Our most respected citizens?
By anniepa
@anniepa (27955)
United States
September 24, 2007 5:25pm CST
I'm listening to my local evening news on TV as I read and post on myLot. I live in a quiet, rural and suburban type area, all the locales in our local channels' viewing area are small towns, even the "cities" are very small cities... In one 30 minute broadcast there was a story of a school teacher convicted for allowing her 11 year old son to take a handgun to school, a minister who stole the identity of an 82 year old parishioner, a tax-office clerk who stole over $90,000 from the county and a judge charged with slander and harrassment. Also there was a school crossguard and EMT charged with over 1000 counts of sexually abusing children in the news recently. There have been other very prominent of respected local people charged with terrible crimes recently in my "quiet" region. It's really a shame because most teachers, most ministers, most people in any profession are good and decent folks but when you have examples like this it really can give others a bad name, albeit unfairly. Any thoughts on this and any "tricks" on how to know who to trust?
Annie
4 people like this
5 responses
@sarahruthbeth22 (43143)
• United States
24 Sep 07
When I was growing up you could trust your parents,teachers and the clergy. Now it seems like you can only trust your parents, if they haven't abused you. It is so sad because like you said, most people in these positions are honest.It is just a shame that one bad and I mean really bad apple can ruin the reps of all.
2 people like this
@anniepa (27955)
• United States
25 Sep 07
I agree totally. I know most teachers are probably fine people with honorable intentions, most preachers are someone you'd trust your very life with, judges are there to uphold the law and an EMT is trained to save lives. These are all positions in which they're there to serve the people and are usually highly respected and trustworthy. I really feel for the many great people in all these positions because most of them have done nothing to have anyone suspect them of wrongdoing but the suspicions are now there just the same. We sure don't live in the same world I grew up in!
Annie
2 people like this
@trinidadvelasco (11401)
• Philippines
25 Sep 07
if this is the case, then at least we should still be happy. the bad ones are still much too few in count as against the righteous ones. yet it really appears that nowadays, a lot have come out to be worldly and more in pursuit of love for money, greed and lust as compared to how it had been in the olden days. for the rest of us it is always best that we stay out of the ways of evil. this way, the world will be assured that there will always be trustworthy ones among men.
2 people like this
@worldwise1 (14885)
• United States
25 Sep 07
It's the same nearly everywhere, anniepa. It's a fact that many of the crimes that used to be associated with more populated areas are now rampant in Small Town, America. I believe the reasoning behind this is a general slackening in the morals of our citizens. Greed is also a driving force. The only thing we can really do about this situation is to let our voices be heard via our representatives and local officials.
1 person likes this
@anniepa (27955)
• United States
25 Sep 07
That's the thing that seems so hard to believe about these cases although we should be used to it by now I guess, but these things all took place in the epitomy of "Small Town USA". And you mentioned "GREED" which is something you wouldn't expect from a minister, yet this minister from tiny little Mount Carmel opened credit card accounts in the name of an 82 year old woman and ran up thousands of dollars in debt! The people there were shocked and devastated! In my area we're still kind of in denial I suppose, you know, these things don't happen here, this is like a TV crime show or something.
Annie
@Destiny007 (5805)
• United States
25 Sep 07
These are all people who took advantage of others through their positions...and these are normally positions of trust.
I don't know any tricks as far as who to trust, because no one can accurately judge a persons character all of the time.
There was a time when ethics was a result of how a person was raised, now as I understand it...it is a class in school.
People are more concerned about their own selfish wants then they are about what affect the things they do will have on others.
The only thing we can do is try to use our best judgment and hope we are not wrong.
1 person likes this
@trinidadvelasco (11401)
• Philippines
25 Sep 07
it is really very sad to hear about things like this going on. in my mind, i have always pictured less populated areas to be calm and quiet, where the settlers are very friendly, accommodating and righteous. that's how it is always is in our rural areas where the settlers are quite sparse. scientists have revealed that the main cause for this untoward behaviour among men these times is pollution, contamination and the destruction of the ozone layer. these negative developments in planet earth has adversely affected the populace. however, there are still a lot of good people around who listens to their conxcience and acts accordingly. well, at this time, i believe that we have to be cautious in our dealings with people at all times. it seems that even the used to be most trustworthy ones are not that way anymore. this is as you have previously pointed out.
