CURSE OF ACTION
Promising is safer than doing…
A phenomenon accompanying any activity, the curse of action, means that doing something can lead to more resentment than not doing something. The more resources involved, the more polarizing the evaluation of our actions will be.
Imagine we give away green, crispy 100-euro bills to people in the streets. Would we make the lucky getters happy while the “non-getters” stay neutral? No way. There will be various responses to our weird generosity. Many will hate us because they received nothing. Still, even many who got the green crisp will hate us for getting less than their neighbor because “It is unfair!”
The curse of action is a curious phenomenon that politicians must know well: by promising something, you can get more supporters than by doing something.
When we promise something, people can easily apply it to themselves. Thus, if a thousand listen to us, some 800 would think we were talking about them. In a way, we sell the future that many people find appealing—and we do not spend much.
Words are cheap. At 1.5 calories of energy expenditure, one can generate 150 words every minute. Imagine how many promises a politician can make at the cost of one candy bar! By the way, it’s measurable. One Peter Paul’s “Almond Joy” can sustain you for 22000 words and 37 grams of “Fazerina”—20300, or almost three hours (!) of nonstop promising. Isn’t that impressive? In three hours of talking, we can build worlds and populate them with happy citizens enjoying accessible healthcare on green pastures and even greener electricity produced on rivers flowing with milk and honey.
Yet, when we do actual work, we need much more than that: money, time, people, planning, etc. All these resources are limited. So unless we have supernatural powers to feed the multitude with five loaves and two fishes, we will always have to decide who out of a thousand will get the five loaves and who—the two fishes, which means that the majority might not benefit from our actions.
Moreover, we can make mistakes when doing something—the more demanding and innovative the job, the higher the probability of an error or failure. Meanwhile, those who did nothing and ate candy bars will point their tacky fingers at us.
So, let’s not worry about resentment: it is a natural side effect of any action.
By the way, politicians do not worry: they know well that it is always easier to explain why they did not do what they had promised than doing it, spending resources, and having people criticize them. Sins of omission are cheaper than sins of commission.