Let Them Eat Cake 2 - Feudal America

[rabid1st]

OMG! Here's an open series of statements reflecting an attitude all to common now in our formerly democratic country.

I should say right up front that I used to love Ben Stein. I thought he was effortlessly brilliant on Win Ben Stein's Money. And it was only later when I followed him out into the world at large that he began to seriously appall me. But even in my currently jaded state, I am flabbergasted by this article's references to comments he made about the IMF President accused of assaulting a hotel maid. And here, I don't mean that he defended A MAN, I mean, he defended a class system that should be abhorrent to any American.

Essentially, he is taking the same attitude employed by Feudal overlords for ages; that privileged people should not be expected to follow the rules of the lower classes in society. Important people should be given special treatment, allowed to stay at home under guard rather than be put in prison. Maybe working people shouldn't even be allowed to accuse a special person of a crime, maybe they need two or three lesser people to corroborate an accusation. Maybe rich, special people are just morally superior to poor, working people. I especially enjoyed this comment...

Stein: "In life, events tend to follow patterns. People who commit crimes tend to be criminals, for example. Can anyone tell me any economists who have been convicted of violent sex crimes? Can anyone tell me of any heads of nonprofit international economic entities who have ever been charged and convicted of violent sexual crimes? Is it likely that just by chance this hotel maid found the only one in this category? Maybe Mr. Strauss-Kahn is guilty but if so, he is one of a kind, and criminals are not usually one of a kind."

Yes, I am sure that it is easy for rich and powerful people to intimidate or buy off any witnesses to crimes they commit. Later in the same argument, they talk about the OTHER woman (The French woman) who has come forward after eight years of silence. She's just making up her uncorroborated story, seeking attention or to pile on for the joy of embarrassing an important person. The very idea that somehow being rich and powerful protects you from human weaknesses, is one we have allowed to dominate for far too long. Rich people get away with their crimes and moral lapses. We allow them to do so by avoiding our own responsibilities for maintaining checks on their power. These are not special people given the right to rule by God blessing them with extraordinary moral fortitude. They are people who can afford to work the system that the rest of us keep in place with our complacency.

Here is the article link for you. The author is undoubtedly biased about all of this, as am I...but I focused on the statements made rather than the author's conclusions.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/18/dominique-strauss-kahn-bernard-henri-levy-ben-stein_n_863633.html

Rae

Comments

[jwaneeta.livejournal.com]

It's a good thing the NYPD doesn't share Mr. Stein's opinion.

[rabid1st.livejournal.com]

Yes! Did you see the part where Stein and the other guy tried to insinuate that the NYPD doesn't really have cause to arrest the guy? I mean, yes, there are huge miscarriages of justice going on in the world, but in a case where someone accuses you of a crime and there is some evidence to support their claim, the NYPD is completely entitled to arrest and detain you.

Since my other half does work with Law Enforcement, I happen to know that they don't just arrest people over nothing. Often, it goes the other way and then pundits go on and on about "something needed to be done." I can just imagine what Ben Stein would say if his daughter was raped by someone that was let go for lack of evidence or, you know, three witnesses.

Rae

[np-complete.livejournal.com]

My summary of Stein's editorial was: "How dare they treat such an important man as if he had been credibly accused of a serious crime?! He's not a criminal! If he were, he'd be poorer and darker-skinned!"

OK, he didn't put in that last clause, but it was pretty obvious what he meant.

Amazingly, such behavior doesn't seem as out of place at the IMF as Stein implies: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/20/business/20fund.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1