Maxim-26

A pandemic of false binaries

By Tim Wilson December 21, 2021

As we head into another COVID Christmas, the season feels anything but festive. More Omicron cases have turned up in MIQ. An Air NZ plane is stuck on the tarmac in Nelson because two passengers won’t wear masks. A mother rewards a nurse vaccinating her daughter with a death threat. 

During this pandemic we have—often uncritically—accepted what might be called false binaries.

We all seem to be getting the same gift for Yuletide: disunity. That notion is confirmed by a recent report on social cohesion by Koi Tū, Auckland University’s Centre for Informed Futures. “New Zealand is generally seen as a relatively cohesive society,” note the report’s author, “but it is not immune to division, and there are warning signs.”

COVID-19 is to blame, they say, as are the Christchurch terror attacks, and natural disasters. I would suggest another cause: shallow thinking.

Half-baked ideas have consequences. They affect how we behave. Moreover, poor arrangements of lazy notions can also be problematic. During this pandemic we have—often uncritically—accepted what might be called false binaries.

Yet a little reflection will confirm that when the economy tanks, public health suffers. Chronic illnesses rise; mental health declines; people smoke more, and eat poorly.

The most glaring example is public health vs. the economy. These two have often been presented as mutually exclusive by media and politicians; a fact not gone unnoticed by outsiders. 

Citing New Zealand as one of those countries which “…implemented nationwide lockdowns …” an Asian Development Bank (ADB) blog observes, “The fight against COVID-19 is often framed as a trade-off between public health and the economy… “

Yet a little reflection will confirm that when the economy tanks, public health suffers. Chronic illnesses rise; mental health declines; people smoke more, and eat poorly.

Perhaps a greyer truth might be that each group have different values. You may disagree, but that doesn’t permit you to disrespect one another. 

Other false binaries of our time? Science vs. wilful Ignorance; the majority vs. a minority; a COVID-wracked Auckland vs. everyone else, etcetera. Such contests are rarely fair. Perhaps this explains some of their attraction, and why they play out as they do.

If you’re pro-vaccine, it can be tempting to denigrate the unvaccinated as selfish, idle, and spending too much time on Facebook swallowing “Fake News.” If you’re anti-vaccine, the vaccinated stereotype might be that they’re government controlled, conformist, unintelligent “sheeple.”

Perhaps a greyer truth might be that each group have different values. They don’t see government the same way. You may disagree, but that doesn’t permit you to disrespect one another. 

Don’t give the gift of division.

Such is the disease, what might be the cure? Well, let’s begin with some questions when presented with ungenerous comparisons. Is this really true? Are there other options? False binaries help create polarisation. As the ADB says, “The trade-off between lost lives—i.e. public health—versus lost livelihoods—i.e. economy—is often erroneously viewed as an all-or-nothing choice…” Beware the megaphone that says there is no alternative. And in personal relations, please remember that righteous indignation is a zero sum game.

Don’t give the gift of division. The next time you’re presented with a false binary—or a proposition that stems from one—or you feel the urge to disparage someone who disagrees with you, reject it. This Christmas, rather than fight, let’s unite.

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