Chaos and Social Capital

[shankfisher]

I thought you guys might find this interesting.

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A very common topic among those concerned about disasters is social capital. This is a measure of the closeness in a community, or in academic-speak, "social networks and the norms of reciprocity and trustworthiness that arise from them." A high level of social capital means an active and engaged community that likely can be depended upon in hard times. Low levels of social capital slid down toward your typical dystopian future. If you live in a community with a lot of social capital, that community will be active in local government, have strong churches and/or other civic organizations, and deeply established friendships. If you live in the latter type of community, you probably already know it has no social capital.

America as a whole has been heading toward this latter community for some time. The Better Together report says that "social capital has been seriously depleted over the past 30 years. By virtually every measure, today’s Americans are more disconnected from one another and from the institutions of civic life than at any time since statistics have been kept. Whether as family members, neighbors, friends, or citizens, we are tuning out rather than turning out."

Research indicates some very inconvenient findings about our modern society. According to Harvard scholar Robert Putnam in his book Bowling Alone, the push for multiculturalism and diversity has decreased social capital. Putnam says, "People living in ethnically diverse settings appear to 'hunker down' -- that is, to pull in like a turtle." Thus, with television and the Internet siphoning people away from their neighbors, people have begun to see everyone around them as a threat.

Another major reason for social capital decline is, no surprise, the decline in religiosity and church attendance. The report says simply: "Houses of worship build and sustain more social capital – and social capital of more varied forms – than any other type of institution in America." As people of faith and church attendance trends downward, so does a major building block of the community.

As you make plans for a disaster, consider the people around you as allies, not enemies. Building strong communities should be a number one priority in your emergency preparedness plan. Consider starting a CERT team, joining a civic organization or church, coaching a kid's sport team, volunteering at the local Goodwill store or the Humane Society, or becoming active in the local political process. Build links, network, and make friends. You may need them.

[Rick]

Some other good reads along the same lines:

http://social.jrank.org/collection/10/Social-Trends-Indicators-USA.html

http://hirr.hartsem.edu/bookshelf/roozen_article4.html

Regardless of your view on religion it is an institution that has historically provided social continuity to a community.

[remy]

I guess the argument has some validity as a whole and points towards certain trends most likely grounded in the nature of specific environments (i.e. cities)...but i do not think it is that black and white.

Social capital is not disappearing, it is simply changing...adapting to possibilities and parameters we did not have...30 years ago.
I walk my dog in my neighborhood...and people still invest in social capital with great intensity...but the nature of our growing world, gives us the possibilities to socialize in the group of our choice...this makes for micro social capital. In a way, social capital before the rise of internet for example was also micro...since houses of worship are dependent on very specific beliefs.

Nonetheless...it is interesting to note, that a major disaster such as Katrina or the Northridge earthquake here in LA, saw people work together...help each other, comfort each other and so on.

Multiculturalism is rooted in tolerance. People will tend to reject what is different from their belief system in times of "peace". But in hard times, all of these complexities we invent, we want to see in others...vanish in the urgency.
Instincts take over...

I would also add...that what some call social capital, could be seen as a terrible mistake. The actual foundation of separation, of the idea of difference. My church "does it better"...i bowl better than you, my house is bigger than yours...all those things, unconsciously, are expressions of difference, of competitiveness.

The internet seems to alleviate a lot of those mental, cultural differences.
It is no wonder that the youth privileges this method of communication...of community, over those built on shaky understandings of our neighbors.

Very interesting subject...

[wildography]

... ummm... yeah, what he said! :cool2:

seriously, good points above... in times of crisis, you can really see people the way they are... most of the people "flow with the masses; some of the people stand up, take charge, and help out; some of the people see how they can take advantage of the crisis.

I thought it was very interesting right after 9/11... dozens of people were flooding into "ground zero" to help out; American flags were flying off the shelf; people were enlisting into the military, or coming out of retirement...
and then, about a year later, the "masses" were back to doing what they'd been doing before, while the other two groups kept doing what they've always done before...

[Rick]

I always refer to Katrina and 9/11 because they truly are SHTF situations and you can see how people reacted during both events. Quite different in nature and certainly in geography but very much similar reactions. I'm not certain if that speaks to humankind in general or Americans specifically or a combination of the two.

[remy]

I think human kind in general.
But to be somewhat realistic...this sudden brotherhood is not in my opinion rooted in what we humans call "goodness". Major disasters seem to pull us back in time, to a place where more primal processes take over.

Our ever expanding needs in easier times return to vital ones during dramatic events...one of those needs is safety, a primal expression of this safety need is centered around numbers. We could argue here that what we see during various disasters, is not necessarily the expression of "good", but more the expression of our biological inheritance.

As seen in groups of zebras for example...during non-threatening times, the group seem to scatter a bit...close relatives stay together for the most part, but the group as a whole is fragmented in relations to its size and terrain. Feeding and going about their lives.
But if a threat is sensed, the group will start to move in a common direction...and more importantly, will get very tight, desperately trying to become one giant zebra. We call this...to unify.

We can see here, in relation to stress, that the more on the "outs" a zebra is, the more stress it will experience at that time. Which can be interesting for our own specie, and links both social capital in relations to stress.

It is only normal, biologically speaking, that in times of extreme threat (Katrina, 9/11, or earthquakes...) we too get closer...we too get tighter...until the stress levels go back down, and we can return to grazing.

[Rick]

That's not a bad analogy. There may truly be something more at work than just an altruistic nature.

[chiangmaimav]

I never heard of social capital before but I think they have alot of it here in Thailand. especially in small villages, where people basically look out for each other. For instance the other day they there was a sort of fund raising thing for local Buddhist temple. Everyone in village donated money for renovations for temple, which is very old. as is the custom there was a party first and then a procession where people carry wooden trees with money to the wat. I am Christian, not Buddhist but this is a Buddhist country and I am a member of this community and all the foreigners here, which there are only 5, participated in the event. And it made everyone feel part of the community.
I was living in New York on 9/11 and personally witnessed evidence of this social capital there. Even the crime rate went way down during those days. In Katrina, from what I have read and seen on news, the crime rate went up, so perhaps that was a bad example. But to be fair I know there were also many people who helped out tremendously.
It might seem strange to say this here, but I believe in many ways the internet has decreased the social capital or interaction between people. My kids spent all their time on internet instead of actually meeting people. For someone like me, in a foreign country, internet and this forum are great because it gives me an opportunity to communicate with people back home. But I think there was more community when people actually talked to each other face to face.