Ah, human nature. Of
course, “man” never learns the cost of arrogance except in retrospect.
The comeuppance of star Fox New broadcaster Bill O’Reilly,
accompanied with glee by those on the left, was inevitable if one credits any
of the reports of his sexual harassment or boorishness on the job. With as many enemies as he has, the conduct
of which he was accused provided ammunition to those who knew of it. In effect, O’Reilly gave the women a time
bomb to blow up in his face when - and if - they chose to do so.
For those normal, regular people unaware of the power of
arrogance, it seems incredible that a person would put himself in such a
vulnerable position. Wouldn’t the fear
of exposure for such an influential person be deterrence enough for him to
“mind his manners”?
One on level, you’d certainly think so. Yet, since time immemorial, it hasn’t. Think of the Greek tragedies. In more recent times, how about Bill Clinton
and Monica Lewinsky, the young White House intern? Truly, examples throughout history are
legion.
So why do “they” still do it?
The following expression of 19th century British
statesman Lord Acton, although with a different objective, is readily
applicable: “Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”
Why would a Bill O’Reilly or a Bill Clinton take the risks
they did? Simple, they didn’t consider
them as such. Arrogant people don’t
think in terms of the rest of us, weighing risks versus benefits, let alone
“right” versus “wrong”. And their
conduct isn’t a matter of compulsive behavior (“I couldn’t help myself”). Typically, truly arrogant individuals who
have been so successful (or delude themselves into such a belief) conclude
rules or checks on conduct don’t apply to them.
They consider themselves entitled to act as they please without negative
consequences. Arrogant people do,
indeed, view themselves as untouchable and are genuinely shocked when rules observed
by others are applied to them.
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