Storms, social capital and elections

Quote
‘A community is like a ship; everyone ought to be prepared to take the helm.’ Henrik Ibsen, Norwegian playwright.

News
‘Superstorm’ Sandy, which left 69 dead in the Caribbean and over 100 in the US, is the second most damaging storm in US history after hurricane Katrina in 2006. Besides the death toll, the economic cost is estimated at over $50 billion, and thousands of homes are still without power. Behind these hard statistics, there’s the softer, relational impact to consider. A wrecked house is also a family uprooted; reconstructing a neighbourhood involves restoring community relationships; a displaced population means small businesses and livelihoods going to the wall.

The way the news media reports on such disasters reflects our values. We’re fascinated by the death and destruction that nature can inflict, but we yearn to read about the human spirit too. Out of the tragedy come inspiring tales of kindness, selflessness and courage, which seem to flourish in times of shared adversity.

Coming just a week before the US presidential election, how has the storm influenced the political landscape? Initially it seems to have favoured President Obama, as he put campaigning aside and took an effective lead in the overall disaster response efforts.

But in another way it has put a healthy dent in the facade of adversarial politics. During the election Republicans and Democrats have sought to denigrate and demean their opponents, pointing out the political and personal flaws in their adversary more than the merits of their own campaign. Yet following the storm we’ve seen Republican politicians go against the partisan flow to commend President Obama for his handling of the crisis.

Why is this important? Because, like the stories of strangers helping each other after the storm, it reveals the level of social capital in the country. Social capital is the breadth and quality of relationships in a community that lead to a sense of belonging and mutual cooperation. Arguably, the greater long term crisis in America is the steady loss of social and relational capital, leading to the kind of greed and recklessness which were a direct cause of the financial crisis.

Which candidate for president will do more to build social capital? Perhaps this is what American voters should be considering on Tuesday.

Read on...
Although government and insurance companies will eventually pay for much of the material damage caused by Sandy, there’s a need for more local investment. One way to regenerate communities in a relational way is through social investment bonds; read an article about how these worked in a deprived area of Sheffield here.

Walk the talk
How do you discuss the news with friends or family? We tend to be limited by the framework used by the journalist. Why not start a conversation that explores the relational issues and impact behind any economic or political headline?

The last word
From the Bible, Matthew 12, verse 25: ‘Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand.”’