The Los Angeles Times printed my letter today. It's a response to an article written by economist Dan Ariely, titled ‘Deconstructing confidence’ [link].
Letter: Dr. Ariely, If exposure to uncontrollable events leads to helplessness ..I’m not sure government regulation is the proper antidote. It seems like this would reduce our sense of control even further. I agree that we’ve experienced an alarming sequence of disasters over the last decade. But, I also believe it’s the experience of overcoming events like these that bolsters confidence ..not relying on ‘government planners’ to circumnavigate them for us. Besides, no one is ever going to eliminate unpredictable events and setbacks. The best we can do is prepare for them by fostering a sense of resilience. That seems like a far better antidote to feelings of helplessness than government regulation.
4 comments:
How dare he think we are a society that just lies on its laurels and gives up. Pffft. I can name at least a half a dozen incidences(sp?) where we as Americans came together and pulled for their fellow American.
Jerk!
E x a c t l y ..! It’s memories like these that inspire us to do it again. Thank you so much ..you’re a keeper of the spirit ..! Lee
Just to make 2 points clear
1) If you agree with the problem but not the regulation approach -- what are you proposing instead? it is clear that regulations are not ideal but what is better?
2) I don't think that any regulations will do -- I think we need transparent and forward looking ones
Best
Dan
Dr. Ariely,
Thanks for your comment ..!
First, I’m not sure I agree with the problem .. learned helplessness wasn’t such a pervasive outcome in the lab ..I’m not sure how far it extends to the population at large.
Second, since not every person (or dog) responded the same, researchers quickly turned their attention to what makes some more resilient than others. They found that just a few experiences overcoming seemingly insurmountable obstacles worked better than trying to eliminate them. So, I would propose early resiliency training in schools ..but then, I’m an educator not an economic planner.
Thanks again ~ Lee
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