What The Hell Is Wrong With Us?

Really.

The title is not rhetorical. What better day to ask that than today? Well, I guess if you don't ask today, you still have tomorrow. But I wouldn't take it for granted. So how about today? What the hell is wrong with us? I can think of two things: pretending we're good and apologizing rather than repenting when we can no longer pretend. Oh I'm sure that's not all- but I bet confessing those two things would go a long way in clearing the brush towards others.

If you live under a rock, or are someone who avoids the media because you are too cool for TV or figure avoiding the media somehow preserves your soul (what are you doing reading this?) you may not know that a Florida Congressman has resigned amid evidence of sexually harassing (at least) children participating in the Congressional Page program. Now you know. There, you still get to live under a rock and stay cool (though reading my interblog is very not cool), however, I cannot speak to the purity of your soul. But at least you know.

I've heard a couple of people, almost gleefully, point out the irony of a man so wrapped up in issues of combatting pedophilia himself being caught as a pedophile. I'm sure that is ironic- or maybe "justice of the unicorn." But I don't know that the irony matters all that much- especially if pointing out the irony is some veiled way of saying "See, nobody should tell anybody else that 'such and such' is bad."

There does seem to be a weird phenomenon of people harping on that which is secretly killing them- I may secretly be struggling with being a closet Republican. Perhaps. That's something, but not what I particularly care about right now. Right now it's those other things that stand out to me.

At first, Mark Foley said questions about his emails and relationships with pages were part of a despicable and desperate attack by his opponent. Of course, as is the case in many instances of sexual assault, upon hearing the news, other victims felt emboldened to speak when they realized they weren't alone and someone else could go to bat for them. So more kids did come forward and Foley resigned. Foley resigned, offered a vague apology and said he has checked himself into rehab. That's great if he's an alcoholic, but what does that have to do with harassing Congressional pages? If I get drunk, I start talking too loud.

He's not the first alcoholic so that's a lame defense. Unless of course every alcoholic is also a sexual predator (just so you know- they're not). The move seems to be made for locating the responsibility for who and what he is somewhere other than with him- it's the booze. Even that doesn't understand what is at the core of 12 Step style rehabs- you're the problem- not the booze.

Where do we get this idea that bad actions somehow originate from someone other than our selves? Oh, that's silly, I have an idea of its origin. But I wish we could stop being confused about what it is to be good. I'm a good person, I just happened to use my position of power to stalk children, I'm a good person, I just bully the one person of color in the room, I'm a good person, I just lie a lot. And when finally caught- we have some sort of defense to offer: I was drunk, I didn't know a confederate flag meant that, I'm protecting your family, Matt. We offer an apology; not repentance.

The other thing is, it seems that many people in power knew Mark Foley was the Congressman to avoid in the page program. It seems that there is an understanding that there are a few congress-people you don't want to serve under. But for the sake of covering your own- or at least your party's- ass, people looked the other way. For the sake of team spirit, people looked the other way while who knows what was/is going on. For the sake of team spirit we call torture interrogation (ha ha I threw it in).

Again that horrible sensibility has reared its head: when we do it, it's okay; and if it's too horrible to even pretend it's not, then we'll just look the other way or give it another name.

So there we go. How's your soul? How is our soul? How's my heavy handed harangue? Ohh, how's my alliteration?

Oh, and Reading won.

If I Wasn't Upset Before... I Have a Bill Moyers Interview In My Podcast Queue
Something -The Beatles
The 59th Street Bridge -Simon and Garfunkle
Oye Como Va -Tito Puente
I'll Be Your Baby -Bob Dylan
Black Math -The White Stripes
I Like Food -Descendants
London Calling -The Clash
Flamenco Sketches -Miles Davis