Patriots fans, George Clooney, and the Republican Party

Don’t get too upset, New Englanders. I know how defensive you can be. I’m just using your football team as an example, certainly not the only example. Yes, to make a point. It is a point that is, I feel, quite difficult to refute. It is about subjectivity….well, not just subjectivity, but the willingness to accept lies and corruption if by doing so, it rewards you in some way, great or small. It might be the “reward” of justifying the right and might of your favorite football team.

Let’s get some background: A couple of years ago Tom Brady, the decorated QB of the New England Patriots, was accused of altering the footballs outside of league rules in order to make them easier to grip during, what was, a cold wet storm that occurred during a playoff game. The Patriots went on to win that game in a blowout but the infraction was discovered and charges were filed with the NFL. It became clear to virtually all non New England Patriots fans that Brady had, in fact, instructed the equipment manager to alter the balls per his directive. It was just as it looked. No, there was no shooter on the grassy knoll. It also became clear that Brady had lied during a press conference when asked about the incident. He had also covered up any evidence of his conversations with those who participated in the alteration of the balls by throwing away those phones.

The only people who truly supported Brady and the Patriots and denounced the league findings, which led to a Brady suspension of 6 games the following year, were New England Patriots fans. It is not possible to know for sure how many of them, through subjective bias, actually believed Brady, and how many accepted in their minds that Brady was lying but were not willing to admit it publicly. To admit that their QB on their favorite team made some dishonest effort to cheat was too difficult a burden for New England fans. After all, they had something to lose by conceding Brady’s efforts to cheat and lie and the subsequent efforts to cover it up. It would impugn the credibility of the New England Patriots. Everyone who had nothing to win or lose by looking at things objectively knew that Brady had cheated, some didn’t care, but they knew that the altering of the pressure in the balls had occurred, and that Brady was lying about it.

Subjectivity can be construed as seeing things through your own lenses….your own bias. In a perfect world subjective views would never get in the way of objective ones, ones that can be proven. If you are a fan of a team and a close call goes for the other team you are likely to be inclined to think that your team got “robbed”, that the call went the wrong way. Conversely, if the close call had gone against the other team they would have felt the same sense of being “robbed”. That is subjectivity in most cases. But, subjectivity is different from a clear rejection of Truth; a situation when you know Truth but you choose to deny it because it serves your agenda.

As stated earlier, for many Patriots fans accepting the Truth about Brady’s actions was too painful to accept so they supported a lie; for other Patriots fans their strong bias made it impossible to see things the way they really are. Either way there are serious implications for our society. Either way we have some work to do. If a person can reject truth for something as inconsequential as who won a football game, then imagine how much easier it is to reject truth when the stakes are much higher.

A few years ago one of George Clooney’s friends was accused of sexual misconduct by two women. These were female employees of Clooney’s friend. Immediately Clooney rushed to the defense of his friend stating categorically that these things couldn’t have happened because "I was with him (his friend) the entire night — as were a lot of people --- they will all say the same thing that I'm saying. This event never happened. Period," Wow, Is Clooney saying this as a knee jerk defense of his friend because he likes his friend? How can Clooney possibly vouch for the behavior of anyone? He can say that his friend is a nice guy (to him) but he can’t in any way account for all of his behavior. That is ridiculous. Is this fair to the accusers? We all know that many men (they all have male friends) sexually assault or abuse women and we all know that "friends" help cover it up. Why is Clooney’s account helpful in any way? He has NO idea what any of his friends are doing for the 99.9% of the time he is not with them. In addition, it is highly inappropriate to speak for everyone else: “they will all say the same thing I am saying”. How presumptuous and arrogant and coercive it is to cite the opinions (unstated) of everyone else that was “there”. I’m not commenting on the guilt or innocence of his friend (not at all), just the appropriateness of Clooney’s forceful comments and how many people he is abandoning when he defends his friend. The Truth doesn't care that you have friends or if you are a celebrity. It doesn't care if you speak forcefully or if you whisper.

Clooney is de facto calling the women accusers liars; that should be offensive to everyone. How can he have any presumption of knowing the truth about this alleged incident? That type of rejection of a woman’s claims has been happening since time began. His loyalties should be to Truth and justice, not to one of his buddies. If Clooney had an adequate respect for women he would have, in my opinion, stated that when he was with his (friend) he (himself) didn’t witness any inappropriate behavior but that he couldn’t vouch for every moment. That is what someone does who is interested in truth---truth about his friend AND truth about these women. Instead, Clooney tried to shoot truth, or the investigation of it, in the head. He wanted to overpower Truth by putting the full weight of his celebrity behind his comments, and by speaking on behalf of other people without their consent. Was Clooney similarly as forthright about what he knew regarding serial sex offender Harvey Weinstein? If not, can we conclude that Clooney is indifferent about the voices of and injustice towards women in these two instances? Do we, all of us, have responsibilities to friends and business associates----- or to Truth?

Ask yourself, if someone accused your father or your brother (or friend) of sexual assault could you deny it categorically?---of course not! We know that even Catholic Priests, hordes of them, have abused children abundantly for centuries and that the church has covered it up. A church! You can't vouch for anyone's behavior. You can only attest to your limited knowledge of it. You could only say that you have never seen this behavior first hand and that you saw nothing in the behavior of your father (or brother, etc.) that was consistent with this claim. Or, if you know they are abusers (like so many “friends” do) then you can speak the Truth about that….or choose to cover it up the way Weinstein’s friends did for decades and decades; the way Cosby's friends, did...the way Spacey's friends did, and Charlie Rose's friends did....the list goes on. You can choose to be an accomplice. As we know, sadly, many people make that choice. Your loyalty should be with truth. Imagine a world where everyone’s greatest loyalty is to truth and not to people, or ideas, or dogma. We are painfully far from that reality.

In watching the Republicans over the course of 2017, and most specifically, as they gathered at the foot of the White House after the recent Tax Bill was passed by a 51 to 48 vote, I couldn’t help but think of just how difficult it is for most of us to acknowledge the Truth and to speak the Truth. If recognizing Truth will damage your personal interests in some way, be it your pocketbook or your dogma, etc., then many people will stumble, to put it mildly. They will find lying as an attractive alternative. I think the Republican party has found this to be their calling card over the last year. This recent tax bill passed has horrible reviews by every independent analysis. It has the lowest (polled) support by the American people of any tax bill in history, yet 51 of 51 Republican Senators voted in support of it. I can assure you that many of these Senators know that this bill is horrible. Many Republicans who were forcefully in opposition to Trump for the last 2 years are now speaking glowingly about him. They are calling him a “truly great leader of our time” and they are recanting all the negative things they said about Trump during the campaign regarding his personal behavior, etc.. They are no longer acknowledging his despicable lies and corruption but are, instead, trying to cover up or dismiss any and all investigations about Trump that may lead to the truth about his obstructing Justice, colluding with the Russians, assaulting women, etc.. In other words, the Republicans in Congress, every single last drop of them, are willing to suppress Truth from the American people if it will serve their personal agenda--an agenda that has them rewarding their huge corporate donors who got them elected. To a man, they don't care what Trump did to get elected or how many laws he broke, crimes he committed, pu**ies he grabbed, or women he raped. Things are getting so filthy that Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah said following the Tax bill vote that “Trump could possibly be at the helm of the greatest presidency in American history, better than Lincoln”. Oh My God (OMG)!! What conclusions should we draw from that statement? Hatch is smart enough to know that if he says that enough, some people will ponder that question and start believing it. He knows that Truth is NOT a very persuasive force in American politics---but emotion is.

Men routinely stand by other men when they are being accused of something by a woman. Football fans tend to see things in a way that favors the best outcome for their team, no matter what. Politicians say whatever they need to say in order to get the ultimate outcome they want. Truth is a nuisance.

Truth is insignificant all too often…It doesn’t even factor. It rarely has a seat at the table. Suppressing Truth is now an institutionalized strategy of the Republican party. It seems like things used to be a touch better than they are now. Over 40 years ago it was Republicans who were unwilling to cover up the lies of Richard Nixon. This led to Nixon’s resignation and a full throated condemnation of the corruption and cover ups that were a hallmark of his Presidency. What has happened since then that the Truth has even less respect by politicians and the American people.

Why isn’t it standard for every citizen of this country to seek out objective truths and stand by truth over anything and everything else. Why isn’t Truth the master and everything else its servant?

Nihilo Sanctum Estne? (Is nothing sacred?)

Until we figure this out, our country will be FAR from “great”. It will be a lie...and its survival cannot be guaranteed.

my opinions.

Food for Thought.....