The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines the word “norm” as “a principle of right action binding upon the members of a group and serving to guide, control, or regulate proper and acceptable behavior”; “a pattern or trait taken to be typical in the behavior of a social group;” and “a widespread or usual practice, procedure, or custom”.
Disturbing trends contemporaneously disparage norms, turning a blind eye towards accumulated wisdom amassed over millennia. Compulsivity counseling pursuit of that which I want when I want it — belittling caution and restraint — combines with belligerent antagonism to authority to animate anarchy during times in which disregarding history, science and wisdom is increasingly perilous.
The frightening indifference to protocols that permitted Jeffrey Goldberg, Editor-in-Chief of The Atlantic, to participate in an unsecured Signal chat involving state secrets and military strategy brings to mind the description of Cruella De Vil in the song of the same name:
“Cruella De Vil
Cruella De Vil
If she doesn't scare you
No evil thing will”
The incident reveals the tip of the iceberg likely “to sink the Titanic” unless fervent and frequent demands are communicated to political leaders underscoring that established protocols are necessary and appropriate.
Belief that governmental oversight can be entrusted to blowhards clueless about the crucial roles for which they are responsible could never end well. Everyone must acknowledge that offering a chance to unqualified individuals was irresponsible ab initio; that the downside of empowering public officials incapable of performing at a minimal level will become increasingly obvious; and that what is observed is a high-water mark not a low tide fated to flow higher.
I read the diaries of Galeazzo Ciano, Benito Mussolini’s Foreign Minister and son-in-law (wholly qualified to serve as Foreign Minister, it should be noted) while visiting the Dolomites in January. I became aware of Galeazzo Ciano because President John Kennedy was reading Ciano’s diaries, at the outset of his 1,036 days in office, when the Bay of Pigs Fiasco occurred.
President Kennedy opened the press conference in which he accepted responsibility for the failed invasion planned by the administration of his predecessor, President Dwight Eisenhower, quoting Ciano’s diaries: “Victory has a thousand fathers, but defeat is an orphan.” (The edition that I read states that “Victory has a hundred fathers…”).
One cannot conceive of a president accepting responsibility for one’s failures subsequently, as evidenced by the chicanery of the Johnson Administration once Vietnam became a quagmire, the Nixon Administration once Watergate evolved into a debacle uncontained by smoke and mirrors, the Clinton Administration once bimbo eruptions could no longer be attributed to “a vast right-wing conspiracy,” and the George W. Bush Administration once the Second Iraq War proved ill-conceived.
Not only are “all the King’s horses and all the King’s men” implicated. Cognitive dissonance shall lead voters bearing ultimate responsibility to point fingers elsewhere rather than looking in the mirror and recognizing that mistakes were made — admitting cause and effect; addressing what must be done to contain damage in the short-run and ensuring that no recurrence appears in the long-run.
Major Edward Bowes hosted a well-known radio program from 1934 until his death in 1946, “The Original Amateur Hour.” It was brought to television in 1948, hosted by Ted Mack, where it ran until 1970.
Amateurs no longer found a following, 55 years ago. There seems to be less interest in them today, especially amateurs attempting more than they can deliver in matters of state, given substantial consequences following failures in situations where norms previously required that experts — experienced people — be engaged.
“America’s Funniest Home Videos” aired approximately 20 years after “The Original Amateur Hour” ended. The format allowed people to make fools of themselves on broadcast television.
Amateurs entrusted with consequential governmental duties seek permission to pursue an equivalent. Their fantasy is neither funny nor realistic. Americans must demand better from our political leaders.
Jay Wiener is a Northsider
