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I wrote a few years back about racism. There I made a seemingly pedantic distinction between racists and people who are racist. I argued that some people may hold racist beliefs, but do not act on them. They could be described as racist. But people who define themselves this way and act as such, could be called racists. These are subtle yet important nuances.
Similarly, I see the idea of corruption as needing a closer inspection.
As we see more and more institutions across the globe lose credibility due to accusations of corruption, it's easy to cynically believe that everyone and everything on the planet is corrupt by nature. From religious institutions to federal state and local governments, businesses, sports leagues, and courts, we have seen serious accusations sully the names of our formerly most trusted institutions. At such times, we are prone to follow and empower demagogues who would gain and consolidate power by focusing our attention on this corruption. What demagogues never tell us is that they are even worse and will not solve the issues they bemoan. They seek only power and are usually running from accountability for their illegal and immoral actions.
But witnessing the corrupting of our institutions in real time (often by the demagogue) shows us distinction and nuance. We see these institutions being poisoned in real time by monied interests as opposed to being corrupt by nature. This is a subtle yet profound distinction. Consequently, would-be autocrats use demagoguery to influence us to believe that all politicians and all institutions are corrupt by nature. This is sleight of hand. This is designed to muddy the waters because they themselves are seeking power by corrupt means and for nefarious purposes.
So if we come to believe that everyone and everything is corrupt, we’ll feel overwhelmed, give up and look for the strongest among the criminals to lead us. Guess who that would be? Especially when other nations have an autocrat, we can capitulate to our own strong man and stand behind him as he supposedly champions us against these others. And a global domino effect can ensue. This is the ultimate nightmare scenario: a cascade into a scheme where mafia bosses carve up the world into spheres of influence for the sake of each dictator/don. We already have such bosses in China, Russia, North Korea, Iran, Hungary, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia.
An example of real-time corruption and disintegration of public trust is the current US Supreme Court. I had never thought of the Supreme Court as a corrupt institution. I thought they made some bad decisions at times, but I blamed that on an ideologue or two swaying enough members to vote in their favor. I always believed that these men and women were making their decisions in good faith. I certainly never thought of these men and women as overt partisans until recently.
Recent decisions like: Citizens United, the Chevron doctrine, overturning Roe V Wade and the eye-popping presidential immunity decision, among others, has many of us taking notice. Hearing of Justice Thomas’ $4 million windfall from a wealthy conservative donor with business before the court and connections to the Justice’s wife and her non-profit would be the scandal of the century in less momentous times. Justice Alito’s flag debacle, the Chief Justice refusing to meet with Congress or the White House and still other strange decisions have led many to dig deeper and learn about the Court and its history.
The implications of these events and circumstances are staggering. They are unwelcome and present grave danger to our nation and our way of life. But the silver lining in the dark clouds of this gathering storm is that we can see the corruption of our highest court happening in real time. We see the court being corrupted before our eyes: the big moneyed interests bribing a Supreme Court Justice. The Justice is now beholden to his rich benefactor. He refuses to recuse himself for cases where there is an obvious conflict of interest. The other Justice who is so partisan that he flies flags of insurrection at his home, not even feigning impartiality. This is uncharted territory.
But seeing this happen puts the lie to the idea that this institution is just corrupt old white men doing what they will. We must remember our history. The Supreme Court is the same institution that ruled to desegregate schools under the Warren Court in 1954’s Brown vs Board of Education decision. This decision fueled the Civil Rights Movement which effectively toppled Jim Crow Laws across the South in the 50s and 60s.
But those who would corrupt our courts, our Congress and our Presidency will continue to do so by bribing these politicians with money, prestige and influence. Thus, we can and must reform our Supreme Court with a code of ethics, potential term limits, and other measures. We are a nation with a long and strong history of reform. We can do this. We must. But we can only succeed if we start with the basic belief that our nation, our government, our society and our institutions are salvageable.
To believe otherwise is to capitulate to the demagogue and his bleak view of our civilization, our institutions and by extension, his view of us. Let’s remember that our government and institutions are just a collection of us. We hire these people to represent us, to serve us, to stand for us. If they are corrupt, if they are broken, then so are we. I reject that notion wholeheartedly.
We are easily fooled. We are motivated by self-interest, yes. But we also feed homeless people. And we take in stray animals. And we forgive. We plant crops to feed each other. We reach out to former enemies. We risk our lives in service of ideals. We are not our lowest drives, even if there are those who would convince us otherwise.
Beware those who would convince you of the fallen nature of our institutions. At the core of this argument is a dagger pointed at your heart. It whispers disempowering lies. But we have agency and can develop discernment. We can rehabilitate our view of ourselves and our brothers and sisters by right action. We can and must believe in our good nature but more importantly, in our ability to change and grow and rise to the occasion.
The occasion has arrived. What will you do with it?
