The Thought Police have been out in force this week, reading the Riot Act to those with the temerity to make connections between the callous and sometimes lethal actions of ne'er-do-wells, and their unearned sources of income. One understands that the days of freedom of blog-speech may be numbered, but I'm chancing my arm anyway.
Since, as people of good will, we are all presumably moved to lament extreme outcomes such as tragic, if unintended waste of life all the way to actual loss of life; and even to deplore the often squalid lifestyles observed among those who do not work, it is surely legitimate to consider what might be the contributary factors, perhaps to see if something intelligent can be done by outside agency to minimise the problem.
Some of these may be factors such as innate personal flaws - some would say evil, or original sin - of the individuals concerned, though this is hardly a fashionable line of enquiry. If we aren't content to stop there (not least because there isn't much we can do about that), it is at least reasonable to consider economic and social factors and the part they may have had to play. At this point we are drawn to ask: if a person is in circumstances where they are being funded in a life of idleness, may this not drain away the resources of judgement and personal responsibility they would have needed to exercise routinely had they been purposefully engaged in a day-to-day working environment - instead of festering on their sofas at home ? And might a regular need to exercise these desirable faculties not have prevented them from behaving in the reckless and callous ways that have tragically resulted even in loss of life, albeit unintended, of their nearest and dearest ?
I refer, of course, to the squalid case of Hans Rausing, whom few would doubt was morally undermined by his unearned income and consequent corrosive idleness. May we say this lead to the death of his wife ? Yes, I think we may and, if moved to deplore such outcomes, we should.
So I do. Innate wickedness may exist, but it has less purchase on purposefully busy lives in constructive social contexts. We should do what we can to foster such conditions, and certainly not undermine them with our actions, political or otherwise. That's what I think.
ND
Yes you are.
ReplyDeleteI nearly added him as Exhibit Five to my own list.
All true. But no-one was forced to contribute to Hans Rausings wealth by threat of imprisonment if they refused to pay. His wealth came entirely from voluntary contributions via mutually profitable transactions to his Father's business. So what his Father (and he) does with that wealth is entirely down to them, and if the extreme wealth corrupted him, or made him make bad choices, then its no business of the rest of us. It was never our money (unless you are a socialist, and consider the concept of private property an anathema).
ReplyDeleteWhereas every single one of us who pays taxes had to fund Michael Philpott and his ilk. And if we don't, we get arrested and put in jail, and still have to pay the money as well as being jailed. Its not that wealth can corrupt that is the issue, thats as old as human existence. Its that now we are all being made contribute to the corruption others against our will that rankles.
on a personal level I am conflicted, I believe in personal responsibility and so dislike the suggestion it should be otherwise.
ReplyDeletein America one of the developing left/right battlegrounds is over whether people kill people or guns do.
in the UK this question has been answered - people kill people but guns make it much much easier.
the case that the environment provided in the home, schools, prisons, the local high street - can have a positive as well as a negative effect has been made
if the state constructs an environment whereby you can benefit financially if you fulfill certain conditions, we should not be too surprised when some people game the system to fit.
I don't like it but you are right.
I expect to see more stories illustrating the point that just handing over money doesn't always work
this and stories about foreigners on benefits will enter the public unconscious and changes the rules of discussion
ND, are you suggesting that the devil makes work for idle hands?!
ReplyDeleteOutrageous, off with you to the thought-prison.
(Of course the assorted Left asked of Rausing "how could someone with everything do such a thing?" because they think that the number of £ in one's account is the only thing that matters in life).
It's a fair enough debate but having worked at the National Treatment Agency for far longer than was necessary i'd be inclined to chuck smack into the equation. Heroin is a great leveller - everyone lives in squalour. I think perhaps a better comparison may be Keith Richards or the like - the various characteristics of alcoholism are much more varied. Just a thunk. Plus, Hans Rausing didn't kill his missus just didn't inform the authorities.
ReplyDeleteHmm. I wonder if future Governments will use this line of justification as they confiscate private pensions & raise the retirement age further? All wrapped up in "Its for your own good, because..."
ReplyDeleteA can of worms, ND, as clearly you realise. If you're saying that gross and growing inequality leads to idleness, fecklessness and squalor at both ends of society, I'm tempted to agree, but that raises the question if how to re-set the game without howls from the holders of most of the wealth.
ReplyDelete"Welfare tends to corrupt, absolute welfare corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men." And quite often little men too. Is that something you can act on, ND?
ReplyDeleteWork tends to distract from our less healthy tendencies.
ReplyDeleteHad Rausing have been given the same money but demanded of him that he dedicated his time to running the local Heart Foundation doubtless the outcome would have been much happier.
This is why the Royals are kept busy with charity work - it's not just about PR.
I do pity the aimless. Much of my rest time is isolated and different from the social norm - I have an inkling of how soul destroying it feels for someone doing that all the time.
NEVER RETIRE !
In blue skies moments, I do wonder what would happen if we could internationally set inheritance tax very high, and income tax very low. This would encourage everyone to work, and address the wealth disparity that the cheap global labour supply seems destined to cause. Would that be capitalism or socialsm ?
ReplyDeleteWinton House (Addiscombe Road ??) - that would be a big cultural change for sure; but whatever-you'd-call-it-ism, I could make a case for it being a highly moral system
ReplyDelete"only a scoundrel dies wealthy" - you should give it away
& the ancient Egyptians took it with them!
thanks all for comments (and no, I don't think the Rausing case takes us very far)
Is that something you can act on? - it's something you can think about acting on, budgie
as with the banksters (and the MPs and the trade unionists) - when we find that left to their own devices they are villains , we start curtailing their own devices ...
What a great range of views on the human condition but the best I've seen in along time is the why we have to keep HRH busy. LOL
ReplyDeleteWhat would she get up to if she was not kept amused.
Discuss!
her offspring have shown us the dangers ...
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ReplyDelete"gross and growing inequality"
ReplyDeleteOh please spare us the left-wing matras. If there really is growing inequality, what are the rich doing with all their money? Is there somewhere here in the UK where they are building vast palaces to rival those of the Kings and Queens of England, or the great mansions of the barons of the industrial revolution? Do we really believe that socialist Sweden is really that equal and the boss of IKEA and the head of the Wallenberg family are really just ordinary Joes even thought hey have special arrangements with the state to avoid paying too much tax?
Are the rich eating all the fried Mars bars so there is none left for anyone else? Are they buying up all the Barratt homes to store they treasures?
Madonna is rich because a very large number of people each gave her a little bit of money in gratitude for the enjoyment they found with hewr music. She did not deprive the poor of quality housing or good food. Socialists would like us to believe that somehow she did, but being poor is a whole different equation.
il ne faut se baisser les bras face à une telle situation il faut régénérer les efforts et faire le plus pour en faire un plus et sans laisser faire un par qui que se soit?De ma part La police de pensée ont été en vigueur cette semaine, la lecture du Riot Act à ceux qui ont l'audace de faire des liens entre les actions impitoyables et parfois mortelle de bon à rien de puits, et leurs sources de revenus non gagnés. On comprend que les jours de la liberté de blog-parole peuvent être numérotés, mais je suis chanceux de mon bras toute façon.
ReplyDelete'Some of these may be factors such as innate personal flaws - some would say evil, or original sin - of the individuals concerned, though this is hardly a fashionable line of enquiry. ' in this context , anyone one of us see things the way it might be related to them!!
ReplyDelete"" The Thought Police have been out in force this week, reading the Riot Act to those with the temerity to make connections between the callous and sometimes lethal actions of ne'er-do-wells, and their unearned sources of income. One understands that the days of freedom of blog-speech may be numbered, but I'm chancing my arm anyway.
ReplyDeleteSince, as people of good will, we are all presumably moved to lament extreme outcomes such as tragic, if unintended waste of life all the way to actual loss of life; and even to deplore the often squalid lifestyles observed among those who do not work, it is surely legitimate to consider what might be the contributary factors, perhaps to see if something intelligent can be done by outside agency to minimise the problem. ""