humans are obsessed and hardwired to want and respect status. But only if this is genuinely earned can it be truly respected. Even this is not ideal, there is always bound to be envy, but it would be better than anything we have ever had.

Remember what happens in society is a battle. Nothing is inevitable, except maybe very long term trends, but so many want to align artificially created situations as inevitable fate when they are anything but.

 

I didn’t say none have made money through talent and merit. I actually think premier league footballers deserve their high pay, because no one has to pay to see them or buy their merchandise etc. People create their wealth, and they have very rare, real skills. There will always be entrepreneurs and not all of them exploit others on their way up, although many do. The problem is as you say the ability to make money out of capital. The more money you have, the easier it becomes to get more. Thus talent and merit get swapped for craft and opportunity. This is a serious problem. It keeps the poor in poorly paid, hard jobs. But don’t worry, they and those on benefits are demonised by society to quiet the consciences of those better off.

Wrt the world being not that bad a place, you must read very different books to me, and probably you swallow mainstream news distortions (hint read medialens website).