Issues
When Compassion and Moral Hazard Collide
What Happens When You Try to Help and Just Make the Problem Worse?
People defecating on the public Park Blocks in downtown Eugene, the site of the popular Saturday Market, has led the city to indefinitely cordon off two areas.
During the past week, several piles of human feces were found on a lawn and a landscaped area on the east Park Block, at Eighth Avenue and Oak Street, said Jeff Perry, the city’s facilities director.
People also had urinated there, creating potential health hazards, he said.
The Register Guard, August 24, 2013
Compassion’s an admirable human emotion – it tells us to respond to suffering and help when we can.
But compassion is still an emotion, like anger or sorrow. Left unchecked it runs away with us, making us do things that actually bring on harm.
Moral hazard occurs when our attempts to do good create incentives that encourage people to engage in destructive behavior.
Could we be witnessing moral hazard as a result of knee jerk compassion as we try to give transients a place to sleep in Eugene? Are we encouraging destructive behavior? We think it’s worth considering.
By designating a “safe” camping ground downtown we’ve made it easy for transients to (you guessed it) camp downtown. This will result in more campers because it’s convenient and safe. Making it easier to leave home and camp will inevitably draw in those who sort of wanted to camp but didn’t know where.
The result? More people who have to use a bathroom, resulting in a health hazard to Saturday Market vendors and customers.
We’re not taking sides here. But we are asking Eugene and Lane County officials to consider the probable results of what they see as compassion.
