Foreword
In a little less than a week, the People will decide whether or not to restore America’s character as conceived by Her Founders. It’s a rather simple exercise. America’s essence — Her spirit, Her soul — is either worth saving, or not. As in war, you either expel the enemy within, in the name of freedom, or accept authority, in the name of security. Ed.
Many, if not most, serious authors repeatedly attempt to dissect the mystery of the human condition. It’s no wonder. Anyone who can think beyond the next meal must ask why human beings – that means you — are seemingly driven to consort with the seven deadly sins. With millennia of destructive human behavior as a teacher, you might expect human beings to eventually learn some lofty life lessons. But, no, human behavior has little, if anything, to do with learning; and more to do with genetic predisposition. John Steinbeck’s acclaimed novel — The Winter of Our Discontent — was your latest foray into the distressing behavior of human entanglements. Like most of his work, Steinbeck took a deep dive into the dark side of human nature through the eyes of his hero Ethan Hawley, a quite ordinary, small-town, grocery store clerk and scion of a once prominent family. Ethan is typical of the post WWII generation — married, educated, combat veteran, morally grounded father of two, troubled by his failure to give his family material benefits and social standing. Given a fortuitous, but unethical business opportunity, he decides to abandon morality and adopt duplicity as a pathway to success. He rationalizes the decision — all the town mucky mucks — his banker, the mayor and city council members — all play the insider game, lining their pockets and looking out for #1. Ethan’s decision pays off and he joins the “haves.” Simultaneously and astonishingly, his surly, arrogant, 14-year-old son Allen parallels Daddy’s “good fortune” by winning the “I Love America” national essay contest. His achievement trains a spotlight on the Hawley household and their coastal village. Ethan rides high, not for his own prospects, but for witnessing his son’s talent and sudden work ethic — qualities the teenager always ridiculed as something belonging to chumps. Turns out Pop was the chump. The axe on the Hawley homestead falls with a visit from the Television executive who gives Ethan the ugly news.
He hands the essay to Ethan. “Have you read it?”
“No, he wanted to surprise me.”
The exec couldn’t explain why the essay wasn’t immediately flagged by the review board. Not one word of it belonged to son Allen. He had cleverly stitched together the words of Clay, Webster, Jefferson, Lincoln and others. The exec wants to drop the matter — no publicity, no public indictment. Pretend it never happened. Ethan could not pretend. Plagiarism in mid-20th century was a life altering crime, not to be condoned. To an author or speaker, it was a badge of dishonor, a character flaw, a moral violation, not to be forgotten. When confronted, Allen blurts, “Who cares? Everybody does it. It’s the way the cookie crumbles.” Ethan’s story doesn’t end here. His story is awash in guilt — his own and now his son’s. He contemplates the unthinkable. But this is no book review. You leave the end in question.
Steinbeck was a tormented man, outraged by injustice, bigotry and poverty, and thus often prone to animosity. Not unusual for writers who study, analyze and solve — absolutely nothing. Rather, you prefer to compare yesterday’s moralistic attitudes to those of today. Steinbeck’s sinners — the general public — were quick to condemn, to blast wrongdoing. Wrongdoers themselves had a conscience. Crooked public officials — and there were many — paid the price with ruination and ridicule. Media was the first in line to throw stones and demand accountability — and suffering. Today’s a different story. Sin is subjective. Morality is subjective. Ethan’s son Allen would be bustin’in 2022. Crime thrives while the general public shrugs its collective shoulders. Perjurers — that is, liars — have a field day in 2022 America, pervading every nook and cranny of public and private life. What best characterizes the difference between yesterday and today is a spectacular realization that would make Allen proud — America’s preeminent plagiarist and liar occupies the White House. No small feat, that. But you cut Sleepy Joe some slack since Washington itself swears by The Lie as being an essential attribute of political life. Birds of a feather. The watchdog Media, meanwhile, has no interest in upholding the archaic notions of honesty, integrity, decency and virtue. Doing so would ring just a mite hollow. If JS were writing today, only one thing would change. Ethan would tell Allen, “Son, don’t worry about it ; everybody does it and you almost pulled it off. Proud of you.”
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