A president cheats on his wife, then lies about it. A speaker of the House makes thousands of dollars in an illegal book deal. Both political parties are caught trying to sneak campaign contributions under the table... Every time we open the morning paper, another scandal has been exposed, another political savior has fallen to earth, another mess has to be mopped up. With each exposé, the state of American politics seems to have sunk to an all-new low.
Yet somehow we always remain optimistic. Each time another leader's misdeed is unearthed, we sigh, punish the offending politician, and hope for the best, believing that his behavior will be an anomaly, and that our system will march onward. But if these ethical lapses are simply apparitions, just blips on our collective moral radar screen, why do they occur with such regularity? Shouldn't the country be able to discover leaders immune to such failures?
Instead, those placed in power repeat the errors of their predecessors, sometimes in even more serious ways. We seem to have a knack for choosing new leaders with the same fatal flaws as the old ones. Are these leaders being corrupted by a morally bankrupt system, or is the pool of candidates for public service so shallow that all we can find are bottom feeders? The answer to all these questions is quite simple yet, at the same time, difficult for many to accept. For the root of the problem is this: Political leaders, like all men, have a basic propensity towards evil. In theological circles, this concept is known as "inherent sin nature," but it doesn't matter how you put it - men are basically selfish, greedy, lecherous, nasty little fellows.
This corrupt personality is nothing new. It was well diagnosed long ago by no less a mind than that of Plato. "How charming people are!" he wrote in his Republic, "Always doctoring, increasing and complicating their disorders, fancying they will be cured by some nostrum which somebody advises them to try, never getting better, but always growing worse. ... Are they not as good as a play, trying their hand at legislation, and imagining that by reforms they will make an end to the dishonesties and rascalities of mankind - not knowing that in reality they are cutting away at the head of a hydra?"
Power, then, does not create man's nasty character.
"Take Cover!" This phrase was used daily as the citizens of Vicksburg scattered from the raining of mortars by Union guns. Vicksburg, Mississippi is a city in the heartland of the deep South. It sits on high bluffs overlooking the Mississippi River near the mouth of the Yazoo River. Settled in 1790, Vicksburg was and is an important shipping and trading center (Leonard 40). During the Civil War, Vicksburg was a key factor in the control of the entire Mississippi River. After the surrender of Natchez, Baton Rouge, and New Orleans, the Union wanted Vicksburg. The city wouldn't go easy. "Mississippians don't know, and refuse to learn how to surrender…"(Ward 420). Confederates fortified it with guns and field artillery to keep the city out of the Union's hands. The Union knew it wasn't going to be easy. In the siege of Vicksburg, Farragut tried to take the city, Grant took over, and he seized the city.
The African-American Years: Chronologies of American History and Experience. Ed. Gabriel Burns Stepto. New York: Charles Scribner 's Sons, 2003.
Society relies on political leaders to make the right choices and protect the citizen. Many times, political leaders can become corrupt and abuse their power. For example, people might put their trust into a president but ultimately have that trust broken by something like the Watergate Scandal. The Watergate Scandal refers to several scandals involving President Nixon and committee members close to him from 1972 to 1974. Nixon was secretly taping white house conversations and stealing documents. On an early June morning in 1972 several people were arrested in connection with Nixon. Although the president’s actions did not come to light for another two years, Society’s view of political leaders changed. Americans were shocked when his actions were revealed, “Although Nixon was never prosecuted, the Watergate scandal changed American politics forever, leading many Americans to question their leadership and think more critically about the preside...
When you think of morality in leadership you think not being followed, but leaders aiming to serve. Leaders who do not showcase their own skills, but demonstrate that they can do whats right for society. Morality in leadership is not about rank – any person holding any position can be a moral leader, but such individuals are always characterized by a deep sense of ethics, are driven by core ideals (such as justice) and are motivated by the pursuit of a higher purpose. Nonetheless, this is not the same personality that we associate with the world's greatest leaders, the abnormal ones. The most powerful minds with the most twisted thoughts and morals. Thomas Mann of University of Michigan stated that psychopaths know right from wrong, but they frankly do not
People are fascinated by the appeal of drama and scandalous behavior. If you look at any form of media today, it is engulfed by rumors, gossip, and questionable reports. We as Americans are so entertained by the wrong- doings of others, there is now even a popular TV show, Scandal, written about fictional impropriety taking place in the White House. One of the most well-known political disgraces in the history of the United States is the Watergate Scandal, which took place under President Richard Nixon in the summer of 1972. The scandal completely changed an entire generation of Americans’ view of the government and politicians.
...tler is a prime example for this. He was a brilliant man who knew how to speak eloquently and persuade a nation into transforming a government into a dictatorship. He was also able to gain Germany’s support for World War II and unfortunately, the genocide of the global Jewish community. Chancellor Palpatine and Adolf Hitler seem to be very much alike. Both men had the knowledge and power to manipulate people to achieve whatever they desired. Both men’s lust for power is what led to their corrupt. Their desire for absolute power is what made these men evil and a threat to liberty. I hope that the world will be able to learn from the past and prevent another corrupt politician from coming to power again.
...nd innocent villagers of My Lai, it was a time when American’s questioned their own as being “bad guys” or “good guys”. Were America’s tortuous and cruel acts to be considered patriotic or dishonorable? Some Americans, with bitter feelings for all the American lives lost in the Vietnam War, gave credit to Lieutenant Calley for leading troops in participating in such an atrocious event. History shows that there is still much debate on some facts of the massacre and many stories and opinions, although we will never know the facts exactly, what we do know is that America will never forget this tragic event, it will be talked about in American History for many years to come, and the Vietminh hearts will always fill with sadness when they think of the many lives that were lost on that tragic day in history, their minds will always have unspeakable memories of that day.
Politics can be a stressful topic all over the world for a variety of reasons. The most obvious is whether the people elected will actually fulfill their promises and show that they are being honest and trustworthy. Unfortunately, it is more likely than ever that they will deceive the people instead. Artifice can be essential in political theater as well as consumer culture so I agree with Chris Hedges’ statement. A myriad of people have used it to gain fame, money, or power, and eventually abuse it. This can lead to disastrous situations because they might not be qualified for the job. They just need to capture the audience’s attention and woo them into believing their facade. The audience looks for that story in political leaders, waiting for the promises of a better future in their country.
The time has come again to celebrate the achievements of all black men and women who have chipped in to form the Black society. There are television programs about the African Queens and Kings who never set sail for America, but are acknowledged as the pillars of our identity. In addition, our black school children finally get to hear about the history of their ancestors instead of hearing about Columbus and the founding of America. The great founding of America briefly includes the slavery period and the Antebellum south, but readily excludes both black men and women, such as George Washington Carver, Langston Hughes, and Mary Bethune. These men and women have contributed greatly to American society. However, many of us only know brief histories regarding these excellent black men and women, because many of our teachers have posters with brief synopses describing the achievements of such men and women. The Black students at this University need to realize that the accomplishments of African Americans cannot be limited to one month per year, but should be recognized everyday of every year both in our schools and in our homes.
The aspect of African-American Studies is key to the lives of African-Americans and those involved with the welfare of the race. African-American Studies is the systematic and critical study of the multidimensional aspects of Black thought and practice in their current and historical unfolding (Karenga, 21). African-American Studies exposes students to the experiences of African-American people and others of African descent. It allows the promotion and sharing of the African-American culture. However, the concept of African-American Studies, like many other studies that focus on a specific group, gender, and/or creed, poses problems. Therefore, African-American Studies must overcome the obstacles in order to improve the state of being for African-Americans.
Our political system has always been incorporated with corruption; it is functional to the system. The system’s flawed manner is to reproduce itself. Corruption has plagued society. It is the torment of the people, the land weeping, and the disorder of society. These three political leaders started off with accomplishments that were great and benefited our nation. But all three were overshadowed by their mistakes and scandals. This in fact has led to my conclusion that history does not repeat itself but instead counterpart each other that each led to suffering.
The Roman Republic was founded in 509 BC after the ruling Tarquins abused their extensive power as monarchs and were overthrown. The goal of the Roman Republic was to have a strong government, governed equally by the patricians and the plebians, and to avoid another Roman Monarchy. For years Rome was guided by great men, such as Cincinnatus and Scipio Africanus, who led the Republic through hard times, conquering such enemies as the Etruscans and the Carthaginians. Large-scale war united Roman society in its common goals. However, after Scipio’s victory at Zama in 202 BC, a new Roman world began to take shape. Roman soldiers returned home from their victory to find that they could not pay for their farms, becoming “squatters” on their own lands after having to sell them to richer men. The Senate became corrupted, and despite the Gracchi brothers’ best efforts, the rich patricians soon monopolized nearly all aspects of the Republic, from trading and “farming” to governing the people. After marching on Rome, Sulla became dictator in 82 BC. After Sulla, the First Triumvirate: Pompey, Crassus, and Caesar, owned virtually all power in Rome, yet each had his own desire to defeat the other two and become Emperor. When Crassus died in battle, Caesar had his chance. He defeated Pompey and marched on Rome, victorious. After declaring himself Dictator for Life, Caesar was assassinated, and another Civ...
Election campaigns require tremedous financial resources, so bought-and-paid-for politicians are servants of a financial aristocracy and not rather representatives of the American people.
One question that many politicians ask now in our time, why citizens do not take more interest in politics and public policy? A question that is not asked very often until something major occur that will effect us as an individual. As an uprising politician of the community and as a youth leader, I find already that it will be very difficult to grasp the attention of the people when it comes to politics. From all of the news media outlets, to magazines and newspapers, politics has been pulled into a bubble of being a bad thing. Most of the time you often hear when politics is discussed, its dirty, they are all liars and they do whatever they want so why do we get involved?
As we begin to delve into the source of power corruption we first have to look at the person’s character. As found in research by Katherine A. DeCelles and her colleagues people with low morality or character resulted in them responding badly to power, while those with high morality or character responded much better to power. Even though this was on a fairly small scale character is still a very important part in not only choosing a leader, but also judging how they will respond to power. However just because you have good character