Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Another inconvenient truth

"You’ll find lurking in every media-maximized sex scandal a man who feels himself in one way or another above the law. ... There is a common thread between the sordid Sandusky business and Herman Cain’s outrageous behavior when confronted with charges of serial sexual harassment: Power and the belief in one’s invincibility make for a dangerous elixir. ... The question that these stories of sexual misconduct raise is a peculiarly American one: Why do our people handle such episodes so badly? The answer lies in the public’s inability to reconcile an admiration for powerful men and powerful institutions with its inevitable consequence of corruption. Blind trust and unalloyed admiration create the atmosphere for abuses of power, for covering up misconduct, and even excusing it when it is revealed." (Andrew Burstein and Nancy Isenberg, "Less than a few good men," Salon)

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