04 Jan Don’t Worry, Be Happy
The Pew Research Center has a nice end-of-the-year roundup of public opinion. According to Pew, here are the top public opinion stories of the year that have international themes (numbered in the order they placed in the overall listing):
7. A Better View of Iraq, Up to a Point…
For years, public views of the war in Iraq were increasingly negative and seemingly unlikely to change direction. But as the troop surge resulted in lower levels of violence in Iraq, public perceptions of the war improved markedly. In November, 48% of Americans said things were going very or fairly well in Iraq, up 18 points from February. However, improved public impressions of the Iraq did nothing to lift war support: 54% favored bringing the troops home as soon as possible, a proportion largely unchanged from earlier in the year.10. America’s Mainstream Muslims
Most Muslim-Americans are relative newcomers to the United States, but a comprehensive survey of U.S. Muslims found them to be largely assimilated, happy with their lives, holding a positive view of American society and placing a high value on hard work. At the same time, Muslim Americans are highly critical of America’s anti-terrorism policies. However, absolute levels of support for Islamic extremism among Muslim Americans are quite low, especially when compared with Muslims around the world. Overall, 8% of Muslim Americans say suicide bombings against civilians are often or sometimes justified in the defense of Islam.12. A Happier Planet
The Pew Global Attitude Project’s 47-nation survey found striking increases in satisfaction with life, family incomes and feelings of personal progress in countries where economic growth has been strong. Publics in Latin America and Eastern Europe – where GDP growth has been most impressive – now rate their lives and national conditions far more favorably than they did in 2002. More generally, the survey showed a clear linkage between real economic growth and views of national conditions, even in countries where poverty rates are high.13. Discontent with Global Powers
The news about America’s global image was less positive – anti-Americanism remains pervasive, as it has since 2002. However, the United States does not stand alone as an unpopular world power: China’s image has fallen, while favorable views of Russian President Vladimir Putin have declined sharply
Pew also compiled a list of the dogs that didn’t bark in 2007, and global warming was near the top of the list:
4. Cooling Concern
Global warming became a much more visible issue in 2007. Former Vice President Al Gore’s crusade against what he calls a “planetary emergency” won him an Academy Award and a Nobel Prize. Yet the American public is not fully persuaded that global climate change is an imminent problem. Fewer than half rate global warming as a “very serious” problem; among those who view it as a problem, only a modest majority (55%) says it requires immediate government action. For liberal Democrats, at least, the environment is a top tier issue in the 2008 campaign. But it rates as far less important for other voting groups, including conservative and moderate Democrats. However, the 47-nation Global Attitudes poll found rising concern about environmental and pollution problems around the world, with many nations blaming the United States for these heightened global threats.
So if I were to summarize the Pew list of public opinion of international affairs in 2007 it would be “Don’t Worry, Be Happy.” While other topics in the Pew survey reveal that the public is in a sour mood when it comes to national affairs, the view of international issues is decidedly more upbeat. The public perceives things to be looking up in Iraq, American Muslims are happy with their lives and have a positive view of America (and a sharply negative view of the terrorists), and globally there is a “striking increase in satisfaction with life.” Be Happy! And as for global warming, well, the public is just not yet convinced it is an imminent problem. Of course, anti-Americanism is pervasive (what’s new!), but the other superpowers are highly unpopular too. Don’t Worry!
These findings may come as a surprise, especially given the sour mood of most Americans when it comes to national affairs. But it makes me wonder if Americans opt for a uniting figure as the next President in a few months hence, whether soon we will be whistling along with Bob Marley, “Don’t worry, it will soon pass, whatever it is. Don’t worry, be happy. I’m not worried.”
Nice sentiment, to be sure, and seemingly innocuous counsel as well, but I suspect “Don’t worry, be happy” is representative of the folly of endeavors that set out to “will what cannot be willed,” at least in the sense that if one immediately attempts to put such advice into practice, one is involved in a pragmatic contradiction. Taking his cue from the late psychologist Leslie Farber, Jon Elster notes those positively defined states that “elude the mind that reaches out for them,” for example: wisdom (but not knowledge), sleeping (but not going to bed), virtue (but not scrupulosity), courage (but not bravado), faith (but not religion). These states have a spontaneity and non-self-conscious quality that makes them impervious to willing. In other words, we can form an intention to act spontaneously, to go to sleep, to be happy, and so forth, but an ego-oriented consciousness focused on achieving such states in a willful sense will be frustrated. This is especially clear when one commands another to “go to sleep,” to “not worry,” to “be happy.” And yet, as Chris Fraser points out, on some accounts of intentionality, the project formed by an agent to “be happy” or “act spontaneously” may… Read more »