The Public Has Good Reasons

A commonplace book entry:

George J. Stigler, Memoirs of an Unregulated Economist, 89: "The public has good reasons for what it does, and it is the task of the social scientist to discover them, even though many find it irresistibly attractive to instead ridicule the public's behavior."

Comments

[Á àß äẞç ãþÇđ âÞ¢Đæ ǎB€Ðëf ảhf]

In my saner moments, I always try to remember this. Like driving down the freeway and you come up behind a knot of cars doing exactly the speed limit. It's soooo tempting to try to work your way through the pack and get free, but you almost always find it's some state highway trooper up front, probably trying to create a traffic break up ahead to clear debris.

[Dr. Ed 2]

In winter, it is often people tailgating the salt truck.

You are better off a mile back, give the salt a minute to work.

[Frank Drackman]

Man, it sucks to live up North.

[Abdul Abulbul Amir]

Up north has two good seasons. The no snow season and the no mosquito season. Always something "positive" to look forward to.

[Brett Bellmore]

I personally found it nice that I didn't have to sweat during the summer, and the winter really beat back the insect population. But I'll admit Michigan winters started losing their attraction as I approached 50, and I'm quite glad not to have to endure them now that I'm in my 60's and arthritic.

[Á àß äẞç ãþÇđ âÞ¢Đæ ǎB€Ðëf ảhf]

There's also a quote from G. K. Chesterton:

The gate or fence did not grow there. It was not set up by somnambulists who built it in their sleep. It is highly improbable that it was put there by escaped lunatics who were for some reason loose in the street. Some person had some reason for thinking it would be a good thing for somebody. And until we know what the reason was, we really cannot judge whether the reason was reasonable.

[Dan Schiavetta]

As he often did Chesterton was arguing with a straw man. Reformers knew perfectly well why the fence was put there and could tell him why the reason was no longer valid (or maybe wasn’t valid in the first place). He just didn’t want to listen to them.

[Allutz]

Given that most modern reformers cannot articulate this, I doubt those of Chesterton's era could either.

[Dan Schiavetta]

A fact free response.

Chesterton was opposed to giving women the vote. Tell me how the reformers of his era could not articulate why the vote had been restricted to men.

Most modern reformers can perfectly well articulate why reform is necessary.

[Á àß äẞç ãþÇđ âÞ¢Đæ ǎB€Ðëf ảhf]

There were a lot of women back then also opposed to having the vote.

Slavery was normal for all of history except the last 200 years.

Talk about straw men!

[Frank Drackman]

Because women are emotional and vote for the best looking candidate or the one they feel the sorriest for.

[juris imprudent]

Or the one who is most convincing about how a woman voter will be best protected. Fear may be the ultimate motivator.

[Frank Drackman]

Explains why White Women went for Trump 53-47 in 2020, surprised it wasn't higher, given Senescent Joe's Dirty Old Man proclivities

[BillyG]

In the 22 midterms, single women went Dems 2-1. The most naive (younger) and suseptible to fear.

[Ed Grinberg]

Chesterton was opposed to giving women the vote. Tell me how the reformers of his era could not articulate why the vote had been restricted to men.

Well, we gave women the vote. And look at where we are!

[Gandydancer]

A fact free response.

Strange that you would complain about this as your response contained various assertions but exactly zero facts.

The vote, btw, had not been restricted to men. It had been expanded to various classes of men in a gradual process that, perhaps unfortunately, expanded subsequently to various classes of women. Perhaps I am wrong and you can point me to the date of this claimed restriction?

[Á àß äẞç ãþÇđ âÞ¢Đæ ǎB€Ðëf ảhf]

Perhaps you think reformers know what they are doing, but my experience has been that almost everything they reform comes out worse for the effort.

Incentives matter. Politicians' only incentives is more votes; bureaucrats' only incentives is more power. Solving problems is the last thing they want.

[Dan Schiavetta]

“The public has good reasons for what it does”

Sometimes true but only a fool would make this general statement. They might have reasons but not necessarily good reasons.

[bevis the lumberjack]

The public is out here generally doing ok. Without engaging in all the hate and drama that our elites do. Maybe their reasons are better than you give credit for.

[Dan Schiavetta]

“Whatever is, is right.”

[Brett Bellmore]

It's kind of an evolutionary thing, you know? Or maybe survivorship bias It's not so much that whatever is, is right, as that whatever is, probably works, or else it wouldn't still be around, and "works" is pretty darn important.

Maybe the engine of the plane has severe deficiencies, but as long as it's still running, don't mess with it in flight.

[Á àß äẞç ãþÇđ âÞ¢Đæ ǎB€Ðëf ảhf]

Look at the general statements you make just above!

"Reformers knew perfectly well why the fence was put there"

"Tell me how the reformers of his era could not articulate why the vote had been restricted to men."

[Michael P]

Well, yes, they are perfectly well aware that everything they oppose was put in place because of racism. Or sexism. Or both. And maybe because oligarchy. There are never good reasons for those things to have happened!

[Frank Drackman]

Isn't it nice we don't have to provide reasons for choosing a .357 Revolver over a Semi Auto, Manual vs Automatic (getting tougher and tougher to even have the opportunity to make this choice) putting Catsup on an expensive steak (I prefer Tobasco), PBR vs IPA, Bourbon vs Scotch, Indica vs Sativa,

Frank "Indica Man, Man"

[ReaderY]

Sometimes people are wrong. But it’s a very common form of hubris to think everyone but oneself is stupid.

[Frank Drackman]

OK, but carrying an 80lb suitcase onto an airliner, tearing your rotator cuff/labrum putting it into the overhead bin, all to save a $30 checked baggage fee (and admittedly time costs waiting at the carousel) is pretty stupid (I tore mine playing long toss* with my daughters, also pretty stupid)

Frank "Lefty"

* nothing Creepy Joe, Long Toss is a regimen of increasing arm strength by throwing from gradually increasing distances, we'd usually start at 45 feet (for my old ass arm) increasing gradually to about 165 feet (just wider than a US Football field, which is where we'd usually practice) also about a mile from where I had my Shoulder surgery

[Brett Bellmore]

It's actually a pretty common thing to think you yourself are particularly stupid. As Orwell said of autobiographies, “A man who gives a good account of himself is probably lying, since any life when viewed from the inside is simply a series of defeats.”

We all tend to have our own mistakes, in retrospect, in sharp focus.

[bevis the lumberjack]

Captcrisis and his homies know what’s best for people and just don’t understand why those flawed people won’t accept their wisdom.

[Mr. Bumble]

Funny how he attributes to others the shortcomings he exhibits himself.