With ‘Great Power’ comes ‘Great Responsibility’
By: Archana (June 18th, 2009)New York
David Letterman, the popular host of an entertaining talk show in an episode last week made a reference to 2008 Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin saying that she had the style of a “slutty flight attendant”. He also made an inappropriate comment about Palin’s daughter linking her to a baseball player. The daughter who accompanied Palin is just 14 years old. Letterman retracted his statement saying that he was infact talking about Palin’s other daughter who is 18 and is an unwed mother.
Surat
A 17 year old school girl, who was on her way to a tuition class was forced inside a car by three men in their 30s claiming to be policemen. She was raped and bruised badly before being dumped on the outskirts of the city. The fathers of two of the three rape accused work in the police department.
Mumbai
Shiney Ahuja, hindi film actor who has acted in films like Gangster, Bhool Bhulaiyaa and Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi has been remanded to three days police custody for allegedly raping an 18-year-old girl who worked as a domestic help in his house. Ahuja is married and has a two year old daughter.
Three incidents shocked us this week. All happening in different cities in the world yet the pattern was the same. In all the three incidents, it was not lust, revenge, insanity or stupidity that made people behave the way they did. There was only one clear cut reason- power.
Power is undertaken to lead, govern and resolve yet it is very common to find that it does none of that.
David Letterman may be a great stand-up comedian and his digs on celebrities are legendary. But there is always a thin line between a jibe and an insult and he may have put his foot in the mouth this time. Sarah Palin was quick to slam him for demeaning her 14 year old daughter and even though Letterman tried to justify himself, he came across as a dirty old man to a lot of people. Even if he was referring to Palin’s 18 year old daughter who recently became an unwed mother, it leaves a bad taste. It’s sad that one of the greatest comedians in the world misused his power of reaching thousands of people by making under the belt remarks just for a few laughs.
When the three young men tricked the teenage girl to get into their car, they abused power. Citizens in the country have never really trusted the police force and this is yet another blot to their reputation. For all the honest officers and brave soldiers who fight for the nation, there are handful who have a God complex just because they are part of the police force. Sadly, the complex gets passed down to the next generation who waste no time bullying people and asserting their authority over others just by name dropping. It is sickening when people try to get out of a traffic violation by calling up someone they know in a high post but that’s just the start. From getting admissions to a school/college to settling personal scores, it is frustrating how the word “police officer” has come to be a synonym with corruption.
The Shiney Ahuja case has just been put into motion and facts are yet to emerge but if it is proved that Ahuja misbehaved with his 18 year old maid there are no doubts that he will be dealt with in a stern manner by the law.The prosecution will surely ask for a stronger sentence on the grounds that he was a role model affecting the youth and that a crime by someone like him in the public eye makes it far more serious.
Such violations by people who are educated and fortunate in every way brings to the fore the sad reality that no matter what a person’s background, when power is involved, he/she goes blind. It gives them an artificial sense of being superior and unaccountable to the society.
Perhaps we could take a leaf out of Spiderman’s book. Yes I know, he’s not even real but a line from the series is immortal.
“With great power comes great responsibility”… maybe that’s what is missing.
Tags: david letterman, Politics, power, rape, sarah palin, shiney ahuja, standup comedian, surat gang rape
June 18th, 2009 at 1:48 am
True, very true. But the problem is that the innate evil within us humans to use power, in whatever form, tends to trample on our neighbours rights. Somehow, this evil tends to make us seek pleasure through power at the cost of others.
The power, once ordained by God, which was supposed to be shared, is now attained in singularity with neither any sharing nor any responsibility.
Unless the power is void of this selfishness, self-centredness, it will continue to trample on others’ lives, their rights and their worlds in order to fulfill that profane pleasure.
June 18th, 2009 at 8:21 am
In the follow-up of the incident of Surat, there have now been raids on many a mobile phone shops across the state and a lot of sleaze found. “There are a lot of people out there who watch such stuff”, says an officer, “it needs to be stopped”!!
Can anyone ever stop it??! Brute force to rout reckless power?!
“We need to educate our young people and imbibe in them ethical values”, says a sociologist, as a solution to the growing menace!
Were the Surat brats, or Shiney Ahuja or David Letterman ignorant of ethical values?! Or is the sociologists talking about educating potential victims? Is education an answer to this? There was a T-shirt which harked - “I was born intelligent, education spoiled me”. Though the T-line is very sloppy, it has a point. Once there was a case of educating young men who used to steal nuts and bolts from railway tracks. Education was cited as the solution and it did solve the issue of the nuts and bolts. Thenceforth, there were no railway lines at all! The thugs learnt that it was better to take away the whole line than just the nuts and bolts!
I think the only possible solution is “accountability”. Now this word means more than just a “responsibility”. The latter has its references inside the self, while the former necessarily has its references outside. Responsibility is a ‘deliberate’ act of volition while accountability is ‘responsibility combined with answerability’ to a “greater power”, a power that watches every move, word and thought and will judge us based on them! If only there was a ‘Reverence for an Almighty God’!
‘Accountability’ needs to happen in all, with or without power.
June 19th, 2009 at 10:43 am
I think its the value system that we build around our environment is whats bringing this. I made a a decission some time ago that I’ll not break traffic signals. Many times it has happened that people in front of me move before the signal turning red but i stay their, bearing the grunt of people in my back with their horns. But many times it has also happened that though the signal is not manned and when i’m the only one to stand on a red signal, people have followed me. I’m not being pompous when i write this, but i think we as disciples of Christ can start taking these small initiatives, so that people can learn from us. I was also thinking of putting a small banner on my rear glass “I don’t run red signals, so please dont honk”. As Geo says accountability in all things small and big needs to happen.
June 19th, 2009 at 5:50 pm
With great power comes great responsibility and with great responsibility comes Greater Accountability! Without accountability, responsibility doesn’t work…
June 21st, 2009 at 11:34 pm
It is a very well written article. Author hasn’t let emotion or feelings cloud his better judgment which is really great.
Personally I think we need to retract the power. Everyone from the politicians to the police officers has been misusing it; the only difference being that the latter seldom get caught.
July 5th, 2009 at 11:20 am
Great post!