Selfishness: some thoughts

Humans are innately selfish. It is a built-in part of our evolutionary survival instinct.
Whether individuals plough their own furrow or cooperate within some form of group, it's because they judge it to be in their own personal interest to do so.
If we can acknowledge this, we would, both on an individual and societal level, make better decisions by being more sceptical of authority.

“Oh, but I know people who often do things for others with no benefit to themselves. I even do things like that myself”, you may say.
I understand what you mean, of course. And on a small-scale personal level, it can happen.
But I would gently point out that even then, whether hoping for a favour in return in the future, or even just the glow of self-righteousness you get from performing the act can be construed as, if not outright selfishness, then gaining some form of benefit.

Certainly, when you move away from small interpersonal interactions, the idea that something may be bad for us personally but best for the majority in society is one we understand in concept but can rarely bring ourselves to act out.
Rather, we spend a lot of mental effort rationalising why what is bad for us personally is bad for wider society and what is good for us personally is good for wider society.
Life is just so much easier that way, isn’t it?

No-one champions, let alone votes for, a system or a societal change which they believe will make their own life materially or meaningfully worse. And I use these words deliberately.

We are sometimes prepared to live with minor inconvenience to 'do the right thing'; to appear, both to ourselves and others, as virtuous, but nothing major, nothing meaningful, nothing material.

For example, people who are comfortably off financially may be prepared to advocate for a rise in tax rates such that they too would have a bit less disposable income.
However, if the tax increases being suggested were of a magnitude that meant they would struggle to maintain their current lifestyle, their support for the idea would disappear faster than water in a sieve.

If someone is advocating for something, it is either because they believe they already do, or will in the future, directly benefit from it - or, at the very least, that there will be no meaningful downside for them or their immediate family.

The consequences of our views for other folk are either something we can claim credit for if good, or unfortunate but necessary collateral damage, if bad.
But the primary driver is always ‘what’s in it for me?’
It might be money, it might be fame, it may be praise, it may be future benefits. But one way or another, we only do it if we believe that in some way, we benefit personally.

Our belief may prove to be wrong of course; but cultivating wisdom is a different and much more difficult discussion.

Elites de-couple themselves from the Plebs

In all societies throughout history, the elite classes have set themselves apart from the unwashed and, however much we may think ourselves enlightened, we are no different. 

For example, the Kick it Out campaign has been incredibly successful in removing racism from football, both inside the game and on the terraces, over the last 30 or more years.
Indeed, football is now so racist that the majority of Premier League players are both ‘ethnic minorities’ and multi-millionaires.

Many footballers, of whatever ethnic background, have almost no educational attainment behind them. To make it to the top, you have to devote your life to it from a young age, so that’s not a criticism, other than perhaps of football itself.

But what it does show is that, not only does our society happily allow ‘black’ people to benefit from social mobility, but that it also allows those with little educational attainment, irrespective of ethnicity, to do so as well; and football is by no means the only example.

Just like you will never end sexism or homophobia completely, you will never end racism completely and it’s perverse and naïve to believe otherwise.

Perfection is often the enemy of mere excellence.

There are too many human individuals to eradicate any bad behaviour completely. Just look at how many murders, stabbings, etc take place each year, yet no-one would be so naïve as to believe that these can be totally eradicated.
The best we can do, and we have done so, is marginalise racism and make it unacceptable within the vast majority of society.
But the law of diminishing returns applies, wherein you can end up causing more harm than good in trying to get to a wholly unattainable zero point.
And don’t forget that ethnic minorities are just as capable as 'whites' of racism, since it is a Human trait, not an exclusively ‘white Human’ trait.
There are those within ethnic minorities who despise those of other ethnic minorities, tribes or religions, as well as ‘white’ people.

The remnants of aggressive/violent racism are largely confined to the inner cities and occurs across all racial groups.
Too often now, racism is simply used as a stick to beat white people with; a stick often wielded by other white folk desperate to show their ‘progressive’ credentials, no matter who or what they throw under a bus in doing so.

Those England football fans booing their team taking a knee might be racist, but it is just as likely that they are a) not supportive of the avowedly Marxist BLM movement (as opposed to the simple statement ‘black lives matter’ which is indisputable) and b) tired of being lectured by multi-millionaire footballers who know no more (and often less) about the history and intricacies of the socio-economic issues of our country than anyone else.

And remember, the recent report by the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities, published in March 2021, found some racism yes, of course, but not systemic racism; and that there are many other important reasons why some ethnic minority communities do very well and some do less well; it’s just we aren’t allowed to talk about them. Why? Because they don't fit a certain simplistic political narrative. 

When not wanting to hurt some people’s feelings comes ahead of telling the truth, we are in big trouble as a society; so I'm afraid we ARE in BIG trouble because we are in that position on a number of important issues, not just racism.

And finally, what does it gain the (mainly) A, B & C1 upper class self-styled ‘progressive’ elites to continue to wag their fingers at the ‘stupid, bigoted, racist etc’ lower classes?
It gains nothing but things they don’t want, e.g. Brexit and a huge Tory majority.
But it seems to make some people feel so good about themselves that, counter-productive though it is, even though it brings outcomes they don’t want, they just can’t stop themselves.

And of course, it’s just as bigoted to call other people 'bigots', rather than trying to understand their viewpoint but, hey-ho, one rule for those at the top of society and another for those at the bottom; 'twas ever thus.

I forget who said, ‘the self-righteous forgive themselves everything’ but it's an accurate observation and something we must all actively guard against.