Your Selfless Deeds are Hated

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You know those goody-two-shoes who volunteer for every task and thanklessly take on the annoying details nobody else wants to deal with?
That's right: Other people really can't stand them.
Four separate studies led by a Washington State University social psychologist have found that unselfish workers who are the first to throw their hat in the ring are also among those that coworkers most want to, in effect, vote off the island.

Heard of the 20-80 rule that says in an organization, 20% of the people do 80% of the work? It is especially true in volunteer organizations; maybe more skewed. Now research has shown that not only will you not be thanked for doing work that no one willingly wants to do but in fact, you will be hated for doing it. These findings underscore my experiences at least with working with volunteer organizations or community projects. You'll understand if you are one of those 20%. Nevertheless, people like us trudge on although sometimes are tempted to throw in the towel and give up.

[Link to Your Selfless Deeds are Hated]

“Your Selfless Deeds are Hated” [Short URL: http://www.ipatrix.com/?p=3631] was published Monday, August 30th, 2010 at 3:00 pm by Patrix, filed under Asides. Both comments and linkbacks are closed.

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http://mredw.in/ Edwin Jose Palathinkal
If you look at it in a certain way, the 20% productive people are much more selfish than the 80% parasites. Because the productive people cannot live with themselves in a world were they are the parasites. They care about who they are to themselves. That is pretty damn selfish if you ask me.
http://www.ipatrix.com Patrix
@Edwin Jose Palathinkal: I understand the selfish part but how are they “more selfish than the 80% parasites”?
http://mredw.in/ Edwin Jose Palathinkal
Parasites are less selfish because had they been more selfish they would know better than to rely on the sanction of their victims.
The “sanction of the victim” is the willingness of the good to suffer at the hands of the evil, to accept the role of sacrificial victim for the “sin” of creating values.
It is not wise to rely on such a sanction because since the victims are volitional, they can choose not to provide for the sustenance for the parasite, and the parasites would perish. In other words, the parasites need their victims more than the victims need parasites.
If the parasites were more selfish than their victims, they would have thought of this possibility and made sure it never happens.
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Unfortunately a threat of physical force is insufficient to keep the victims productive because no one can force people to think be creative. And we all know unthinking brutes never produce anything.
So the only way to keep the victims productive is by exchanging value for value. i.e. mangoes for bananas, or mangoes for gold, or mangoes for paper notes which can be exchanged for gold.
Unfortunately the parasites are too smart, they now pay for their victim’s mangoes with paper notes which represents a promise another of their victims made to produce enough mangoes in the future.
Sorry to be allegorical. The actual requires a lot of math and flowery words.

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Your Selfless Deeds are Hated

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