Things really are getting better

I have been thinking about how glacially s-l-o-w movement is in the areas of gender and minority group equity/equality, heritable barriers to accessing education, available role models, and education affordability. The gender pay gap in Aotearoa shows that women earn 12% less than men (Statistics New Zealand, 2021). The lack of parity is significantly pronounced when considering the pay gap in rugby: 2022's World Cup winning Black Ferns received a bonus payment each of $25,000, while the All-Blacks individual bonus in 2015 was $150,000 (Plummer, 2022). Just note that date for the AB's bonus: eight years ago. Ouch.

However, in thinking about the almost microscopic societal change, I was reminded of the work of Swedish population scientist, Hans Rosling (Rosling et al., 2018), who proposed ten counter-intuitive rules to combat our instinctive human negativity (Rosling, 2018), and the media effect (e.g. cultivation analysis theory; Gerbner, 1969). Those ten elements are:

1. The gap instinct. We need to understand that "when a story talks about a gap, and remembering that this paints a picture of two separate groups, with a gap in between. The reality is often not polarized at all. Usually the majority is right there in the middle, where the gap is supposed to be. To control the gap instinct, look for the majority" (Rosling et al., 2018, p. 45).
2. The negativity instinct. We must know in our hearts that, "when we get negative news, [remember that news about] bad events is much more likely to reach us. When things are getting better we often don’t hear about them. This gives us a systematically too-negative impression of the world around us, which is very stressful. To control the negativity instinct, expect bad news" (Rosling et al., 2018, p. 69).
3. The straight line instinct. Ah this one is SOOO tricky. We must overcome "the assumption that a line will just continue straight, [just remember] that such lines are rare in reality. To control the straight line instinct, remember that curves come in different shapes" (Rosling et al., 2018, p. 93).
4. The fear instinct. We are so good at running away. All we need do is remember that "when frightening things get our attention, [recall] that these are not necessarily the most risky. Our natural fears of violence, captivity, and contamination make us systematically overestimate these risks. To control the fear instinct, calculate the risks" (Rosling et al., 2018, p. 111).
5. The size instinct. Oh yeah. Remember "when a lonely number seems impressive (small or large), [...] that you could get the opposite impression if it were compared with or divided by some other relevant number. To control the size instinct, get things in proportion" (Rosling et al., 2018, p. 127).
6. The generalisation instinct. This is the 'assume' thing: just because a "category is being used in an explanation, [remember] that categories can be misleading. We can’t stop generalization and we shouldn’t even try. What we should try to do is to avoid generalizing incorrectly. To control the generalization instinct, question your categories" (Rosling et al., 2018, p. 145-6).
7. The destiny instinct. Change is glacial, but "appear to be constant just because the change is happening slowly, [so remember] that even small, slow changes gradually add up to big changes. To control the destiny instinct, remember slow change is still change" (Rosling et al., 2018, p. 161).
8. The single perspective instinct. Holding "a single perspective can limit your imagination, [so] it is better to look at problems from many angles to get a more accurate understanding and find practical solutions. To control the single perspective instinct, get a toolbox, not a hammer" (Rosling et al., 2018, p. 175).
9. The blame instinct. We must recognise "when a scapegoat is being used and remember[...] that blaming an individual often steals the focus from other possible explanations and blocks our ability to prevent similar problems in the future. To control the blame instinct, resist finding a scapegoat" (Rosling et al., 2018, p. 190).
10. The urgency instinct. Sometimes "a decision feels urgent and remembering that it rarely is [urgent]. To control the urgency instinct, take small steps" (Rosling et al., 2018, p. 206).

Hans was also immensely kind and allows people to download a pdf of his book, free, at https://oceanofpdf.com/authors/hans-rosling/pdf-epub-factfulness-ten-reasons-were-wrong-about-the-world-and-why-things-are-better-than-you-think-download-28372752321/

Sam

References:

Gerbner, G. (1969). Toward ‘Cultural Indicators’: The Analysis of Mass Mediated Public Message Systems. AV Communication Review, 17(2), 137-148. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02769102

Plummer, B. (2022, November 18). Black Ferns players to receive $25,000 bonus after Rugby World Cup win. New Zealand Herald. https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/black-ferns-players-to-receive-25000-bonus-after-rugby-world-cup-win/3QR4MDWO2BBW3EQC3PJXIVM76M/

Rosling, H., with Rosling, O. & Rosling Ronnlund, A. (2018). Factfulness: Ten Reasons We're Wrong About the World – and Why Things Are Better Than You Think. Hodder & Stoughton Ltd.

Statistics New Zealand. (2021). Measuring the gender pay gap. https://www.stats.govt.nz/assets/Uploads/Methods/Measuring-the-gender-pay-gap/measuring-gender-pay-gap-corrected.pdf