If I’ve learned one thing in 50 years of being a columnist,
it’s that no matter how carefully you try to express yourself, people will take
whatever meaning they choose from what you write. They will often filter out,
or simply not see, anything that doesn’t align with their own preconceptions.
In today’s Dominion Post, for example, there’s a letter in
which Geoffrey Horne of Wellington takes me to task over my column about the
film ‘Capital in the 21st Century’ (see blog, Friday November 1).
Horne cites the reported offer of a $9 million rugby league
contract to Sonny Bill Williams, along with former Air New Zealand chief Chris
Luxon’s multi-million bonus, as proof of the film’s message about the excesses
of capitalism. He then challenges me to deny that income gaps have expanded
dramatically in the past few decades.
But if he reads my column again, and more carefully this
time, he will see that far from denying the emergence of a super-wealthy elite
and the disparity between rich and poor, I explicitly acknowledge these trends
and identify them as being at the core of the film’s message. They give it a
deceptive patina of credibility.
At several points in my column I acknowledge that
capitalism is imperfect, that unrestrained greed is bad and that capitalism
needs to be regulated. Horne appears not to have noted any of this. In fact he
challenges me to deny exactly what I conceded.
What I don’t accept is that capitalism’s failings justify
the film’s essential premise, which is that the system is irredeemably rotten through and
through. Horne doesn’t address this, preferring to attack a straw man of his
own creation.
I assume this is the same Geoffrey Horne who was (perhaps
still is) an eminent surgeon. I can only conclude that he takes more care
reading patients’ notes than he does reading my column.
6 comments:
Communism is not so much about loving the poor... Is all about hate for the rich.
If it were about the poor, we'd acknowledge the millions of people brought out of starvation, and all the other improvements on the most needed brought about by an imperfect system, but the best we've found so far.
My experience of 35 years as a columnist is that if something can be misconstrued because of preconceptions, it will be.
Ha - you are up against the psychological, probably genetically determined, trait in human beings called cognitive dissonance. None of us, apparently, are physically able to "read a column with two eyes". If the tenor of an article goes against what you fervently believe in you will always, even unconsciously, try to counter it in your mind.
In the greater shape of things, a 34 year old footballer getting $10,000,000 is neither here nor there. He's one tackle away from getting nowt. Plus SBW is a generous philanthropist. Lots of rich people are. David Levine selling his business for $30 million dollars didn't deprive anyone but it did give Sir David the wherewithal to give away millions to worthy causes. Of course some people are overpaid. Is an orthopaedic surgeon worth 5 nurses? Probably but I'd pay the nurses more insurance aed of the surgeon less. The regulated economy Mr Horne is recommending will not achieve what he wants. Capitalism will and has.
The word "capitalism" (should it have capitals?) was invented by c/Communists.
In my 1.24 above Levine should be Levene and in the penultimate line deletes "insurance aed" (whatever that means) and subs "instead"..
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