Some Things Should Be Stigmatized
Written by Brian Garst, Posted in Economics & the Economy, The Nanny State & A Regulated Society
The New York Times reports on the loss of stigma associated with food stamp programs. The paper sees this as a positive development. Certainly the political left sees it that way. But social stigmas serve an important function by discouraging particular behaviors. In this case, they help discourage people from being a drain on others.
Social safety nets always involve balancing compassionate relief with the risk of encouraging people not to work or earn for themselves. The stigma from receiving food stamps served to discourage (some) people from being free loaders any longer than they absolutely needed to.
America has long stigmatized free loading because we value the work ethic. If that social dynamic is changing, and the loss of any stigma associated with food stamps may suggest that it is, then it does not bode well for America’s economic future.
I serve as Vice President of the Center for Freedom and Prosperity, a non-profit think tank dedicated to preserving tax competition and free markets. This site features my personal views, which are not reflective of CF&P.