We’ve been hearing ad nauseam that the west in general and America specifically is systemically racist, among other things. The argument is that while explicit forms of racism (or any other form of explicit discrimination or oppression) aren’t widely socially acceptable any more, the system itself, from the schoolhouse to the courthouse, is rotten and racist to its core. As such, any disparity among white people and people of color is evidence of the racism inherent in the system. Just don’t think too much about this when the disparity favors a non-white group like Asian Americans or Jewish Americans. (See The Unholy Trinity Part 2 for more on this)
While we should challenge the assumption that disparities among groups must mean the system itself is inherently discriminatory, we should not ignore the problems with the system. One problem is that too many “public servants” belong to an aristocratic, semi-permanent ruling class who operate by a different set of rules while forcing the rest of us to do as they say. I call this problem systemic hypocrisy.
Ever since mayors, governors, Congress, and the White House have been issuing stay at home orders, mask mandates, and guidance on social distancing these same elites, news reels and cell phone footage has shown how those who issue these edicts do not abide by them.
From Gov. Gavin Newsome’s private dinner at The French Laundry, Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s and Rep. Nancy Pelosi’s haircuts, and Gov. Gretchen Whitmore’s husband trying to use his wife’s position to go boating, to President Obama’s maskless, overcrowded birthday party, the elite continue to shame the rest of us while they blatantly violate their own orders and recommendations. And did you know that Congress is exempt from the national vaccine mandate Biden proposed?
It would be one thing if those caught violating their own orders actually received the same punishment as everyone else, or recognize how misguided their policies were in the first place. But they don’t. Instead, they deflect and blame us. And the problem is more “systemic” than elected officials violating their own lockdown orders.
1. Hypocrisy isn’t just mask deep.
Systemic hypocrisy goes beyond the order and edicts issued in response to COVID-19. If one party or politician wins an election, it’s valid, but if the one who should have won loses, then the system is rigged. Only some are allowed to say that a duly elected official is “not my president” or “not my governor,” but the other side is denying the outcome of a vital part of our democracy if they do the same.
And it’s clear that for many elites, the biggest concerns about electoral reforms are how they will affect the elites’ party’s chances of being victorious. As important as having valid, trustworthy elections regardless of who wins (which is something we don’t really have anymore), that’s just the beginning.
None of us can engage in cultural appropriation, while some like the governor of Virginia can have pictures surface of him being in blackface and get away with it politically. We would have the IRS down our throats if we fail to file our taxes on time, but members of Congress seem to get a pass during the 2020 insider trading scandal.
Our leaders seem to have an emboldened do-as-say-I-command,-not as-I-do air about them as of late, and enough is enough.
2. Some values are becoming flexible because the ends justify the ends.
Elected officials take an oath to defend the Constitution “against all enemies, foreign and domestic” when they take office. The Constitution, of course, includes the government’s powers and responsibilities as well as the rights of American citizens. And when the government thinks that it has a compelling interest to limit citizens’ rights, it must abide by the doctrine of strict scrutiny. This doctrine means that the burden is on the government to argue convincingly of the need to limit rights and those rights limitations must be as narrow as possible.
Do we really think that the government has followed this doctrine and made a compelling case for its edicts that violate our basic rights? Has it really limited its infringements on our rights during the War on Terror or the COVID-19 pandemic? Of course not. In fact, we’ve been told that the exercise of our inherent rights is selfish (see What Do Your Rights Have to Do with It? ). But again, the powerful can break all their own lockdown edicts, so what’s it to them?
What’s more, any news story, medical professional, or social media post that challenges “the science” (Can We Handle the Truth? ) or undermines the elites’ New PR campaign is censored and flagged as “misinformation.” At the same time, Dr. Fauci and others can contradict themselves, flip flop regularly, and mislead the public (see this on Dr. Fauci’s emails).
So, those in charge not only get to circumvent our First Amendment rights, the very ones elected officials swore to protect, by silencing dissent they call “misinformation.” They also don’t abide by their own standards of truth. The hypocritic force is strong with these ones!
3. Rule of law is eroding.
While our democratic republic is not supposed to eliminate the economic differences among us, nor does it deny that some citizens will have more power than others, our republic should guarantee that we all abide by the same laws.
Anyone who’s been paying attention knows that those in power play by a different set of rules. Just think about how long it took for Harvey Weinstein to be held accountable and what happened with Jeffrey Epstein and his associates.
And then think about this. If Hunter Biden were your son, he’d be imprisoned for lying on his application for a firearm. And if any of us lied under oath to Congress, we’d be in serious trouble, but bigwigs like former CIA director James Clapper, former FBI director James Comey, Hillary Clinton, the CIA in regards to torture during the Bush Administration’s War on Terror, etc. get away with it, no problem.
Those in office have far more power than their position should actually allow. Every American from the White House to the housing projects has the same rights and should be punished the same way if they commit the same crimes. Too many of our ruling class get away with crimes that would destroy the rest of us, and they claim to be public servants. It is pure hypocrisy for those who are tasked with creating and enforcing laws to violate those very laws and avoid any real consequences.
Parting Thoughts
Instead of pointing partisan fingers, we must recognize that this systemic hypocrisy is a problem of power. Let us not forget the saying: “power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Those in power are already corrupted, and the systemic hypocrisy described here is only the tip of a larger iceberg that I’m sure I don’t see fully. So, let’s think of ways to devest the government of its ridiculous power grabs instead of giving it more undue authority.
As Spiderman’s uncle said, “With great power comes great responsibility.” Our leaders’ most basic responsibility is to live under the laws they create and enforce. If they are unwilling to do so, they don’t deserve to lead.
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