The Tyranny of Too Many Choices

The United States is the richest and freest large nation in the history of the world.  This is not a close call.  We obviously live much more comfortably than our ancestors.  Still, there is a downside to this luxury.  It has exposed us to the tyranny of too many choices.

Whether we are talking about the foods we eat, the clothes wear, or the vacations we take, our options are almost unlimited.  We must therefore be able to select those that are best for us. In other words, we need to become experts in making choices.

This also applies to politics.  Despite the congenital naysayers, we reside in a democracy.  Our votes count, that is, if we are wise enough to make them count.  The trouble is that too many Americans have abdicated their responsibility to examine the criteria they use when making important decisions.

Key to understanding this failing is a recommendation often made by diehard liberals.  They tell us we are supposed to be non-judgmental.  We are not meant to make distinctions between individuals, but to accept everyone exactly as they are.  This is, in fact, insane.

To make no distinctions between persons is to treat villains and heroes as identical.  This is a sure prescription for trusting folks who mean us no good.  In order to survive in a world filled with disparate personalities, we obviously require tools for separating the sheep from the goats.

Most liberals know this.  Whatever their words, they have no compunctions about judging Donald Trump harshly.  The trap they fall into is that they make their selections based on words, rather than deeds.  For them, flowery phrases and eloquent language substitute for levelheaded judgments.

This has occurred precisely because of our unprecedented wealth and liberties.  We have grown so rich and powerful that people assume we can recover from any sort of nonsense into which we wander.  There might be temporary discomforts, but these will disappear after we pay for superior replacements.

Exhibit number one is the current craze for socialism.  Only the most well-off peoples would assume that by throwing off the democratic and economic institutions that created their prosperity, they would be better off.  A century of affluence has convinced them that a cornucopia of goods and services will continue no matter what.

Yet all they have to do is examine the history of socialism to discover this is unlikely.  Socialism has never worked anywhere.  In places, such as the USSR and China, it was responsible for tens of millions of deaths. That may sound like a statistic, but those were real people.

The odd thing about this inability to identify the shortcomings of actual socialism is that those who miss them are proud of their scientific credentials.  Many are well schooled and therefore assume they are intellectually gifted.

Nonetheless, science and intellectual rigor depend on empiricism. When we make crucial choices, we must do so on the basis of real world observations.  This has to be the preeminent criterion for determining what works and what does not.  Hence, if you want to know whether a streak is tasty, it makes sense to taste it.

Yet liberals don’t.  They weave elaborate scenarios in which whatever they desire is free.  Although they have heard that there is no such thing as a free lunch, they do not believe it.  In their fantasy universe, everyone gets what they want.  Decision-making skills are unnecessary.

As for my conservative self, I am extremely judgmental.  I am not so foolish as to assume everyone is a friend. Some describe this as a character flaw, but I account it a strength.  Having made many imprudent choices during my lifetime, I am eager to avoid new ones.

And so I believe in learning.  Indeed, I am dedicated to never stop learning.  When I make a mistake, I am especially determined to figure out why.  Too many Americans, however, have ceased paying attention.  They are certain that everything will turn out okay in the end.

This is a prescription for disaster.  While I understand why the young have an imperfect picture of reality, I am less tolerant of adults in the grip of self-deception.  They do not seem to realize that the alternative to wise choices is unwise ones.

This sadly is the fate of those who favor style over substance.

Melvyn L. Fein, Ph.D.

Professor of Sociology

Kennesaw State University