This is an example of the success paradox – also known as the prevention paradox or historical amnesia.
It’s a common and serious problem in our society.
WHAT IT IS?
The success paradox happens when we have succeeded reducing or eliminating a social problem, we forget about the problem and why it’s gone, and set out to dismantle the social systems and institutions that eliminated the problem, allowing the problem to return.
We see this today with vaccines, democracy, taxes, unions, pandemic measures, inclusivity policies, and much more.
WHY DOES IT HAPPEN?
I suspect it happens for several reasons.
The problems are no longer in living memory. If those who experienced it are no longer alive, they can’t warn us.
There is a lack of knowledge of history. Some see history as irrelevant or boring, so they didn’t pay attention in school, and don’t set out to educate themselves.
Some act out of narrow self-interest. This may be because of a challenging life situation, or reactivity from wounding, so they seek scapegoats, the promise of simple solutions, and so on.
This is all fueled by social media and sometimes media figures and politicians. In some cases, the dis- and misinformation is financed and fueled by Big Money.
WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT IT?
For ourselves, we can educate ourselves about past problems, how they were lessened or solved, and what in our systems today prevent them from returning. There is no lack of information out there in the form of articles, books, historical fiction movies, documentaries, and so on. Just make sure it comes from reliable sources, including serious historians.
It’s obviously more tricky to resolve it at a social level.
Media literacy and critical thinking needs to be emphasized in schools, by responsible media, and needs to be part of the public discourse.
Good social safety nets helps people feel more safe, trust society more, and be less reactive.
Social media can have, as they sometimes do, automatic comments on content that’s misleading or on an often misrepresented issue.
It also helps to point out the real causes of people’s problems, which are often systemic and because Big Money benefit from it. (It’s almost never because of some minority group, or scientists, or experts of any kind, or even politicians.)
SOME EXAMPLES
Vaccines are an obvious example. Many diseases are eradicated or rare today because of vaccines, so most have no personal experience with them, don’t realize how terrible they were, and think eliminating vaccines is a good idea. If they had more personal experience with the diseases, they would probably see it differently.
In the Western world, almost everyone alive today have only lived in a democracy. It’s all we have personally known. It’s easy to take it for granted, and be seduced by authoritarian politicians who promise simple solutions to complex problems. If democracy is dismantled in the process, it may – to some – seem a small price to pay. They would likely see it very differently if they had known authoritarian and totalitarian regimes from their own experience. Even if you think you are in the “safe” group in such a society, you can easily find yourself among the targeted. Fascism eats its own.
In the US, there is a strong movement to undermine and dismantle unions, and to prevent new ones from forming. This comes from Big Money, although many in society in general seems to support it. They may not know that much of what we enjoy in our work-life today comes directly from the work of unions, and that it may never have happened without unions: The eight-hour workday, the weekend, overtime pay, safer workplaces, child labor laws, higher wages, health insurance and pensions, paid leave, protection against unfair firing and discrimination, and much more.
Some seem to dislike taxes, perhaps without realizing their many benefits to society as a whole and for us as individuals. Without taxes, there would be no functional society. We may not agree with how the money is distributed, or what exactly is taxed, but it’s important to remember that this society would not be here without taxes. It’s how we pay for everything we collectively benefit from, including a relatively well-functioning and safe society.
These days, there is also an anti-woke movement. I wonder if these people know how important it is for society as a whole to make inclusivity structural. Again, we may not agree with all the details, but the general movement in that direction is essential for a well-functioning society that works for all of us.
INITIAL DRAFT
I initially wrote the version below, wasn’t completely happy with it, so rewrote it from scratch. Writing it again from scratch often seems the best approach, at least with short articles like this.
I have long thought that this is a serious problem in our society.
- We have a society set up to prevent certain things, which were disastrous for previous generations.
- We become blind to those problems, how terrible they were, and what prevents them.
- So we undo the systems set up in society to prevent them, and they return.
Of course, many people are aware of this. They know enough about history. They have talked with earlier generations, or read books or watched movies and documentaries with their stories.
And some don’t seem very aware of it. Today, these are the ones who want to get rid of vaccines, social safety nets, democracy, and so on. (Not always the same person, although sometimes it is.)
They see the systems – set up to prevent the horrors from the past – as limiting their personal freedom, increasing taxes, and so on. So they want to get rid of them without realizing the consequences.
In the US, we see it especially among the Trump followers, although also occasionally among others. In Norway, we see it mainly among people voting FrP – a libertarian party with the persona of a wounded and reactive teenager with poor impulse control.
This is what we see happening when… (a) the horrors are no longer in living memory of most people, and some combine (b) a lack of knowledge of history (or lack of interest in history) with (c) narrow self-interest (often from wounding and reactivity). These days, this is often fueled by social media.
To the list of what people want to get rid of without realizing the consequences, I would add common-sense responses to epidemics (rooted in solid epidemiological knowledge), anything labeled woke (aimed at preventing horrors from happening to minority groups), voting for authoritarian leaders (who want to undermine democracy), taxes (we all gain far more than we pay), and so on.