Why are we so frightened?

The news that the House and Senate Republicans had reached agreement to extend the intrusive provisions of the “Patriot Act” for four more years reminded me of a conversation I had with some friends several days ago.

In that conversation, I was relating how, some years ago, I used to teach in senior management development programs for a number of major corporations. There, I found that corporate personalities differed dramatically from one company to the next. Some companies seemed to totally lack any sense of self-confidence. An example is Company A. When I taught groups at A, everyone in the room was almost literally looking over their shoulder to make sure someone wasn't about to stab them in the back. If you tried to poke some fun at some recent goof the company had made, no one would laugh. If you tried to get people to express an opinion on a topic of discussion, people would duck and bob and weave, rather than going on record with a point of view. Everyone seemed worried that their boss might overhear what they had to say and endanger their career. People seemed frightened by their own shadows. Everyone always looked for the “party line” solution rather than thinking outside the box.

Other companies (far fewer in number) tended to exude self-confidence. Company B is a case in point. Groups there would laugh a jokes poking fun at the company. They were eager to defend a controversial point of view, without appearing to worry that their ideas would jeopardize their careers. They sought creative solutions to novel problems without fear of stepping outside the box.

Obviously, there was an entire spectrum from one type to the other, but these corporate personalities clearly persisted within each organization from one group to the next, so that I could always count on the same types of response everytime I taught at Company A and on an entirely different type of response every time I taught at Company B.

Interestingly, all the companies I worked for that were like Company B have thrived over the intervening years, and most of the ones like Company A have run into serious difficulties. Indeed, most no longer exist, having either failed or been bought out. Company A lost market share for years until it closed it's doors permanently about six years ago.

It seems to me we may be able to say the same thing about countries as about companies. In years past, when America was thriving, it's personality was much like Company B. People were self-confident. Americans had the “can do” spirit. They were willing to try new things, test out new ideas, experiment, create. We led the world in education. We led the world in health care. America welcomed immigrants who might bring new perspectives. We were enriched by other cultures.

America since 9/11 has become much more like Company A. People are afraid of their shadows. (Just look at all the media attention to one nut ball getting off an airplane yesterday. You'd think the whole country was about to be blown off the face of the earth.) Government hides behind secrecy requirements. Government employees are instructed to deceive Congress when they testify (e.g., the cost assessment for the Medicare Prescription Drug Plan). People who speak out for unpopular causes are tried as terrorists or condemned on Fox News or both. Anyone who gives money to an Arabic charity is suspect. Science is condemned as unholy. American students are now far behind their counterparts in much of the rest of the world. American health care costs per capita are more than double those in most other countries, and the public health results are poorer than in most other developed countries. We are losing jobs – even good high tech jobs – to other countries right and left. We turn away immigrants who might bring new perspectives. We scoff at other cultures.

Are we going to end up like Company A? I fear that's the direction we are headed.