Social and Economic Development is a Little Like Team Rowing (The Story of the Clan)

Isaac thinks of ways
to teach people about
the core values of society
and how economics
and root value
 assumptions relate.
Creating thriving communities.

Correcting wrongdoing is essential to the healthy development of any organizational system (Different shapes, sizes and purposes). It generally doesn't make much of a difference the type. The same is true for societies built on shared values, a sense of purpose, and expectations of fair treatment and exchange. To explore this concept, consider the story of the clan. It helps formulate how hate and corruption may lack sufficient checks and balances and how to better protect future victims as well as encourage communities/socieities to thrive. The issue is less about the individual actors and more about general response and capacity; like a stress test that points to a brighter or slightly darker future. You fill your own glass so half full or empty is up to you.

The story of the clan is a philosophical thought experiment that examines what happens when justice defaults—when systems fail to function as they should. Large groups of people, a judge and a couple of rogue officers knew about misbehavior and engaged in coordinated wrongdoing because of influence of a social network and unwritten expectations of institutional outcomes filtered through a lens of hate. In this scenario, the failure of justice leads to significant harm inflicted on families identified as “out-group” members, regardless of race, religion, or political affiliation (Any "ism" can go too far including clannism.). Because the mistreatment is highly coordinated and patterned, it suggests that others may have been victimized in similar ways in the past. A wider issue of entitlement bullying and intentional mean spiritedness that seems to have special priviledges others don't get. No correction occured and the risks continue forward....

The perpetrators have no legitimate reason to hate out-group members. Instead, they have formed a kind of insular, cult-like social network inner members struggle to think independently (The fish in the fishbowl that may not see any other fishbowls. Consumed by their own social world.).  The victims were convenient scapegoats and a pathway to enrichment of friends through threats and intimidation suggesting a possible alternative type of citizenship with less rights (greed, bigotry and identity are tied together so this is why corruption and hate are often associate around the same latent issue(s). of projected self.) . A type of maladaptation of not only the people stirring the pot but also those who listen without critical thinking or outside anchors/perspectives. If you sort of look at this group with squinty eyes you may see the markers of Plato's cave of mental slavery where their lack of broader knowledge limits their internal knowledge (Some of used the word cultish. Exploring the Cult in Culture.)

You can actually feel a little sad for such groups....they don't know what they don't know.....

Society's sometimes create checks and balances to ensure such groups do not bend or warp the purpose of law or institutions for personal gain. For the most part, anytime bad behaviors occur on a group level and there is no correction or accountability we find biased and distorted views that have dehumanized others by fostering a perception of lower inherent value (i.e.slavery, hate crimes, and collective mistreatment all come from the same dark line of thinking and exclusion.). Since this appears to nearly always been destructive in society it helps to foster a sense of wholeness and togetherness by the way we interact and encourage the highest possible expectations of institutions along with those we trust to run them. If a group of wrongdoers are engaged in wrongdoing, even if we may not like this or that,  we have a collective interest in fostering certain foundational rules. As a metapher, if a good rower is thrown off the boat for inappropriate reasons not tied to merit/performance then the entire team will suffer. Races will start to be lost. Maybe more will start to fall out as well. We can't run a team by a high percentage of free riders who say they know alot but accomplish little (people who are not pulling their weight). 

Representing lots of people 
who are rowing together and
have enough motivation
to show up.

High performing teams work
together and pull the whole
team up.

The silver lining in our learning story is that many people at the community level understand the difference between right and wrong and begin to encourage higher moral standards (The vast majority of people outside the cultish clan seem to agree that the group has caused problems at various places and times. Most just childishness but sometimes they step way beyond that into something else. Literature has shown that in Game Theory eventually the perpetrators lose when people catch onto selfish or manipulative play. We have an inherent need to treat each other fairly so when it smells stinky it likely is stinky. Always try and do the right thing). As trust returns, economic activity and investment increase. With that growth comes a renewed sense of vitality and hope—more jobs, improved public spaces, and greater care for the community as a whole. The short and long tail of doing right over wrong. When people choose what draws us together through our shared values (i.e. unity) and reject what drives us apart, they create social patterns that can impact economic patterns (It is all just choice. Neural economics. ☝). It is the shared values that build a society and it is those shared values that create transactional activities that lead to social/economic exchanges and growth (In Theory: Economic Needs Feel free to reject that idea as well. It is just for philosophical purposes anway.💁).

The lesson is clear: doing the right thing often requires persistence even in the face of coordinated wrongdoing. The principles should be protected and this is why some may stand for what is right and why some default (decorative values to get them what they want). It requires people with real dense bedrock values that are not like dust in the wind. That is why when obvious wrongdoing is uncorrected despite its knowledge it is a sign of who they feel they serve and their value systems. Upholding certain shared values increases those who also believe in the very definition and purpose of society. Not all leaders are qualified for their roles nor are they the best that society can bring forward (High levels of vetting based on special interests may be limiting the candidates and the voices that can improve decision making leading to environments where defaults like this occur). Strong intuitive leaders help provide pathways to broad based needs fulfillment around shared values and oaths.  Wrongdoing must be challenged to ensure constant alignment to unifying values—principles that reflect generational to generational unfinished societal work that will make society's unbeatable as a single team rowing in well polished unison and propelled forward by purpose (If you don't trust that a leader understands that sacred duty or they don't have the capacity to correct wrongdoing then vote them out and find someone more capable.). No other team will catch up to a team like that where the best of the crew's skills and abilities are brought forward. We are all in this ship together so a general suggestion is for people to start rowing together. Failing us all for some is going to make us weaker. I hope we know where we are going....

What Makes People Think That an Action is Morally Wrong?

*This is a philosophical thought experiment so feel free to change around the elements and come to your own conclusion.