With the metaphor used in the title, the reference is to social characteristics or facts (as Durkheim would say) that we ignore or underestimate despite their existence, whether due to ideological reasons, historical amnesia, or flawed developmental patterns. In relation to the uncertainty of the welfare state - the most important social science innovation of the 20th century – several such “blind spots” have accumulated in Slovenia's development. In addition to those listed in the introduction of this text, the following contribution focuses on the three most significant ones: prejudice, costs, and values. In Slovenia, prejudice against the welfare state and its users has intensified to such an extent that, in terms of its expression, we exceed both the European average and the average of former socialist countries, despite the latter being higher than the EU average. The second “blind spot,” which poses a danger to the future of the welfare state, is its expenditure, where we stand out within the EU in an anorexic direction. Since independence, we have been significantly underfunded in terms of total state expenditure and within its individual sectors, as we have never set a goal to rise (at least) to the EU average. The third danger concerns a set of values that the authors of the Frankfurt School identified as components of the authoritarian personality. In these, too, we are markedly above the European average.

Rights