The expression that something is “rigged” has gained increased prominence in public discussion lately. The context is that there is some type of cheating going on, in a game, in an election, in a court case, in hiring, or in any other similar situation where demonstrable fairness is expected to be normative but is believed to be absent.
For this discussion, let’s embrace the metaphor. Life will always be rigged; without rigging of some sort, we would be adrift and eventually crash onto a rocky shore or founder in rough seas. Our mission is to ensure the rigging is properly adjusted. What, to affirm unfairness? No, to ensure the very fairness that complaints about something being rigged are aimed at! The human tendency toward gaming the system, any system, is too strong not to have enforceable rules. But in the popular lexicon, “rigged” really means distorted, “fixed,” or some other expression meaning some type of unfair meddling.
The qualifier “unfair” is central here. Fair in whose mind? By what standard? By what measure? By what adjudication? In the end, it’s becoming apparent that there is no concept of “fair” that would be universally accepted as objective. Then an honest discussion of this is that of selecting perspectives, and analyzing those for their demonstrable benefit to individuals, communities, and society at large.
The complaints are not that rigging exists, but that it tilts the course of the ship in a direction particular parties would not have it go. If I’m in a particular party that doesn’t like the current course, I’m already an unhappy camper. The truth is, I don’t want to do away with rigging; I want the rigging adjustments changed. We need to be candid with ourselves and those we agree with and disagree with that what we’re really discussing is not whether there is rigging, but what its adjustments should be.
To be specific, one of my perspectives on the issue of rigging in this context is that regarding the economic theories of Friedrich Hayek. I am not a fan of the Austrian (or Chicago either) school of economics, and especially of their libertarian disciples who spend millions of dollars to promote deceptive ideation and influence policy based on these theories. If you’ve never heard of this, I think a fair thumbnail description of it is that the economy should be allowed to drop until it bottoms out at a level that establishes its natural level. In other words, the theory is that the rigging allows the yardarm to slam around in the breeze, and in doing so it will eventually find its proper position.
It hasn’t turned out that everyone is sustainably prosperous as a result of implementing these concepts. In my opinion, they are preposterous and the cause of untold suffering by many. Show us the jobs that have been created as a result of tax cuts for the wealthy. I think it’s fair to say that the benefits are hardly on the level of the costs and the ROI is abysmal. Another way to look at it is in considering the strength of the horse. These powerful herbivores can pull heavy loads that are impossible for individual humans. Yet wild horses can trample human camps and wreak havoc if not controlled. Thus if unbridled horses are not an engine of human productivity, why pretend that they are (unless you have reins of your own on them)?
The objections that the Keynesian alternative is destructive to innovation and the economy in general belies the history that when the government cushioned the economy from wild swings more people were living prosperous lives. And the association of Keynesian polices with Stalinist oppression is laughably disingenuous.
Why this matters for other rigging issues is that if people feel economically insecure, they are likely to be less tolerant of others, especially those different from them. Provide economic security and the rigging on other issues, such as social identity, becomes much easier to adjust to everyone’s benefit and satisfaction. There was a time when economic solutions left too many behind. Then the focus on righting social wrongs dropped the ball on economics, and let the bullies rule the playground. The reality is that all of the rigging needs to be adjusted, without ignoring any of its components.
I know that there are a lot of mixed metaphors in the foregoing thoughts. And it merely skips a stone across numerous very complex issues. But it provides a flavor of the way I view things from my experiences so far.
mcw
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