The phrase “a rising tide floats all boats” is one of the nice sounding statements that people are expected to believe and to live by. This particular one has been used to make a point: a booming economy will benefit all in society. It’s like saying that the US Government’s stimulus packages are not only a benefit to those that receive stimulus funds but to others in society as businesses begin to do well and trickle down benefits such as new jobs are created, taxes are collected and new funds become available for new investments, and so on. Arizona State University Professor Timothy Tyrrell stated it this way: “The phrase ‘a rising tide floats all boats’ is the unquestioned basis for many economic development strategies. It is assumed that each of the social and environmental goals of a community will be achieved if there is sufficient overall economic growth”.
A closer look at the adage though raises questions about the reliability of adages in general and about this one in particular. To complete the statement as a reflection of reality, it really should read as follows: A rising tide floats all boats … that are sea-worthy”. This version, which I think is a better reflection of reality, means that the rising tide will float the boats of those who had the where-with-all to maintain their vessels in proper sailing condition. Tyrrell then noted that “Unfortunately, not all boats are floated by growth”. He suggested that a better development strategy would be to focus on the individual boats rather than on the tide! In any event, the poorer members of a society are most likely less able to maintain their proverbial boats (e.g., a way to improve their well being).
So, to what extent is the adage about tides and boats really not folk wisdom developed at the grass roots level but is a notion fostered by the elite to maintain control of a society or an economy by providing hope to others whose likelihood for faring better in good times remains as slim as during bad times. In other words this adage is a “feel good” statement perpetuated by those who have resources to provide false hope to those who lack the necessary resources to improve their situation.
Adages are useful as thought-provoking generalizations but in any given situation they can prove to be encouraging but ambiguous at best and misleading at worst. How for example, does one reconcile the messages of “Look before you leap” and “He who hesitates is lost”.
“A rising tide floats all boats” sounds promising at first blush but does not hold up for all circumstances under closer scrutiny. This and other adages, generalizations or aphorisms are not unlike horoscopes in that they suggest to the reader that the message applies to his/her life. The general public must be taught to better understand as well as challenge such generalizations that emanate from political leaders around the globe. Societies need to hear more do-good statements rather than feel-good ones.
The image above was for a conference hosted by the California College of the Arts and Stanford University. It was designed to bring “together creative professionals, scholars and students to engage in conversations and debates about the intersections of ethics, aesthetics, and environmentalism”. Perhaps, it is time for a similar type of conference about the notion of “tides and rising boats” applied to the impacts of scores of concepts that have been bandied about for the past several decades for economic development of developing countries .