GREED, ALTRUISM, AND POLITICS

I have spent my life trying to learn complex things and then reduce them to the simplest form. For example, I listen to the international, national, and local news, which are crammed with social and cultural issues, religious biases, political turmoil, humane depictions, as well as business facts and fictions. I have to admit that I am never so bored that I include sports, which I consider a waste of time. I think I see a thread running through all of it that I have reduced to two categories. Because each category is so inclusive, I find it difficult to label them precisely.  Nonetheless, I favor the vernacular of politics. I label one greedy, selfishness, and egocentric, Republican, the other altruistic, ethnocentric, giving, Democratic. To the horror of geneticists, I can treat these as genomic phenotypes. Of course, there is not one gene for republicans and one gene for democrats any more then there is a God gene but the implication that these traits are genetic is clear and fully intended. The reason I deny the “one trait one gene” concept is it will be the first straw man detractors grab at. The second will be that if someone can tell the story of politics from the big ban to 2012 in 500 words it is too simplistic.  The third, which is the merit of my argument, I welcome. 

The definition of a gene is no longer Mendelian simple, as if it ever was simple. What the term “gene” means in a modern sense is that many bits and pieces of what scientists had called genes act synergistically to result in a personality. The bits and pieces are so many that they appear to act digital resulting in personalities that looks analogue. Each personality is unique to an individual just as the DNA of each individual is unique—something a casual observer of TV crime scene series understands. In addition to entire personalities, each personality is an amalgamation of traits. I refer to certain clusters of traits as political personalities. No two clusters are exactly alike any more that the personalities of people are exactly alike.

We should not treat the terms ‘selfish’ or ‘greedy’ in a political sense as pejoratives. Every animal and plant is greedy. If that were not so, it could not be competitive; hence, would have lost the fight for survival. It is innate. Altruism, on the other hand seems to have been learned but still relates to survival. Segments of the earth’s biota survive by living and working together. Refinement of our altruism is part of the humanization process; it is part of our politics. Primitive mothers may share available resources with their young to the point of their own demise. In modern social terms, think of welfare programs, for example, where taxpayers choose to provide food and shelter for the needy and hungry strangers, take care of veterans we do not know but who fought wars to protect us, etc. Think in terms of modern politicians, who among them are greedy and who are not. What do Republicans stand for and what do Democrats stand for—I rest my case.