Subjectivity is the word of the day concerning The Greater Good.
What is the greater good?
Is it what benefits the most amount of people at the expense of a few? I would say so.
So what's the problem with the greater good? Isn't it supposed to help everyone?
Well no. Clearly, when something is for the greater good, someone or some people are getting screwed.
Imagine you lived in a neighborhood where everyone was pretty much the same financially. Except one guy. That guy on the end of the street in the fancy house, with the expensive cars, the maids, the pool, everything everyone else wants...well it would make sense under the greater good system that the guy should have to give to the other people in his neighborhood a stipend of sorts. It's for the greater good, right? "We don't have what he has, and that's unfair!"
Or....
"There is a virus that is killing a small amount of people who have severe pre-existing medical conditions. Therefore every small business must shut down. No holidays, no non-family members allowed in your home. Masks must be worn everywhere. You will be advised when it's safe to come out of your house. In the mean time, go ahead and head to Wal-Mart, Target, Best Buy. Costco, and any other large shopping area. It's ok because we said so."
The problem with this thinking is that it is collectivist at heart. In this sytem, greater good, or (non-voluntary) collectivism, someone is always going to be the guy that gets screwed. Because to have this sort of system requires a few people to supplement the others.
Are the big corporations complaining about this greater good system??? Absolutely not, why would they? They are the only place people can legally shop. Quite the monopolistic racket I would argue.
You think the small business owners are cool with these edicts? Ha, no, they're not. If they were, they would voluntarily close up shop. If not, they would do what was in the best interest of their employees and bottom line.
What might be good for this group of people, would be terrible for that group of people.
The greater good system is subjective in nature, and only benefits those who hold the ring of power, or those who clamor for the ring to be used in their best interest.
A post shared from a FB friend this morning:
Life this week summed up in pictures...I am heartbroken for my kids, this is all so hard. I am heartbroken that I will likely also have to tell Connor tonight that he also can’t play hockey for awhile (hoping the lake freezes quickly!). But here’s the thing, and I want to be clear, these things are taken away from us because of the VIRUS, not the Governor or the government. We have a common enemy, the virus, NOT each other. We ALL want our kids in school, we ALL want our kids to be able to enjoy their activities, we ALL want to spend the holidays with our loved ones, we ALL want to enjoy a hot meal served to us at a restaurant and a drink at a bar, we ALL want our families healthy, safe, and happy, we ALL are totally over this Virus. Don’t turn on each other, let’s come together (virtually) and do the right thing to get back to ALL the things when we have allowed our AMAZING healthcare workers the space and time to keep us alive and well. Stay strong friends❤️
Nah. The virus is a virus, it's not stopping anyone from going anywhere (literally). It's not making it illegal to run your business. It's not mandating compliance....government is and in this case, Tim Walz is.
I'm all for not turning on each other. My neighbors and community are not my enemy, true. But government and its totalitarian dictates are my enemy, and if you join that collective to enforce my slavery, well then how are we together? Your greater good, might not be mine.
If you haven't seen the movie Hot Fuzz, I would highly recommend it. It's comical, and does a good job of showing the major issues with the greater good.
