Suspicion is Nine-Tenths of the Law

 

The presumption of innocence prior to conviction is enshrined in the law of most Western countries. 

However, for people generally, and the media especially, this is not how justice works in practice. Simply the accusation of a crime is often enough to condemn a person for life and ruin their career. And sometimes that’s the point. In a world where image is everything, it’s far too easy to destroy someone’s credibility and undermine their entire life’s work simply by suggesting they might not be wholly without fault.

This cancel culture we live in is a scourge. We may look back in a few decades and wonder why we ever had the audacity to reject an artist’s work because their private lives did not live up to the impossible standards imposed by bigots and fanatical lobby groups whose stances did not always reflect the views of the compassionate majority.

But rather than bemoan a society that is supremely intolerant of bad decisions and regrettable lapses in judgment, I think we should point out the obvious. That if you’re going to join an arena like entertainment, or become part of any kind of platform that requires respect, perhaps you should be better behaved!

As an artist, don’t try to get away with criminal or suspect activity. Don’t lie, don’t cheat, don’t steal would be a good start, and certainly don’t engage in questionable sexual activities and expect never to get found out.

Yep, it’s going to be hard to get the balance right. When you look at politicians and titans of industry you see that they are often made up of questionable sociopaths who thrive on the control and abuse of others. Not all of them, sure, but a sizable number.

Now, Picasso may not have been a model human being - but who can deny his talent?

At the extreme, a creepy TV presenter like Jimmy Saville might have been one of the worst child molesters of all time but why on Earth did he think he could get away with it - and for so long? Same with Harvey Weinstein. Or Jeffrey Epstein. When you read about what these people got up to you think they must be either crazy, self-delusional, or so wanton as not to care.

And at this stage, I’m not saying Russell Brand is innocent or guilty. Just that we should perhaps reserve judgment until it’s proven either way.

So many good actors like Kevin Spacey, Johnny Depp, and Geoffrey Rush have been destroyed by spurious allegations. And you still think there’s no smoke without fire, don’t you? You still think they could be guilty. But that’s the point I’m making. It’s impossible for celebrities to recover from an accusation that reaches the mainstream media.

So what’s the answer?

Simple, don’t do bad things.

Perhaps easier said than done, of course, but my advice would be, always try to be a good person on the way up, then you won’t have to worry that the media will come for your blood.

Of course sometimes they’ll come to get you anyway. Because it’s your turn. Like Cliff Richard in the UK, an innocent singer persecuted his entire life because he never married. The British have a perverse appetite for public humiliation. I don’t know why. I used to live there and I know they love to build stars up so the media can knock them down.

In Australia it’s different. Ozzies don’t even bother building you up. You’re a scab and a tool just for wanting attention. The Tall Poppy Syndrome is alive and well here, I can tell you.

The Americans are more reverent about their stars, if you’re rich and famous, treating you with due care and respect, unless it later transpires you’re a total sleaze.

Unless you’re elected President - and then you’re fair game.

From the rest of the world’s point of view, the relentless attempts to undermine and destroy Clinton, Bush, Biden, and Trump seem obtuse, even strange. Especially when (allegedly, according to Tucker Carlson) a certain other President of color is clearly the man with the most to lose. Not because he and his “wife” might be gay. There’s nothing wrong with that. But why hide and deny the fact for such a long time? Surely that’s simply fraud on a massive scale.

And we wonder why so many people think the Earth is flat and we never went to the Moon. People don’t know what to think anymore because deception is so rampant in our society, from the top down.

I think there’s a reason for all this.

We want to accuse and incriminate people as a way of deflecting attention from ourselves. I guess we need to analyze other people’s shortcomings before we can clearly see ourselves. Plus, there’s an element of adolescent righteousness about mocking others with our own faults.

So, really, the best way to go through life is NOT to be an example of the worst kind of behaviors. Sure, we can’t always live up to the ever tightening moral yoke we insist on creating for ourselves, but we can try.

See you next week when, hopefully, I will talk more about writing.

Keep Writing!

Rob Parnell’s Writing Academy