The Quest for Objectivity

Appropriately enough for "Covering the uninsured" week, Oli drew my attention to this story about Briana, a woman in the US, who went without half of her skull for months because she couldn't afford to pay for the operation!

Non-Americans might wonder why stories like these don't shame US voters into adopting a national health scheme. I think it's because they still believe the myth that if you are poor, it is your own fault. Briana must be a "loser", a bad person, a freeloader, a person who wasn't willing to get educated and get up every morning for work like I have to, goddammit! This creates intense cognitive dissonance, since more and more Americans are feeling the pinch under Bush's tax burdens, poor economy and higher gasoline prices, even though they are working just as hard as before. I suppose the "principled" ones start believing that they aren't worthy, have failed in some way, or haven't worked hard enough. But the majority just make an exception for themselves -- it's possible for them to be down on their luck, without it being their own fault -- but not others.

From the University of Skövde