Compassion post 1950

No previous civilization has accepted the obligation to help human beings whoever they may be. Help was given to narrowly defined groups; the family, the clan, neighbours etc but its scope was narrow. I believe that this was the product of the poverty of all ages before our own.

But now the capitalist cornucopia is overflowing with the good things of life. I have noted elsewhere that the growth of wealth has had pernicious effects. But in this case the growth of discretionary income when combined with the psychological need to avoid pain and feel that one is really a good person at heart has made it possible for people either to give away just a little of their own money or through governments to give away rather larger amounts of other peoples' money. It may not be from pure motives but there is a degree of willingness to help strangers that has never before been present in any society.

But often they are not completely strangers to us. They are not abstract concepts on the other side of the world or on the wrong side of town. We see them on TV and their suffering is brought into our homes. Of course we generally turn away but maudlin emotional appeals touch many of us. The more spectacular the event, the more emotive the images, the more the money rolls in even if there are often more pressing needs elsewhere.

Morality the easy way

One of the most curious developments in social life in the past few years has been the emergence of the 'ethical consumer'. The ethical consumer thinks he can do his bit to change the world by changing what he buys. He thinks that he can "do his bit" to make the world a better place by careful choices about what he buys. But is this more about making him feel good about himself?

Take for example organic food. There is no evidence that organic food is any healthier than the ordinary kind but buying it produces the warm and fuzzy feeling one can’t get from the non-organic variety. Buying organic says you are a good person. It says that you are sensitive and caring about the world around you.

Ethical consumerism makes a mockery of ethics. It is a fashion statement. It is an act of aggression which says “I am a good person and you are a savage”.

The same is true of recycling. Recycling is often uneconomic and can even be damaging to the environment but it is morally good for the same reason that buying organic is good. that it is expensive, wasteful and possibly damaging to the environment is not relevant to why it is done. The point is to be seen to be “doing your bit” to make the world a better place and to make that point as publicly as possible.

Environmentalism has filled the gap by declining ideologies and religions. Like a Bible thumping hypocrites of old it is all about two things. Firstly, self deception and convincing oneself that you are really a good person despite the guilt of being rich in a world of poverty. And secondly, the aggression of being holier than your neighbour.

It is one of the products of growing wealth. In earlier eras few people had the option of being selective about the goods they bought. The little they had went on the essentials of food and shelter. It had to be spent carefully and thrift and economy were what mattered. It is only with the growth of discretionary income in the 20th century that it became possible to conspicuously waste money on organic food.