Saturday, November 2, 2013
Dis Incentives
Constantly telling people that the larger society is unjust, that other people are responsible for their dire situation, that they don't have what other folks possess (and that they should resent them for it), that it is always somebody else's fault, and that the only way in which they can succeed is through political agitation, is a recipe for disaster. It leads to lowered expectations, learned helplessness, and a political situation in which all of the incentives are pathetic/perverse. Somehow, someway, we have to convince young disadvantaged black people that they, too, can be pilots and teachers, welders and nurses, computer programmers and realtors, and that the only legitimate way to get ahead in life is to equip yourself with skills that other folks are willing to pay for (a la what the Jews did in Eastern Europe, what the Chinese did in Malaysia, what the West Indian blacks did in America, etc.). Here's to hoping that the Al Sharptons and Jesse Jacksons of the world eventually see the light on this, or at the very least step aside for those folks who do.
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6 comments:
Will: The problem with the Sharpton/Jackson analysis of poverty in America is it tends to be ideological, simplistic and mono-causal...You rightly find this sort of thing troubling but the Conservative narrative is EQUALLY troubling in that if you are poor its ALWAYS your fault that that you are poor. This isn't to say the poor don't make bad choices...they do(Believe me I see it all the time.)...but assigning blame can hardly be considered a productive policy. Even if you can assign blame, the let em starve mentality is hardly a "solution", a "solution" that ignores the realities of trying to do the best you can with what you have. If you are working two jobs to support your family, where do you find the time to change skill sets even if you can get financial aid? In some cases it seems hopeless. Even now I see foreign sub contractors taking jobs off-shore....not because they are better or because they possess knowledge we don't...the irony is often sub-contractors have to be trained by the very people they are replacing...(I see this in the place where I currently work. Also see the Infosys story that broke this week...same deal.)Automation has also eliminated a ton of jobs that previously existed for people with limited skill sets...at least with those jobs you had stable employment and with that came the time to change skill sets according to your ability and effort. I think we can agree there is no simple or one sided solution that can solve everything. Despite anyone's efforts, the truth is there will always be poverty of some sort. Hand outs or hand ups are not ultimately a way out but maybe a map, a pathway with some guidance is...Industry and Business forming partnerships with trade schools. Not everyone is cut out for college or can afford college so maybe this a path...Form these partnerships in areas with disproportionate poverty levels wherever they are...
I don't think that anybody (I'm certainly not) is advocating a let 'em starve mentality or that a person who's working 2 jobs to support his family shouldn't be commended. My major point is that we've created a hugely perverted incentive structure in which all of the advantages for black politicians these days is lay all of the blame for problems in the black community on the larger society and for them to shamelessly assume the role of the defender of the black community against these virulent enemies (businesses who refuse to make accommodations for "black English", for example).
I'm also strongly in favor of us making a much better case for the trades (through technical schools, apprenticeships, etc.). We used to be a country of tinkerers and now we're a country of texters and video gamers and because of that there are countless jobs related to welding, plumbing, pipe-fitting, tool and dye, etc. that just aren't being filled. It's embarrassing.......And this whole scenario of people collecting unemployment for 99 weeks is absurd. 99 weeks, that's an Associate's degree (that, and there are certificates that you can get in less than a year), for God's sake.
My apologies Will...my point was if you are gonna lambast Sharpton & co.(and they deserve it.) you need to hit the other sources of idiotic rhetoric as well...I see it on every discussion board for all the major media outlets...it's rather sad. Regards.
I'm in total agreement. There are those of us that recognize both problem and solution; somewhere in the recent past, 'tradesman' joined 'liberal',
'patriot' and 'labor' as words somewhat derogatory. I watched as
a skilled HVAC tech replaced my
hot water heater last week and
discussed his job with him. He had
good pay, excellent benefits and
really enjoyed his work, the challenges of new problems and equipment and the satisfaction of
actual physical completion of daily projects. In turn he was impressed by my basement wall of patent awards. Somehow, these valuable trades people get left out
of our system of recognition and it
is a shame.
And these jobs are really good paying ones, too; 6 figures, some of them after a few years.
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