Nudging Citizens By Governments Is Sneaky, Unfair And Undemocratically Manipulative

The National Post has begun its annual Junk Science Week with an article headed - "The junky science of 'nudge-onomics' is just another excuse for more government meddling"

Read it at: https://business.financialpost.com/opinion/the-junky-science-of-nudge-onomics-is-just-another-excuse-for-more-government-meddling

Behavioural economics is a recent pseudo-science often relied on by governments and corporations intent on manipulating the public.  These practitioners hold that ordinary people are totally irrational in their decision-making.  The thinking is that because of this, if they just get it right, the public can easily be manipulated to buy stuff or support certain political and social ideas.

As economist William Watson says - "That's where NUDGING comes in".  It means that by using nudging techniques people's behaviour can be changed to suit the goals of the nudgers and the nudged won't even know it.

Apparently many governments, from the Canadian federal government to and including provincial governments have set up nudge units within the bureaucratic apparatus to do this.

Watson says - "Nudging is about the enlightened few making decisions for the many stumbling in the dark."  But why would the bureaucrats and the alleged experts be more rational than you and I?

Watson suggests that governments are in a conflict of interest position when they use manipulative techniques to "nudge" Canadians to gamble at casinos and slot machines, buy more booze, and smoke pot, because all of these are either government monopolies to collect more money from us or are just over-taxed for the same reason.  To manipulate voters to support political policies of government is using government power and tax dollars for purely partisan gain and purposes.

This is undemocratic and perpetuates the power of political elites.

 "Nudge" is a good word to describe this junk science idea, but its proponents might be properly described as "noodges" (persons who annoy with persistent complaints, criticisms, or pleas; nag, whine or carp).  We all know people like that. More specifically, Mr. Luciani is correct to ask - "What makes bureaucrats and politicians more rational than the rest of us?".  That attitude of smug moral superiority is strongly and widely held by - you guessed it - supporters of the Liberal Party, the NDP and the Greens.  It helps explain why they are so dogmatically certain they are always right and the rest of us are not worth hearing and our views not worth considering.