Class is Now in Session

What our politicians should know.

By SUSAN ZHU

One of the draws of a republican democracy like ours is the principle of equality. It may not be fully realized, but still, pretty much every citizen would at least say that it’s one of our core values. Equality makes it possible, in principle, for the poor, for members of the minority, and even for the crazies to be represented and to run for office, no matter their education level, income level, or height-above-sea level. But let’s pretend for a moment that I’m dictator of the world, and that I can make a list of prerequisites that need to be fulfilled in order for someone to hold elected office. In particular, I want every candidate who takes office to be reasonably knowledgeable.

I would require them to take classes that are important for a country’s leaders to know and understand. I realize that each elected official has aides and unpaid summer interns (pick me!) to do research for them on every topic, thereby eliminating the necessity of knowing everything. I still think, however, there is much to be gained in having general knowledge, even in certain fields that may not necessarily be related to the substance of policy.

I recognize that this idea is not feasible in the least. Would taking these classes have any effect on how much they listen to lobbyists? Would they all become elitist snobs? When would they even have time to take these classes, given that when officials aren’t busy debating each other and running the country, they’re busy campaigning for the opportunity to debate each other and run the country? So here is my admittedly unrealistic dream list of classes I think every elected official should take. Let’s begin with one I think few would argue is unimportant for an elected official to know: economics.

Economics

People vote with their wallets, so shouldn’t politicians know how the economy works? While setting interest rates is the Fed’s job, it wouldn’t hurt for politicians to understand what exactly they’re voting for when they vote for stimulus packages, economic sanctions, or proposals to bully China about its currency. Almost every piece of legislation will affect the economy in some way, shape, or form, since almost every proposal requires doing something with money. I’d rather politicians have a general idea of economics on their own, rather than relying on information from a specific party or lobby group.

Psychology

I don’t mean for politicians to take psychology so that they can read the opposition’s mind and figure out how to get swing votes, but rather so that they can craft better policies. Sometimes, it’s all about how you frame a proposal. For instance, in social psychology, we learn about how countries with an opt-in organ donation program have donation rates that hover around 20 percent, while countries with an opt-out organ donation program have donation rates in the 90 percent range. Neither mandates that you donate, but the rates are dramatically different due to the way the policy is presented. Similar results have been found with opt-in and opt-out social security/retirement plans in the US.

Psychology can help politicians even outside of domestic policy, in areas like conflict resolution with countries whose cultures are different from ours. Using another example from social psychology, the 2001 incident where an American surveillance plane collided with a Chinese fighter jet resulted in a long, drawn-out, heated conflict between the two countries (though thankfully one in which neither nation resorted to force). The Americans saw fault with the individual Chinese pilot, but the Chinese saw fault with the situation of Americans spying on China — western countries are more likely to focus on individuals, and non-western countries are more likely to focus on the context. Neither side wanted to apologize because they didn’t think they were in the wrong, but the tension and ensuing foreign policy awkwardness could easily have been avoided.

United States History

When I say United States history, I don’t mean the middle school version where students learn to admire the “good” presidents, ignore the bad ones, and essentially come out of class with the idea that the US has always been on a trajectory of “doing the right thing” and that even when the US was kind of mean to some sectors of the population or to other countries, we eventually righted ourselves because we’re all so moral and nice all the time.

Let’s be clear. We’ve been assholes. Every country has these moments, and while it’s nothing to be proud of, it is something to learn from. The fact that we eventually realized that we were being terrible people in some aspects doesn’t mean that our past behavior has been without consequence. An apology like, “hey, sorry about that whole slavery thing” doesn’t change the fact that there is a black/white test gap, or that employers are less likely to hire an African American when there are white employee alternatives. American history is not a series of separate big events, but a chain of cause and effect in which every event, intentionally or not, has affected the current state of our nation. The more our politicians can recognize that, the more fair our legislation will be. And hopefully, we can learn from past experiences.

World History

I wonder how many politicians know history outside the scope of American and European involvement. For the same reasons that American history is important, so is world history: it helps us understand why the world is in its current state, and helps us avoid making the same mistakes. People are alarmed by communist and socialist countries, but there are reasons why they became that way. Maybe if we understood why, we wouldn’t be so terrified. Obviously, world history is extremely broad, so perhaps as an independent study, each politician could concentrate on the modern history of one country.

World Cultures and Religion

Outside of western cultures and Judeo-Christian religions, Americans don’t seem to really understand other cultures or religions. In speaking about India and the Ganges River, Glenn Beck said that “Ganges” sounded like a venereal disease — never mind that it’s considered sacred to Hindus and that the name didn’t originate in English. I hope our politicians can show more respect and understanding than that; it could be key in how the US interacts with other countries. With the rapid speed of globalization, America needs friends and allies, whether it’s to support our troops or to make environmental and economic pacts. Respect for others could only help.

Foreign language (at least one, to be chosen by the official — should be a language still used in communication today)

Languages help us understand cultures, and it could only be beneficial for politicians when they go overseas, again because it could be seen as a sign of respect. I’ve always found it a bit pathetic that Americans only know one language and expect people to use English not only in America, but wherever American tourists go. Perhaps the difficulty of learning a second language could help show politicians why immigrants still struggle despite all their hard work, and learning about a new culture might help ease what I believe is a growing wave of xenophobia.

Computer literacy

Why? Because everyone should know how to “do a google.” Knowledge of the internet can be extremely important in reaching out to the public, in understanding new internet privacy concerns, and in accessing and providing information. In addition, there have been increasing concerns about a cyber attack, which would cripple our country. If the government wanted to prevent that, they ought to know how our systems and networks all connect and work. Besides, if politicians are serious about transparency, they better learn how to get more transparent in ways that matter.

Basic sciences

When it comes to science, I just want politicians to understand some of the basic aspects of ecology and energy usage. Energy usage could be a lot more efficient, but we’re not investing in new technologies the way other countries like Germany or China are. Adding a bit of agricultural science and medical advancement couldn’t hurt. America is still big on agriculture, with the government providing a chunk of agricultural subsidies each year. It would prove useful to learn about such an economically important topic, and maybe instead of providing subsidies, Congress could look into how to make agriculture more efficient using environmentally sound technology. Politicians could also see how helpful medical research is, understand the price tag that comes with the research, and try to find ways of reducing costs to both researchers and patients. At one point while he was in the hospital, even Glenn Beck (he’s just so easy to pick) deplored the state of the American health care system and its rising cost.

Susan Zhu ’11 (szhu@fas) would also demand that politicians compete for merit pay.

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