Spitzer’s lack of contrition
Joseph C. writes:
Prior to yesterday, I thought Eliot Spitzer was a low life piece of scum with a Napoleonic complex and few redeeming qualities. After seeing his press conference, I have changed my opinion. He is a low life piece of scum with a Napoleonic complex and NO redeeming qualities.
What bothered me most was his tone. There was no contrition, no remorse, no acknowledgement of how he disgraced the Office of the Governor, embarassed his wife, or exposed himself to blackmail, nor was there even any mention of what he had done. His body language, voice, and expressions suggested that he was angry about what this had cost HIM, what “might have been” for HIM, how HE would “rise up from his troubles”, etc. He seemed mad that he even had to leave, and did not think it worth his time to even explain how he got into this mess.
A true apology would have been a simple: “I was caught engaging in illegal activity. I am sorry, and there is no excuse. I will resign because I realize I have no moral authority and no right ever again to be entrusted with power over the lives of my fellow citizens, because my actions demonstrate conclusively that I do not know how to handle the responsibility that comes with power.”
Eliot Spitzer’s crusade against Wall Street corruption started out OK. He targeted analysts that were hyping stocks they knew to be worthless. Unfortunately, once they paid him off in fines, he stopped pushing. He never sought actual convictions in court—because that would have been too much work. Once he had his headlines, he was happy to drop the issue. The low point was his forcing out of Hank Greenberg of AIG—a decent man and a pillar of not only the insurance industry but of New York society.
How fitting that the Sheriff of Wall Street was left alone in the end. A modern day Will Kane left to face the music with no one at his side. Good riddance.
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LA writes:
While it’s not politically correct to say it today, you can tell a lot about people from their physical appearance. With Spitzer’s extremely pointed chin (which can be seen better in side photographs), his pointed ears, and his wolf-like eyes, what does he look like?
Mark K. writes:
Whenever situations such as the Spitzer one come up, and one hears about the dual nature of a person, Stevenson’s story “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” comes to mind. Several times I’ve reread this piece (it’s freely available online) and I am constantly amazed by the insights in that story. Just the dual structure of this story of the divided psyche amazes me. That moment of inspiration that Stevensom must have had to put this together, truly wonderful.
LA replies:
Also, highly recommended is the 1931 movie with Fredric March, far better and more psychologically revealing than the better known late-’30s version with Spencer Tracy.
Posted by Lawrence Auster at March 13, 2008 10:45 AM | Send