Friday, November 29, 2013

New York Times' Kristof Calls for Compassion



The New York Times


November 27, 2013

Where Is the Love?

When I’ve written recently about food stamp recipients, the uninsured and prison inmates, I’ve had plenty of pushback from readers.
A reader named Keith reflected a coruscating chorus when he protested: “If kids are going hungry, it is because of the parents not upholding their responsibilities.”
A reader in Washington bluntly suggested taking children from parents and putting them in orphanages.
Jim asked: “Why should I have to subsidize someone else’s child? How about personal responsibility? If you procreate, you provide.”
After a recent column about an uninsured man who delayed seeing a doctor about a condition that turned out to be colon cancer, many readers noted that he is a lifelong smoker and said he had it coming.
“What kind of a lame brain doofus is this guy?” one reader asked. “And like it’s our fault that he couldn’t afford to have himself checked out?”
Such scorn seems widespread, based on the comments I get on my blog and Facebook page — as well as on polling and on government policy. At root, these attitudes reflect a profound lack of empathy.
A Princeton University psychology professor, Susan Fiske, has found that when research subjects hooked up to neuro-imaging machines look at photos of the poor and homeless, their brains often react as if they are seeing things, not people. Her analysis suggests that Americans sometimes react to poverty not with sympathy but with revulsion.
So, on Thanksgiving, maybe we need a conversation about empathy for fellow humans in distress.
Let’s acknowledge one point made by these modern social Darwinists: It’s true that some people in poverty do suffer in part because of irresponsible behavior, from abuse of narcotics to criminality to laziness at school or jobs. But remember also that many of today’s poor are small children who have done nothing wrong.
Some 45 percent of food stamp recipients are children, for example. Do we really think that kids should go hungry if they have criminal parents? Should a little boy not get a curved spine treated properly because his dad is a deadbeat? Should a girl not be able to go to preschool because her mom is an alcoholic?
Successful people tend to see in themselves a simple narrative: You study hard, work long hours, obey the law and create your own good fortune. Well, yes. That often works fine in middle-class families.
But if you’re conceived by a teenage mom who drinks during pregnancy so that you’re born with fetal alcohol effects, the odds are overwhelmingly stacked against you from before birth. You’ll perhaps never get traction.
Likewise, if you’re born in a high-poverty neighborhood to a stressed-out single mom who doesn’t read to you and slaps you more than hugs you, you’ll face a huge handicap. One University of Minnesota study found that the kind of parenting a child receives in the first 3.5 years is a better predictor of high school graduation than I.Q.
All this helps explain why one of the strongest determinants of ending up poor is being born poor. As Warren Buffett puts it, our life outcomes often depend on the “ovarian lottery.” Sure, some people transcend their circumstances, but it’s callous for those born on second or third base to denounce the poor for failing to hit home runs.
John Rawls, the brilliant 20th-century philosopher, argued for a society that seems fair if we consider it from behind a “veil of ignorance” — meaning we don’t know whether we’ll be born to an investment banker or a teenage mom, in a leafy suburb or a gang-ridden inner city, healthy or disabled, smart or struggling, privileged or disadvantaged. That’s a shrewd analytical tool — and who among us would argue for food stamp cuts if we thought we might be among the hungry children?
As we celebrate Thanksgiving, let’s remember that the difference between being surrounded by a loving family or being homeless on the street is determined not just by our own level of virtue or self-discipline, but also by an inextricable mix of luck, biography, brain chemistry and genetics.
For those who are well-off, it may be easier to castigate the irresponsibility of the poor than to recognize that success in life is a reflection not only of enterprise and willpower, but also of random chance and early upbringing.
Low-income Americans, who actually encounter the needy in daily life, understand this complexity and respond with empathy. Researchers say that’s why the poorest 20 percent of Americans donate more to charity, as a fraction of their incomes, than the richest 20 percent. Meet those who need help, especially children, and you become less judgmental and more compassionate.
And compassion isn’t a sign of weakness, but a mark of civilization.

Labels: , , ,

7 Comments:

Blogger oakleyses said...

insanity workout, mac cosmetics, vans outlet, ghd, moncler, moncler, wedding dresses, moncler outlet, abercrombie and fitch, jimmy choo shoes, north face outlet, instyler ionic styler, north face jackets, roshe run, canada goose pas cher, new balance outlet, uggs outlet, rolex watches, asics shoes, ugg outlet, soccer shoes, canada goose uk, herve leger, birkin bag, longchamp, canada goose, reebok shoes, canada goose outlet, valentino shoes, canada goose outlet, ferragamo shoes, nfl jerseys, uggs on sale, p90x workout, soccer jerseys, hollister, lululemon outlet, mcm handbags, ugg soldes, celine handbags, ugg boots, mont blanc pens, canada goose outlet, chi flat iron, bottega veneta, marc jacobs outlet, ugg, beats headphones, giuseppe zanotti, babyliss pro

Mon Oct 27, 10:22:00 PM 2014  
Blogger Unknown said...

2015-09-15 zhengjx
michael kors bag
Michael Kors Outlet Factory Handbags For Sale
burberry outlet
Abercrombie & Fitch Clothing With Big Discount
michael kors outlet
Michael Kors Outlet Online 70% Off Handbags
coach outlet store online
michael kors outlet
cheap nfl jerseys
Christian Louboutin Shoes Outlet Sale Cheap Price
Abercrombie And Fitch New York Clothing Warehouse
hollister uk
cheap jordans
michael kors outlet
Louis Vuitton Outlet Authentic Handbags Discount
ugg boots sale
Cheap Jordans Shoes For Sale
uggs outlet
abercrombie & fitch
Mont Blanc Pens For Sale
ugg boots
Louis Vuitton Handbags Official USA Website
Michael Kors Outlet Factory Online Store
Louis Vuitton Handbags Outlet Online
Coach Factory Outlet Official Website
Gucci Outlet Online 80% OFF
Ralph Lauren UK Sale Polo Shirts
Abercrombie And Fitch New York Outlet Store
fitflops
ugg boots

Tue Sep 15, 02:45:00 AM 2015  
Blogger xumeiqing said...

151218meiqing
coach outlet
hollister kids
ugg outlet
ralph lauren polo
ralph lauren sale
toms
canada goose jackets
ugg slippers
louis vuitton handbags
instyler curling iron
ugg outlet
gucci outlet
canada goose jackets
hollister co
tory burch sale
nike huarache
coach factory outlet
michael kors outlet online
prada outlet
abercrombie
coach outlet
louis vuitton
michael kors outlet clearance
hollister uk
lebron james shoes
rolex watches outlet
louis vuitton outlet stores
toms outlet
canada goose outlet
lebron james shoes
ugg outlet
gucci handbags
oakley sunglasses
tiffany and co
coach factory outlet
ugg slippers
louis vuitton handbags
ugg outlet
coach factory outlet
coach outlet

Thu Dec 17, 08:19:00 PM 2015  
Blogger Leaf` said...

So many thanks here.
sbobet
maxbet
แทงบอลออนไลน์
แทงบอล sbobet

Thu Nov 30, 01:49:00 AM 2017  
Blogger elkamaal said...


تسديد قروض
تسديد قروض بنك الرياض
تسديد قروض الراجحي
تسديد القروض
سداد القروض
سداد القروض الراجحي
تسديد قروض الدمام
تسديد قروض الرياض
مكاتب تسديد القروض
تسديد القروض باقل نسبة
تسديد قروض جده
تسديد القروض واستخراج قرض جديد

Tue Jul 10, 11:39:00 AM 2018  
Blogger elkamaal said...


شركة تسليك مجارى بجازان
شركة تسليك مجارى بالاحساء
نفخ المجارى بالاحساء
رقم مصلحة المجارى بالاحساء
تسليك المجارى بالاحساء
مصلحة المياه بالاحساء
شركة تسليك مجارى بالجبيل
تسليك المجارى بالجبيل
شركة تسليك مجارى بالدمام
شركة طيوب للمجاري الدمام
رقم الصرف الصحي بالدمام
شفط الصرف الصحي بالدمام
وايت شفط المجاري الدمام
سيارات شفط المجاري بالدمام
شركة تسليك مجارى براس تنورة
شركة طيوب لتسليك المجارى

Tue Jul 10, 12:41:00 PM 2018  
Blogger elkamaal said...


شركة تنظيف بجازان
شركة تنظيف منازل بجازان
شركة تنظيف خزانات بجازان
شركة عزل خزانات بجازان
شركة مكافحة حشرات بجازان
شركة رش مبيدات بجازان
شركة مكافحة النمل الابيض بجازان
شركة مكافحة القئران بجازان
شركة تنظيف بابها
شركة تنظيف خزانات بابها
شركة مكافحة حشرات بابها
شركة مكافحة النمل الابيض بابها
شركة مكافحة حشرات بخميس مشيط
شركة تنظيف بخميس مشيط

Tue Jul 10, 01:22:00 PM 2018  

Post a Comment

Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]

<< Home