If you went out onto the street and asked 500 people what they were interested in, it is a safe bet that politics and the finance industry would be right at the bottom of the list. At the same time, we have to recognize that politics and finance are two of the most important things in the world. Whether we like it or not, they influence how we live our day to day lives and between them pretty much shape the world we live in.
The fact that these two areas of our lives sit together is no coincidence. Here are some of the things they have in common.
Lack of Interest, Knowledge, Understanding
There is no question that the lack of interest in the industry drives the other two things, but at the same time it is difficult to build interest in something if you have no knowledge of it. It’s probably better to put these three problems into one vicious circle.It is worrying that people don’t care about things that can have such a profound impact on their lives, but at the same time we can’t expect people to care too much if they don’t understand what that impact is.
While the general public as a whole definitely needs to do a better job of engaging with both industries, there is some accountability on politicians and prominent finance professionals to do something to make people more interested.
Bad Reputations
Wise individuals know that you should never tar everyone with the same brush, but parts of the global population love doing few things more than they love this. This is why politicians and the finance industry are generally so widely despised. All politicians are corrupt, and everyone working in the finance industry had a part to play in the global financial crisis.They are two examples of opinions that are widely held, and perhaps more worryingly, rarely challenged at certain levels.
The fact is that some politicians do a good job and aren't corrupt – some have been convicted of various types of fraud, so no argument there – and not every financial professional or company is motivated by greed. Banks, private equity groups, and even wealth managers like ACPI have all suffered to varying degrees owing to the misconceptions many people hold.
Significant News Coverage
While the media can be blamed for a lot and they seem to get their priorities grossly misplaced sometimes, in fairness they do give proportionate coverage to the finance industry and politics the vast majority of the time.All this serves to do is make the situation with individuals worse, however, as they are being given all the news and information they need to they can start to care and be informed about these areas, but still just skip past the pages.
They Matter
Ask people disinterested in politics and finance and they’ll tell you they don’t matter. Like it or not, they do, and even if all you do to understand a little better is follow a politician or finance professional on social media, it is at least a step in the right direction.Featured images:
- License: Creative Commons image source
