Utopia for Realists: And How We Can Get There

Bregman starts this chapter by describing the opening of a casino in North Carolina under the management of the Eastern Band Cherokee people. Many feared that a casino would breed bad habits or place the tribe at the mercy of criminals, but it raised both average incomes and overall quality of life for the community. A nearby expert noted an improvement in the mental health of young Cherokee people and significant decreases in antisocial behavior. In addition, adults showed greater abilities to manage their personal finances and parent their children. These results provide evidence for the conclusion that poverty leads to social ailments such as crime and drug abuse. Conventional wisdom has long held that poverty is the consequence of poor choices and moral failings, and thus the poor deserve their lot; this view concludes that trying to help people who lack the wherewithal to manage their own lives is pointless. A leading proponent of an alternative viewpoint is Princeton psychologist Eldar Shafir, who has shown how poverty exacts a high mental toll on those experiencing it. The constant need to satisfy immediate needs inhibits the faculties necessary for long-term planning. Wealthier people tend to make better decisions not because they are inherently smarter but because they are not subject to the same levels of anxiety, especially regarding finances.