Wednesday, July 24, 2013

GLASS HOUSES

One of the capital offenses in my personal legal system is self-righteousness. I'm certainly guilty of it sometimes and am happy to be called on it. Another capital offense is making a commercial that isn't either original or amusing or moving and all in the service of honest evaluation. So that means when I'm watching TV that has commercials I change the channel a lot, or if they're covering Anthony Weiner.

I actually accidentally caught some reporter on CNN accusing Weiner's wife of being "ambitious" in the words of someone who supposedly knew her personally.  Can you believe that someone in the journalism profession who managed to make it to the top of the TV world would be using the word "ambition" snidely judgmentally?!

If we are going to judge how well a person might practice their profession based on their personal habits, or compulsions or even addictions (there's some recent studies that show that the brains of persons struggling with "sex addiction" do not show the same reactions to their drug of choice as do say heroin or meth or etc. addicts, but for this post I'll concede the term might fit some people, including me at times) than we shouldn't elect or hire anyone who is overweight and definitely not anyone who is clinically obese because that shows "poor judgment" when it comes to food and exercise. Et-endlessly-cetera.

Now, you could say, as some did, about Chris Christie that you might not vote for him because you're afraid he might die in office from a heart attack due to his weight, but that's different from saying voters shouldn't support Weiner because of his private life, which it turns out at least in street interviews most New Yorkers are not saying.

If I were living in the city still, I'd probably vote for Christine Quinn just to see New York's first Irish lesbian woman mayor. But I liked the policies Weiner voted and fought for as a Congressman and don't see why his sex life has anything to do with it.

6 comments:

JenW said...

My younger sister who's a force of nature often calls me on my idea of "non- judgemental". She says everyone judges- even the most open and understanding individuals make immediate judgements of people/situations based on sensory perceptions & then deeper opinions based on a whole myriad of ones past experiences. I think it's fair to look for important character traits in a person you support since ideals and values ultimately drive their decisions and choices. Truthfulness is important to me so I guess I'm judgemental....(and honesty is becoming even more important to me as I get older- I have less patience for half truths and lies...time is too precious to waste on sorting it all out-)

Lally said...

Good point(s) Jen. But if we're looking at Weiner's sexual internet hijinks as some sort of dishonesty and/or uncontrollable compulsive behavior, like I said, we have to look at the behaviors of others (and ourselves) and see if any of our shortcomings (as others might see them) are equally dishonest or compulsive (which is why I used food compulsions as an example, I swear I'm not gonna eat the whole bag of whatever and then oops it's all gone). I've always at least been pretty honest about my stuff even in my writing, but would that make me better suited as a candidate (not back in the day when others wanted me to run for higher office than the one time I did)? And if Weiner was dishonest with his wife and she has forgiven him why shouldn't I? Is sexual language and imagery on the web worse than Giuliani cheating on his wife and announcing he was leaving her at a press conference where she and her children first learned about it? Or Clinton's extra marital affairs? Or all the men and women I've known thoughout my life who have cheated on each other sexually and cheated on diets and other things they made public commitments to? Life and my friend the late Hubert Selby have taught me you can't have "good" without "bad" and vice versa. (My mother used to say there's a little bit of good in the worst of us and a little bit of bad in the best of us, and I'd say, even Hitler?) The rule of thumb for me is to see how people's actions were intended and how they actually impact the world.

JenW said...

That's a good rule of thumb Michael. Which reminds me to write- I read a preview of Urban Alchemy by Mindy Thompson Fullilove- real solutions to fix problems in communities! Some people do much more good-creating a positive footprint on humanity. I love what Cubby said and get it but still I'd like to try to keep tipping the scale on the good side.

Lally said...

Me too Jen.

JIm said...
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JIm said...
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