America's Cultural Problem
America has a massive cultural problem. I’m not going to bloviate at length about how and why, but somehow, as a society, we have concluded that wealth is the only thing that matters.
To be perfectly clear, I am not going to argue that wealth and profit are immoral. I’m not a communist. I understand that for most people, the most realistic way to improve their circumstances is to earn more money. I firmly believe you should be compensated fairly for the work that you do. The problem is that greed becomes a monster of its own, corrupting even the most noble intentions.
Let’s take a subject that should be pretty uncontroversial. It is crucial that disabled people can access stores, parks, and all the other things able-bodied people take for granted. It’s the entire reason we have handicapped parking, access ramps, and handles in public bathroom stalls.
For this to happen, someone had to observe a problem and take action against it —a noble goal, to be sure. But that’s where greed corrupts the problem. Lawyers and lobbyists have the opportunity to generate substantial income by consistently advocating for ever-expanding accessibility legislation. Other lawyers and lobbyists have the chance to make money by arguing for deregulation.
Additionally, people visit local businesses with tape measures to look for violations of the letter of the law regarding accessibility. A building can be as accessible as humanly possible, but if someone finds out that a railing is 2.01 feet above a staircase when the law plainly says it must be 2 feet, there’s money to be made from a lawsuit. Some business owners will comply with the letter of the law, but not the intent, which leads to further regulation addressing these loopholes.
You end up with a set of rules and regulations that are so complex that you need to hire an accessibility expert if you’re looking to open a new business or even remodel an existing building. You cannot legislate your way out of a cultural problem, even when that problem is as simple as ‘you should help your fellow human.’
I don’t know where the exact line is when greed becomes a problem, but I think I know the solution. Profit is important, but it cannot be the only thing that matters. I won't tell you where to find what matters to you. It could come from your faith, your atheism, your love of nature, concern for the environment, or a nearly infinite number of reasons I don’t have space to list.
This is not an idea that can be legislated from the top, because then it won’t solve anything. Instead, we need local leaders to step up and enact policies that prioritize people over profit. Those ideas can be as simple as showing pictures of the farmers who grew your food to remind you there’s a real person behind the conveniences we take for granted. It can be as complex as incentivizing businesses that go above and beyond to improve the lives of their employees and the communities in which they operate.
Humans are social creatures. We’re increasingly isolated from one another, which can never end well. It’s a problem that our leadership can’t solve, and isn’t even interested in solving, because there’s money to be made. The only solution is for ordinary people like you and me to take action. Go outside. Help your neighbor with their lawn. Make an effort to connect with the people around you. Our society depends on it.
Featured image from Tingey Injury Law Firm on Unsplash.
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This article was originally published to the James' Substack, Sarcastrophe. Consider taking a look at other published works.