The case for nuance
Human psychology meets politics
The BBC recently published a story claiming that the specter of cross-border violence associated with illegal immigration and drug-trafficking is largely mythical. Indeed, El Paso is among the safest large cities in the country. Nonetheless, the myth of border violence persists. Supporters of the Arizona immigration laws point to the recent death of a rancher as the result of lax immigration policing, and a majority of the population appears to support the new laws.
Why might such beliefs persist in the face of clear evidence? The answer might lie in the manner in which humans interpret the world around them.
Humans, by nature, like to find order in randomness and frequently fall into a trap of linear thinking. In policy issues as in other areas of life, we like our cause-and-effect relations to be clear and simple, even though they rarely are. We rely on personal experience and anecdotes, despite the fact that neither comes close to approximating statistically relevant samples. This is, of course, partly necessary; we can’t live our lives as number-crunching actuaries.
But this propensity for linear thinking is often fodder for cynical and manipulative politicians. Those who exploit base fears and offer easy answers have, historically, been politically successful. Unfortunately, simple solutions to complex problems usually fail to produce desired outcomes. Prohibition failed to eradicate alcoholism. Gun control failed to stymie rising urban crime. Increased funding for public schools has not raised graduation rates or test scores. The War on Drugs has not eliminated addiction.
Perhaps we ought to accept that human society will frequently frustrate attempts for order to be bluntly and forcibly imposed upon it, even in pursuit of the best of ends. But even more importantly, we must be vigilant of politicians who would exploit the human desire for easy answers and lead us astray in the process.
-Charles
Photo by Flickr user detritus used under a Creative Commons Attribution License
Related posts:
- The unintended consequences of prohibition
- Violence and just borders in the Middle East
- The challenge of social science in constitutional interpretation and public policy
- Sometimes its just about the politics
- Are guns covered in the public option?
ShareComments
Leave a Reply
