America's relationship with power and success

America has an unusual relationship with success and power. On the one hand=
, it looks up to the winner. On the other, it would support an underdog aga=
inst a bully. On first sight this appears irrational or hypocritical. In fa=
ct there appears to be a good logic behind this.

Someone would get good at something or other. He would get some kind of suc=
cess or some kind of power. For a while he would get respect. Then he would=
 get used to it or let it go to his head. He would do stupid things. He wou=
ld act like a jerk or a bully. At that point people's sympathy will leave h=
im and then go to some underdog challenger. This appears to be dysfunctiona=
l, but it's not.

With power, we see another relationship. I have heard many people say that =
power is evil. I have also been told to let go of my judgments of powerful =
men. There appears to be a place for both attitudes. Power can most certain=
ly be used for all sorts of wrong things; but that is not the only possible=
 outcome. As for powerful men, that can mean anything from Genghis Khan to =
Theodore Roosevelt. It is rightful to have judgments of the first but not o=
f the second.

My view on power is as follows. Power is a tool, and a tool is what you are=
 using it for. As the NRA says, =E2=80=9CGuns do not kill people; people wi=
th guns kill people.=E2=80=9D Tools are neither good nor evil. Tools are ne=
utral; and whether or not they are good or bad is decided by how they are u=
sed.

Of course with both attitudes toward success and attitudes toward power we =
see all sorts of hypocrisy. People would like either when they have it, but=
 not when somebody else does. A conservative would look up to a successful =
conservative but would demonize a liberal, a Jew, a Russian, a Hindu or a C=
hinese who also becomes successful. On one hand we see =E2=80=9Cmoney talks=
 bullshit walks=E2=80=9D; on the other we see howling about limousine liber=
als, Wall Street Jews and others who likewise became financially successful=
. So we go from =E2=80=9CAmerica: love it or leave it=E2=80=9D to =E2=80=9C=
Jews control everything=E2=80=9D or =E2=80=9Ca Satanic New World Order cons=
piracy.=E2=80=9D None of the latter claims have any validity whatsoever. Th=
ey are being made now because these people can no longer claim to own finan=
cial success, and they can't handle that.

With power we see hypocrisy of course on a much grander scale. If a woman h=
as understanding of people she is =E2=80=9Cmanipulative=E2=80=9D; if a poli=
tician or a businessman does, he is =E2=80=9Ccompetent.=E2=80=9D If right-w=
ingers in power =E2=80=93 even if they stole an election - they are winners=
; if liberals are in power =E2=80=93 even if they were legitimately elected=
 - America is being taken over by damn commies. If Reagan is in power he is=
 a great man; if Obama is in power he is a sociopath. You will want your ow=
n to have empowering qualities, and you will reward them for that. But if a=
nyone else has empowering qualities, they are dangerous or worse.

I want to get rid of hypocrisy on these subjects, but I do not impugn eithe=
r success or power. Both are what you are using it for. Guns do not kill pe=
ople; people with guns kill people. Use the gun to protect your family, but=
 do not pull it on your wife. Same is the case with success; same is the ca=
se with power.