Are Americans Deliberately Indifferent?

 

By Wahab Raofi

 

In his 1943 paper “A Theory of Human Motivation,” American psychologist Abraham Maslow described his “Hierarchy of Needs,” writing that human beings are motivated first by the basics, and then, once those needs are met, they are free to devote more time to meeting emotional needs centering on relationships, productivity and self-esteem. Food, water and shelter are at the base of his pyramid; achievement and creativity are at the top.

But if Maslow were alive today, might he add one more tier at the top of his pyramid to include deliberate indifference? 

It appears that when all of the needs on Maslow’s list are met – arguably the case for many living in the United States – humans move to a level that is even more self-centered than the lower levels. They tend to ignore issues that don’t seem to affect them personally and focus mostly on getting what they want.  

This is not to suggest they don’t contribute to society in meaningful ways or care about broader social issues – many do – but the current American Zeitgeist reflects an approach of, “Does this affect me personally?” If the answer is no, interest wanes.  

This is in no way a criticism. We would argue that this is in keeping with the classical American pursuit of liberty and self-reliance. 

Let’s focus for a moment on hot topics that have preoccupied the media and Washington elites as related to Donald Trump. 

In recent American history – that is, since Trump became president – the American political establishment and the corporate media have made alleged Russian interference in the American presidential election of 2016 the chief issue, most recently with the release of the Mueller Report, at the expense of arguably more vital issues of national interest.

In 2019, the student loan debt in the U.S. reached a $1.5 trillion crisis. Zack Friedman writes in Forbes Magazine, “Student loan debt in 2019 is the highest ever ... [It] is now the second highest consumer debt category – behind only mortgage debt – and higher than both credit cards and auto loans.” The consequences can be seen in so-called boomerang kids who move back in with their parents because they cannot make ends meet.

Meanwhile, America's infrastructure is in desperate need of investment, according to the American Society of Civil Engineers’ 2017 Infrastructure Report Card. The ASCE estimates that the U.S. needs to spend some $4.5 trillion by 2025 to fix problems with the country's roads, bridges, dams and other infrastructure.

Further, the average American spends about $1,200 on prescriptions drugs per year, according to the latest figures from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. That's far more than people pay in other high-income countries.

In the past, pharmaceutical companies have attributed high prices to innovation, arguing that new and improved drugs are naturally more expensive. But a new study published in the journal Health Affairs complicates that explanation. It suggests that in the case of brand-name drugs, prices have gone up simply because companies are charging more for medications that are already available.

These were among the issues that concerned voters when they elected Trump, who promised to “make America great again.” Two-and-a-half years later, the question is: has that promise been kept? Not in any significant way, with the exception of a robust economy.

But what is striking is that the American reaction to all those broken promises has been less than vocal; instead, it has been a sort of silent tolerance. The three largest protest marches this decade were about women’s rights and gun violence. Public outcry for all the other aforementioned issues combined pales by comparison.

Why? Are Americans disillusioned because they feel powerless to do anything about those issues? That didn’t stop more than 4 million protesters from marching for women’s rights on Jan. 21, 2017. But none of those other issues seem to affect Americans in a visceral way.

Perhaps Stratfor founder George Friedman got it right when he wrote, “The United States was founded as a place where private affairs were intended to supersede public life. Public service was intended less as a profession than as a burden to be assumed as a matter of duty. Americans tend to focus their energy on their private lives, pleasures and pains.” 

Politicians in America know that most citizens are not largely invested in many of these issues. Their interest is fueled only when a huge event affects their private lives, such as 9/11 or major earthquakes or storms, and then after a while, they slip back into their cycle of disinterest.

Americans remain sensitive to the government poking into their lives. Even if politicians promise to give them “free” healthcare and college, heartland Americans want to do it Frank Sinatra-style: “I did it my way.” Apart from a minority far-left wing of the Democratic party, the vast majority of Americans (74 percent) oppose a government takeover of the healthcare system when told that it would eliminate private healthcare and cost taxpayers $32 trillion over 10 years, according to a Kaiser Foundation poll. They want to have the ability to choose their own insurance, health networks and doctors.

And that, of course, is the key pillar of the American dream – freedom. 
Americans are still largely happy with their way of life and appear to be in no mood to brook more government intrusion. Many Americans retain a firm faith in their private institutions.

So if Maslow were alive today and he added a new level to the top of his “hierarchy of needs” pyramid – deliberate indifference – we would see no reason to criticize that. It’s simply a case of free citizens choosing their own priorities.