The winners of last weeks big interstate lottery will split a payout of $656 million. I was not excited before the drawing and I'm not excited now. Why? I didn't play and therefore.... I didn't win! Lotteries are essentially a tax on the math challenged. States will take home about the same amount in taxes.
Have people really stopped to think about what you are supporting by playing the lottery? People have gambling addictions and they will always be a certain percentage of the population that needs help. Those folks are buying lottery tickets every week as well as many other forms of gambling. I'm not discussing that group here. They need help.
The next group are the players who buys a ticket every week, but do not have a gambling/addiction problem. What is the demographic of this group? I bet it's not the same demographic as the folks who appear once or twice a year to buy a mega-millions ticket when it reaches over $250 million. This group is the same as my social circles that I converse with on a daily basis; my friends, family and co-workers.
I've reiterated my position with many in my social circle over the past week and get a very similar reactions. "Who is is it hurting?", "It gives people hope and that's a good thing" Really? I've heard the same argument to support theism. Not all beliefs are equally valid and many do not represent reality. An incorrect belief, here or there, may not be harmless, but it can also result in negative consequences. Pointing out fallacious reasoning behind these incorrect beliefs is important because beliefs inform your actions. If your beliefs are in error, your actions are most likely to be harmful in some way. It is far healthier for society as a whole if the beliefs of the majority are accurate.
If more people would take the time to think about the social and ethical effects of supporting base less hope, perhaps they would arrive at a conclusion that supporting the irrational does slow the moral zeitgeist of our world.
