Heroes and Villians

Why does the first so often seem to turn into the latter?

Let me say first and foremost that our heroes and leaders -- let's say government ones specifically -- should be not only "people" people, or good public speakers, or economically inclined, or have all those other leaderly characteristics; they also need to be role models. (Yes, radical concept, I know.) First of all, these people are symbols and representatives of our nation and us, the people; wouldn't you rather have good, moral leaders than ones who are horrible people but get the job done? And with all the badly-behaving people who run our country nowadays, what kind of message will that send to the future leaders of America? (A bad one.)

Yes, politicians are people, leaders are people, all those who are in the public eye or household names or whatever you care to refer to them as are still people, and they deserve some privacy. But they should know that with that kind of status, their "private" lives have a far greater chance of being exposed. They shouldn't be so surprised when oops! You mean that my involvement in a prostitution ring got found out? That is sooo unfair! Even though I am the governor of the economical center of the entire country, and hold one of the offices thought to be one of the top twenty most important in the world, and voluntarily chose and ran for this priviledge and rank, how dare you publicize my life? Leaders -- or those who are supposed to lead -- should realize that their privacy will be diminished. In a perfect world, it wouldn't be, but it comes with the job. This being said, they should regulate what goes on in their private lives. Well, first of all, ideal leaders shouldn't have any hanky panky going on that needs to be covered up, but if they do -- well, again, our leaders really should be role models and not just power-hungry politicians. Leaders should be held at a higher level of expectation than non-leaders. Those who choose to be in control of something have a big responsibility, and this should be apparent.

Teachers should take into consideration a students' home life, but only to a certain extent. Your grades should be your grades; a well-written paper should get an A, a bad one, a lower grade, regardless of the students' private life. However, if a teacher knows that the student's parents just got divorced, or something, they could be lenient in other ways, like allowing extra time assignments or extra help.

"Heroes and Villains" -- The Beach Boys