{"id":43157,"date":"2021-03-20T10:23:07","date_gmt":"2021-03-20T17:23:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/?p=43157"},"modified":"2021-03-20T10:23:07","modified_gmt":"2021-03-20T17:23:07","slug":"everyday-erinyes-258","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/2021\/03\/20\/everyday-erinyes-258\/","title":{"rendered":"Everyday Erinyes #258"},"content":{"rendered":"

Experts in autocracies have pointed out that it is, unfortunately, easy to slip into normalizing the tyrant, hence it is important to hang on to outrage. These incidents which seem to call for the efforts of the Greek Furies (Erinyes) to come and deal with them will, I hope, help with that. As a reminder, though no one really knows how many there were supposed to be, the three names we have are Alecto<\/span><\/strong>, Megaera<\/strong><\/span>, and Tisiphone<\/span><\/strong>. These roughly translate as “unceasing,” “grudging,” and “vengeful destruction.”<\/p>\n

Harry Golden, who invented, wrote, and published a home-made newsletter he called “The Carolina Israelite,” was writing in the fifties about the cultural significance of employment, and how, whether or not it is a good idea, we tie our worth to our job. And our identity. At that time, the work that gave people their identity was always outside the home. Unemployed people, even some retired people, would find reasons to leave the house every morning and return in the evening because they were literally ashamed not to. (What a blogger he would have made had he lived a generation or two later than he did!) I thought of that when I read this.<\/p>\n

I’ve always had, I think a pretty good work ethic when I have had a job – doing it to the best of my ability, and with my heart – not watching the clock – even identifying with it to a degree. Two if the user names I use elsewhere than here on the internet include prior job titles in some way. But being now retired, and one of the lucky ones who can live on my retirement, I don’t miss it. I don’t need a job title to give me self respect. And I also am not a white supremacist. Apparently, those two things may be related.
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How the quest for significance and respect underlies the white supremacist movement, conspiracy theories and a range of other problems<\/h1>\n
Unemployed Blackjewel coal miners, their family members and activists man a blockade along railroad tracks leading to their old mine on Aug. 23, 2019, in Cumberland, Kentucky.
\nScott Olson\/Getty Images<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Arie Kruglanski<\/a>, University of Maryland<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

President Joe Biden\u2019s fundamental pitch to America has been about dignity and respect. He never tires of repeating his father\u2019s words that \u201ca job is about more than a paycheck, it is about \u2026 dignity \u2026 about respect \u2026 being able to look your kid in the eye and say, \u2018Everything is going to be OK<\/a>.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

In strikingly similar language, Princeton economists Anne Case<\/a> and Angus Deaton<\/a> affirm that \u201cjobs are not just the source of money.\u201d When jobs are lost, they wrote in 2020, \u201cit is the loss of meaning, of dignity, of pride, and of self respect \u2026 that brings on despair, not just or even primarily the loss of money<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

I am a psychologist<\/a> who studies the human quest for significance and respect<\/a>. My research reveals that this basic motivation is a major force in human affairs. It shapes the course of world history and determines the destiny of nations. It underlies some of the chief challenges society is facing. Among others, these are:<\/p>\n