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Mar 3, 2004 I’m shocked, shocked that some of our professional athletes apparently have been taking steroids to enhance their performance. Why would anyone risk their health for, say 30 or 40 million dollars per year? It makes me laugh out loud when I see a league official on television either defending the integrity of their league or feigning no knowledge of the abuses taking place in professional sports. It would be like me acting surprised if the authorities discovered a crack lab in my living room. It’s my belief that whenever a person in a high paid position that requires brains and savvy appears dumbfounded by events that an idiot could have recognized, they are lying. I’m talking about the top honchos in professional sports, politics, fortune 500 corporations, and all levels of government. The main problem, as I see it, is that our society has come to view lying as acceptable. If a best friend lies to you, your reaction is one of outrage. However if a presidential candidate tells a whopper—oh well, they all do it. It reminds me of the old joke; “why does a dog lick his privates—because he can!” Not good enough! Of course, turning lying, cheating scum into instant sympathetic celebrities does nothing to help the situation. Never let it be said that I presented a problem without offering a solution. Here’s what I would do if I were the “supreme ruler” of planet earth. On all television interviews with powerful people, involving important issues, use a viewer voter reaction pole. The interviewer asks the question, “will you support the tax increase on gasoline?” The politician answers, “absolutely not!” On the bottom of the screen is a running total of the viewers voting if they believe the person is telling the truth. Then the interviewer could inform the liar, uh, I mean, politician, “sir, 87% of our audience believes you are not telling the truth. It might not solve the problem, but it would sure make them squirm for awhile. I firmly believe that most people know bull when they see or hear it. The difficulty for many is overcoming prejudice and bias and using critical thinking and intellectual honesty when drawing conclusions. Rationalization is a form of mental weakness and does not contribute in problem solving. So, now we know, or suspect, that Barry Bonds may have used drugs to enhance his ability to hit homeruns. I believe that many people in baseball will defend him and within a few weeks he will have acquired “victim” status in our society. The next logical step will turn him into a hero. It’s a crying shame to me that most of our modern day heroes received their position by exhibiting antisocial behavior. ------------ About the author: Pete Whalon has just completed a memoir on his Vietnam service. He is self-publishing the book and it should be ready for sale June 1st of this year. Email Pete Whalon: kinoman7@aol.com Tell a friend about this site! ------------ |
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