In my own life, I do my best to use one set of weights and measures. By that I mean applying the same standard always when judging individuals, businesses, politicians and even nations. There is not a day that passes that we do not see exasperating evidence of double and triple standards being applied. We saw Republican senators recently excoriating a nominee under consideration for Associate Justice of the Supreme Court by senators who previously voted to confirm her! No gloating here, Democrats. Your treatment of Justice Brett Kavanaugh during his Senate Judiciary hearings was not your finest hour either.
The Cleveland Browns recently acquired a superb quarterback,
Deshawn Watson whose 5 year contract will provide him with a miserly
$230,000,000. Presumably, after taxes, he should still have enough to live
comfortably. As everyone in Cleveland
who is breathing knows, Watson is facing 22 civil lawsuits accusing the athlete
of sexual abuse. In fairness, two grand
juries declined to indict him for a criminal offense and Watson has of yet not
been convicted of anything. He denies the allegations. However, the
NFL was sufficiently persuaded of his misconduct that it is expected that he
will be sanctioned by them. I’ll ask
readers to consider how their employers or prospective employers might react if
they faced nearly 2 dozen civil lawsuits for sexual abuse. Let me be the first to respond. In my case, I would expect that my employer
would arrange for a pair of security guards to escort me to my car.
A week before this posting, during the (yawn) Academy Awards
ceremony, actor Will Smith charged the stage and slapped comedian Chris Rock hard
across the face. This wasn’t merely a
demonstration of unrestrained rage and horrible judgement. It was a crime witnessed by millions of
people. Smith returned to his seat and
avoided any consequence either from Academy security personnel or law enforcement. Later on in the ceremony, Smith received his
Oscar award and was seen celebrating later that night. Of course, the Academy promises a ‘full
investigation’, but I think we all know where that will land. A day after he committed assault and battery,
Smith issued a lawyerly apology that was obviously crafted by others.
What would have happened if an ordinary person in the Oscar audience -or anywhere else- stood up and approached another person and slapped him silly without warning? (Here’s a hint. If you’re thinking ejection from the auditorium
followed by arrest, then you’re on the right track here.) Suppose one of my patients arrived 20 minutes
late and I seethe over this disrespect and opt to let my hands do
the talking. Do you think that I would
be permitted, if not encouraged, to continue seeing patients later that day or
ever? More accurately, that would be the
day that my retirement would begin.
Using one set of weights and measures would restore so much
faith in the system and in each other, Many
folk prefer to have multiple sets at their disposal. I guess this depends if
your mission is fairness or to win.
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