“I read the news today, Oh Boy”: Murder, Swindling, and
Cheating
Another school shooting. . . The
trial of a young woman who murdered her
two children. . . Political
kickbacks. . . Intrigue in the
workplace. . . Elderly people abused or manipulated. .
.The moral corruption continues throughout the news media and in our personal
lives.
Some
people shudder when I use the term “moral.”
Please understand that I am not some prude. No, I realize that moral
values often vary with a person’s background, religious upbringing, or cultural
perspective; however, most sane people probably can come to some agreement
regarding ethical conduct that encompasses shared values. If we agree, let me ask this question: When
did we all become so damned crazy? If you don’t agree, tune me out, but I think
many of us will agree that we live in a world that has derailed or that turns
limply on its axis. Today’s news was full of crazy, often sick people. The
New Orleans Advocate ran a front-page story on a young woman who murdered
her children so they wouldn’t grow up as she did—struggling in the grip of
poverty. The newspaper depicted a jury
entranced by the confession she provided a New Orleans police detective,
hanging on the gory details of the case. What will happen to that young woman,
so clearly disturbed? We can all judge her. Surely we would never kill our
children and described the murder in such coherent but irrational lunacy to a
NOPD cop. The woman must be a freak or cold-blooded murderer, or—MAYBE, just
maybe she was a person without hope, living in a roach-infested home in Gert
Town with two children she could barely feed. Remember Sethe in Beloved?
She’d rather her kids die then live in slavery. Maybe the poverty to which this
young woman was consigned was akin to the kind of slavery facing Sethe, the
escaped slave.
Then,
yet another school shooting dominated the later headlines of the day. A disturbed young man opened fire in a school
cafeteria, killing one young girl before turning the gun on himself. Sweet
Jesus, I remember Columbine and Newtown.
The faces of Newtown’s children and Columbine’s teens--of hero teachers
that look like kids themselves--still haunt me. When did we get so crazy that
we had to take a gun to people who disappointed us or hurt us? My mother used
to tell me of strict nuns who put the boxing gloves on the boys who had
conflicts and told them to settle it before coming back to class. Hell, I respect those old nuns. Fight out
your problems according to the laws of boxing, settle it, and return acting
like gentlemen. Even in my days at school, students fought like dogs, but we
didn’t use guns. In fact, in a few
hours, we soon reconciled. When did our
society so fail children that they now feel the only way to resolve a dispute
is with murder? Did we give them so much that they can’t stand failure? Did we
take away their work ethic so that the minute they no longer had what they
wanted, they reacted not only like brats but also like killing thugs?
Of
course, not all types of moral corruption end in murder—at least not directly.
In Louisiana, one politician is currently under scrutiny because he allegedly
was too rough in the sack with his soon-to-be-ex-wife. Still, others say the
whips and chains were consensual and the wife only wants a big payday. Who’s lying? Who knows? Frankly, who cares? This whole sordid story
is an example of mini-murder—of people so consumed with themselves that truth,
privacy, or compassion have fallen victim to greed and lust.
But
are these tales of murder and mayhem any different from the stories we hear of
people who manipulate or defraud others through intimidation or fear? Are they ultimately
different from the murderers or rapists when these cheaters use or intimidate
lonely, elderly people into submission, reaping the monetary rewards of their
dishonesty? Are the murderers and
rapists motivated by a different mentality than those employers who abuse their
employees? Are they different from opportunistic, younger employees who hope to
oust older people from their jobs, starving them in the process? Yes, I know
these crimes are different in degree. Some can be classified as minor and some
as capital, but my point is that the motivation is the same. Too many people are motivated by selfishness
and the desire to remove anything or anyone they see as inconsequential, mere
bugs on their way to success or comfort. Too many are willing to brainwash or
manipulate others into their way of thinking, even if it means people
suffer.
I
read the news today, oh boy. . .