Editorial: The utopia of the complaint-driven society

The utopia of the ?complaint-driven society|

“I’ve no complaints – and it’s overrated, that’s for sure” – Beck, “No Complaints”

David Cook said something that caught my ear at last week’s Sonoma City Council meeting. It was during an explanation of his vote to send the leaf blower issue to the ballot, when the Mayor referred to living in a “complaint-driven society.”

There was no indication he meant it in a derogatory manner; he was merely describing the reactionary way Sonoma city officials often find themselves dealing with community problems.

But it brings up an intriguing question nonetheless: do people these days complain more about things that previous generations would have simply put up with for the sake of community harmony?

Contemporary situations always seem more, er, “inundated,” with negative vibes than the old days, so it’s a natural response to think, “Yeah, what a bunch of entitled suburban whiners we’ve become.” But it’s not necessarily the case.

Still, it’s difficult to scan the Sonoma City Council’s most pressing agenda items of the past year and not find many of them as “complaint-driven” issues: short-term vacation rentals, dog-walking on open space trails, teeth-strengthening fluoride in the water, food-and-wine events in residential neighborhoods, the list goes on.

And that’s not to suggest city councils shouldn’t address such problems – quality of life often comes down to the willingness of government to limit others from infringing upon our various pursuits of happiness. (Whether that pursuit is to enjoy a peaceful home life unencumbered by raucous weekenders renting a party house next door, or whether it’s the ability to rent one’s in-law unit for a modest second income, is where things get sticky.)

Yet, Councilmember Gary Edwards commented at the Oct. 5 meeting that he looked forward to putting such issues as the leaf-blower debate to rest so the council could finally deal with, oh let’s see, the supposed housing crisis, for instance. And one could imagine much of the town nodding vehemently in agreement.

But what if, despite all the evidence to the contrary, a complaint-driven society is actually a happier, healthier social unit? That’s partly the findings of a study published in the April 2014 issue of “The Journal of Social Psychology.” The paper, “Pet Peeves and Happiness: How Do People Complain?,” was authored by Robin Kowalski, and affiliates, from Clemson University. They found, among other things, that people who have a complaint – and can identify the proper outlet for, and outcome of, the complaint – are typically happier, more mindful and enjoy a higher self esteem than others.

At least that’s the case when there’s a “strategic nature” to the complaint, says Kowalski. “It’s all about... knowing when to complain and to whom.”

Their thesis concludes the obvious: people like to complain – that’s why, to some degree, everybody does it.

Therefore, Sonoma complainer-haters, having things to gripe about isn’t entirely without its benefit.

Or, as blogger Jericho commented upon the release of the Clemson study: “Hell, if (complaining) is that effective, most Americans are going to live to 130.”

Email Jason at jason.walsh@sonomanews.com.

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