THE RISE OF THE GRUDGERS

An Evolutionary Stable System (ESS) is something as described by Richard Dawkins as a characteristic that is pervasive across different generations of both the animal and human generations.

These Characteristics can be influenced by many things but tend to survive as they achieve a balance with other ESS’s, sometimes the characteristic is in the rise, sometimes in the fall, but never fully extinguished, hence it becomes considered stable in terms of evolution.

Dawkins uses the analogy of Hawks and Doves early on in his Book “The Selfish Gene” stating simply that when there is too large a population of Hawks compared to the population of their food supply, the Doves, they will naturally recede in numbers, which would in turn give an opportunity for the population of Doves to increase, as the food supply increases, so the Hawk population increases and the cycle continues.

This simple analysis of what seems to me as common sense is further used in the book with the analysis of three basic Human traits, Welcome to the:-

The Cheat

The Sucker

The Grudger

The three characteristic names fairly much describe themselves, but it is important at this point to take a pause and ask yourself, in terms of transactions within a species are there any other significant players?

Of course one could introduce The Fair Player, but unfortunately, the fair player is relegated to the role of the Sucker when faced with Cheat. So I would say there are no other players of significance.

So how do these three ESS Groups interact and reach a balance?

Again I see it as common sense, much like the analogy of the Hawks and Doves the cheats will gradually grow in number until the population of suckers is unable to support the number of cheats. Grudgers, many of them former suckers, interacting with the cheats does not work very well & cheats trading with cheats is also not sufficiently productive to preserve the cheat characteristic.

After a while the cheats will die back much with the help of the rising population of grudgers and thusly, make room for the suckers to increase in numbers again

And so it seems the natural cycle is established.

I see this more as a social interaction characteristic than a genetic one, but an ESS none the less. These Characteristics can span generations within humans as an individual who is raised by parents who are cheats; suckers or grudgers are statistically more liable to begin life with those traits.

And so, if you agree with the above analysis it becomes interesting to note whereabouts in this ESS Cycle the modern western world resides at the moment!

Disputably modern society, more than any other in history, has adopted the worship of money and regards a transaction that is dealt, not at fair cost, but at the highest possible premium attainable as fair. This view has become so pervasive that to consider this as cheating the sucker has almost been wiped out. Something that I would suggest happens when the cheats are at their zenith.

Many would argue further that the cheats have become so powerful that they have subjugated the structures of social governance and Justice. This perception more than any other naturally gives rise to the number of people who begrudge living under the law and playing by the rules of people who they would regard as the cheats. Thusly, we have:-

THE RISE OF THE GRUDGER

We can see this wherever we look if we become aware of this EESS cycle:-

GRUDGERS: The Truthers, Alex Jones, The Arab Spring (still within a disjoined historic cycle)

CHEATS: Bankers, Rothchilds, Billderbergs

SUCKERS: The Disinterested Public

The list goes on and on…..

There is little excuse for the mindless rioting that recently happened in the UK, August 2011 and we search for the answer to the question “WHY”. This article has been about considering Mr Dawkins analogy of Evolutionary Stable Systems and defining whereabouts modern society is within this cycle. Maybe we should view the riots simply as a symptom of THE RISE OF THE GRUDGER!

If the above makes sense to you, the reader, then would it not be wise for you to look forward and consider how this pervasive cycle affects you, your family, society and mankind.

My view is that with the advent of Global Communications and increasingly homogenous Global communities these cycles are increasing in frequency and growing larger in magnitude.

No doubt, time will tell, or, indeed, per chance, it already has!