Skip to main content
Tag

business

Book Review: Wilful Blindness by Margaret Heffernan

By Amazon, Books & Authors, ReviewsNo Comments
wilful-blindness-book-cover-margaret-heffernan
View on Amazon.co.uk
Wilful Blindness is when a person or people chose to deliberately pretend not to know about or ignore ethically dubious acts.

It happens on both a micro and macro scale. It spans all parts of society. It can have devastating consequences to both individuals and communities.

Wilful Blindness was originally a legal term, but once Heffernan heard the term she started seeing Wilful Blindness everywhere.

In our collective history of the past and in how governments and businesses operate today.

Heffernan started talking to people, lots of people, from different professional backgrounds and they all knew what she was talking about.

They were all able to give examples of Wilful Blindness in their lives.

In Wilful Blindness, Heffernan identifies the causes and gives examples of the negative consequences of Wilful Blindness. She explains how to expand your mind to be less susceptible to the epidemic of Wilful Blindness.

Heffernan uses psychology to explain human behaviour when it comes to Wilful Blindness and suggests that:

  • We like people that are the same or similar to ourselves. This can lead to blindness to difference and diversity and the benefits of the challenges that they bring.
  • Love of people, ideas, money, things, values, can make us blind.
  • Holding on to deeply held beliefs can mean we miss or ignore evidence that is contrary to these deeply held beliefs.
  • Everyone’s mind has limits and these limits are stretched to make some very complex organisations, which make it difficult to see the truth or know what’s going on.
  • We bury our head in the sand. We hope that difficult issues will go away. We even delude ourselves by not looking, acknowledging or talking about issues.
  • We blame external sources for ethically difficult decisions and justify it to ourselves and other by stating: I was just doing my job.
  • Cultures, conformity and the craving for acceptance from our peers can make us blind to other, broader or different perspectives.
  • People that see what others are blind to and do nothing reinforce the status quo. Not only that, but they also imply through omissions that everything that makes up the status quo is acceptable.
  • Physical distance from a situation or problem can lead to cognitive dissonance and make someone blind.
  • Money and the removal of ethics from work makes people obey and conform. They are much less likely to notice issues or be brave enough to make a stand.
  • People who challenge Wilful Blindess have a tough time. But common qualities in these people include: a sense of social justice, they are generally nonconformists, they are often trendsetters, they feel compelled to raise an uncomfortable truth, they have determination, a high level of resilience, they obsess about the truth and the truth others are ignoring, they have an eye for detail and are willing to suffer both personally and professionally to get others to see the truth.

Throughout Wilful Blindness Heffernan presents a compelling argument and engaging narrative, which is enhanced with fully referenced examples. Examples include: child abuse in the Roman Catholic Church, problems in BP, the banking crash caused by subprime mortgages and derivatives (2007-2010), the Nazis in World War 2 and post operative child deaths in Bristol.

Overall the book is a fascinating exploration of human psychology and why we often fail to see the obvious. If you’re interested in psychology, self-awareness, leadership or business you should read this book.

Review soon,

Antony

mental-health-wisdom-banner

Share on Social Media:

Wonderful Websites – Technology

By Technology, The Web, ThinkingNo Comments
wonderful-websites-image This is the tenth blog post in a series titled Wonderful Websites. The first focused on general health and can be read here. The second focused on mental health and mental illness and can be read here.

The third post focused on shopping and can be read here. The fourth focused on money and can be read here.

The fifth focused on gigs, shows and theatres and can be read here. The sixth focused on paganism and can be read here.

The seventh focused on gay culture and society and can be read here. The eighth focused on TV, Online Streaming & Films and can be read here.

The ninth focused on music & radio and can be read here.

Here’s Wonderful Websites for music & radio:

1. WIRED – Is the website for WIRED magazine. It has some great content around technology, science, culture, gear, business, politics and more.

2. ZDNet – Has everything technology. It includes sections on hardware and software. On Microsoft and Apple.

3. How-To Geek – I love that this website explains everything about technology simply. I like their daily tech term explained section as well as the simple design of their website.

4. Tech Radar – I like this website for its reviews of all things technology.

5. Engadget – Has the odd good article on.

6. C|Net – Has a lot of great content, but the amount of advertising can be off-putting.

Are there any technology websites that you think are useful that aren’t on the list? If so leave a comment below and let me know.

In the next and final post in my Wonderful Websites series I will list great websites about Asperger’s Syndrome and Autism.

Blog soon,

Antony

mental-health-wisdom-banner



I aim for posts on this blog to be informative, educational and entertaining. If you have found this post useful or enjoyable, please consider making a contribution by Paypal:


Share on Social Media:

Book Review: The Establishment – And How They Get Away with It by Owen Jones

By Amazon, Books & Authors, Political, Reviews2 Comments
the-establishment-book-cover-own-jones In The Establishment, Owen Jones starts by defining Britain’s Establishment today. Then Jones looks back at political history to how the modern day Establishment of Britain came to be, focusing on each facet, in chapters titled: The Outriders, The Westminster Cartel, Mediaocracy, The Boys in Blue, Scrounging off the State, Tycoons and Tax-Dodgers, Masters of the Universe and The Illusion of Sovereignty.

In ‘The Outriders’ Jones explains how a few wealthy elite changed societies view (the ‘Overton Window’) from one of socialism to capitalism, the free market and privatisation. Jones demonstrates how people with alternative views to The Establishment are silenced, discredited or have their lives destroyed for speaking out.

[Continued below…]

In ‘The Westminster Cartel’ Jones exposes the revolving door of MPs going back and forth between Politics, Business, the Media and Think Tanks. In ‘Mediaocracy’ Jones reveals the media’s role in propaganda both for governments and against, with the media’s agenda being those of their wealthy owners – whom have close-links with MPs from all political parties.

In ‘The Boys in Blue’ Jones describes the role the Police played in creating today’s Establishment and gives examples of Police corruption and cover ups. He explains how the Establishment eventually turned on the Police. Jones gives real examples of the inequality of Police treatment between different groups, which includes the difference in treatment between those with power and those without.

Jones writes about the real people ‘Scrounging off the State’: the wealthy elite. He writes that public assets, such as the railways, are being and have been sold off for profit. That the wealthy elite get the profits, as well as tax-payer subsidies (as well as benefits for employees on low wages, healthcare for their employees, employees educated by the state, etc.) but that the tax-payer shoulders all the risk. If something goes wrong – like it did with the Banks, big business relies on the State to step in and bail them out.

In ‘Tycoons and Tax-Dodgers’ Jones explains how the rich feel that they pay enough tax and sheds light on the complicated tax avoidance schemes used by big businesses, that are all perfectly legal – thanks to the big businesses’ Lobbyists, Accountants and PR firms. Jones exposes the toxic relationship between the Treasury and big companies. That big companies actually help to develop Tax Policy with Treasury Civil Servants and the Government.

In ‘Masters of the Universe’ Jones examines the financial sector, particularly ‘the City’ referring to London’s financial sector. Jones discusses how successive governments relaxed regulation to keep their Banker friend’s happy prior to the financial collapse in 2008. That despite the collapse and the tax-payer bailout to the tune of over a trillion pounds, there is still no real robust regulation and there’s an attitude of continue as before. That the financial sector is driven by an unregulated greed for profit, a big bonus culture and to increase the wealth of the already extremely wealthy.

In ‘The Illusion of Sovereignty’ Jones scrutinises the relationship between Britain’s Establishment, the United States of America (US) and European Union (EU). He shows that the Establishment’s mentality is international and shared with the US, by looking at the history of the ‘special relationship’. Jones looks at the history of the Britain and the EU, identifying some elements of the EU that share the British Establishment’s mentality and other elements that oppose the British Establishment’s mentality. This mix of shared and opposed views to the British Establishment, is most likely why there is a politically mixed view of the EU in the UK.

In Jones’ final chapter titled ‘Conclusion: A Democratic Revolution’ he states that the Establishment is being run for a wealthy few, rather than for the majority. He states that the majority have had enough; enough of falling living standards, the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer, and that the time to challenge the Establishment is now. Jones states that austerity is ideological rather than required. He identifies changes to improve society, but gives little practical advice for readers who may want to get involved with political change. This chapter was also the shortest in the book, which was a slight disappointment.

Throughout The Establishment, Owen Jones references the points that he makes, shares interviews he has conducted with people who have been involved with creating and maintaining the Establishment and gives examples to illustrate his points.

The Establishment shows the shocking level of corruption and vested interests, along with laws that protect the wealthy elite – all created by The Establishment (the wealthy elite) to balance society in their favour. It will make you think. Hopefully by Jones shining a light on the murky Establishment it will lead to the people challenging The Establishment for the political change they want.

The Establishment is an excellent and informative book about how society has come to operate today for the minority and how it can be changed to operate for the majority. The Establishment is an essential read for all, especially those interested in politics or political change.

Review soon,

Antony

mental-health-wisdom-banner



I aim for posts on this blog to be informative, educational and entertaining. If you have found this post useful or enjoyable, please consider making a contribution by Paypal:


Share on Social Media:
×