Volunteers stretched self-interest theory to absurd lengths to justify their own political powerlessness.

Evidence

Volunteers wanted to believe that all people are aware of their own desires, are self-interested, and invest their energies wisely. Volunteers themselves strenuously tried to con¢rm this rational model of humanity, even if it meant making extraordinary claims about human nature: … Carolyn: I don’t think anyone does anything that is not going to bene¢t them in some form or another, or there’d be no point… … Pete: Whether we admit it or not … someone like Gandhi, you know, he may be the pinnacle of altruism, but he was doin’ his stu¡ for his own people. [Murmurs of agreement… ] … Lisa: And he felt good about what he did [implying that “feeling good” is a self-interested bene¢t]. — Nina Eliasoph, “Close to home”, 54

Categorization

• QUESTION: The Gandhi-as-self-interested claim is a striking demonstration of motivated reasoning — worth chasing how far people will push a rational-actor frame to reconcile altruism with cynicism.
• SHARE: The volunteers’ line on Gandhi (‘he was doin’ his stuff for his own people… and he felt good about it’) is a perfect provocation to send to someone who works on altruism or moral psychology.
• corroborated: 5 independent passages support this claim — Nina Eliasoph, “Close to home”: The work of avoiding…, 54
• XREF: connects to: People rationalize oppressive arrangements that harm them rather than protect their own interests — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 2911

Broader Connections

• People rationalize oppressive arrangements that harm them rather than protect their own interests #qualifies (0.78) — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 2911