Various Thoughts

Here is a thought about critical thinking and advertising.  Why do companies promise to give a portion of their sales or profits to a particular charity? This may not be a charity you favor, but you are forced to support it when you buy the product. Some would rather have a lower price than money donated.  But the whole thing is not about the charity, it’s about the image of the company as socially aware, politically correct or environmentally conscious. It likely stems from the need to counter the constant attacks on corporations accusing them of being evil and greedy. Wouldn't we be better off if the companies just did what they were supposed to do environmentally and socially while operating in the most efficient manner to give their consumers the best deal? Then consumers could use the saving to support charities of their choosing.

Here’s one about economic understanding. Why does everyone want to take credit for jobs created?  When more jobs were created over the last year, the president, the governors and mayors all wanted to take credit.  They could not have all created the same jobs. The government doesn’t create jobs in the private sector, customers create jobs – that’s right, customers!  If a company can make more sales to more customers, it will need more workers.  If not, it will sit on its profits as many did in the years prior to 2017.  The best thing governments can do is get out of the way and let the economy work.  Not understanding this caused The Soviet Union to collapse.

A thought on perspective:  In Strunk and White’s classic book Elements of Style (Third Edition, 1979) they recommend the best way for an author to revise is by “using scissors on his manuscript” to cut and rearrange pieces into a better order.  Think of how lucky we are to have computers with cut and paste capabilities.

Likewise, we have microwave ovens to heat food in a fraction of the time it takes in a conventional oven.  In addition, cleaning up is usually easier when food can be heated right on the plate, and science tells us that the food is healthier when heated more quickly (although I’ve met several non-scientist who will adamantly dispute that point based on their own personal superstition about “nuking” food).

Those are just a couple of examples of how much easier life has become in the last 50 years; so much easier in fact, that many people go to great lengths to find reasons to be offended, to introduce drama into their lives, to overreact to every so-called crisis, to imagine dangers where none exist and to become stressed over the slightest inconvenience.  Where is the perspective?

Finally, a thought on the model: The premise of this application of the behavioral model to social ills is that constructive behavior yields good results while bad behavior does the opposite.  This is generally true.  Those who take care of themselves physically through exercise and a reasonable diet, who avoid tobacco and excessive alcohol, generally live longer, healthier lives.  There are exceptions, but over the long run, bad habits usually catch up.

The power of this dynamic that good yields good is that it reinforces the same type of behavior.  If you save for minor emergencies and avoid stress when such a problem arises, you understand the wisdom of having a rainy-day fund.  Unfortunately, exceptions tend to undermine the process of improvement.  For example, this week the teachers of West Virginia were rewarded for bad behavior, something they would never condone in their own classrooms.