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We like these fall-from-grace stories but there's a subpattern to this that can't be articulated so easily. Literal "corruption" comes close. See also: every f
by jstarfish 3y ago
We like these fall-from-grace stories but there's a subpattern to this that can't be articulated so easily. Literal "corruption" comes close.
See also: every freedom fighter that launches a coup to overthrow a dictator, then becomes a dictator themselves within a decade. Or cops that get caught stealing child porn from the evidence locker, despite not being pedophiles by any definition.
Not all these types start this way, or are inherently hypocrites. Repeat exposure to something tends to rub off. You can't rail against the evils of prostitution as the basis of your career without being forced to spend cycles processing what about them is so awful. Thinking about round tits on display, the mechanics of sex, etc. The unthinkable is literally on your mind 24/7, which effectively normalizes the behavior and makes it less outrageous over time. It's a weird cycle of grooming yourself to accept what you purport to hate.
I'm an anti-fraud professional. I'm surrounded by so much of it (seemingly without consequence) that I'm frequently tempted to break bad myself. I never will, but it's a "conscious" decision (as an extremely stubborn Slav) and not because I'm a saint. Temptation just comes with the territory. It wears you down until you fail and make headlines in the most humiliating way.
- sacnoradhq 3y agoI cannot prove it with ready evidence but I suspect there is a tendency during bad economic times for there to be more high-profile corruption cases because of a psycho-social need of frustrated people to vent their displeasure on perceived causal agents. TL;DR: If you were a public person, watch your actions during bad times.
- zigman1 3y agoTherre is this amazing political theory book called The Dictator's Handbook [1] by Bueno de Mesquita and Smith which itself is a popularized version of their Theory of Selectoriat (i am not sure if it is a cortect translation) from Mesquita's book called The Logic of Political Survival. I highly recommend it, for me it is one of the most important books I've ever read. It explains exactly what you wrote about. CGP Grey made great recap in one of his videos [2] called Rules for Rulers. [1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dictator%27s_Handbook https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dictator%27s_Handbook [2] https://youtube.com/watch?v=rStL7niR7gs&feature=share8 https://youtube.com/watch?v=rStL7niR7gs&feature=share8
- jstarfish 3y agoThat is fascinating; thanks for the recommendations!
- rightbyte 3y ago> Or cops that get caught stealing child porn from the evidence locker, despite not being pedophiles by any definition. Has this happened? He thought it was normal porn?
- jstarfish 3y agoNot quite. Before commercial forensics tools started pixelating and obfuscating images so investigators didn't have to witness CSA constantly, they'd get desensitized to this stuff and occasionally end up spiraling. We're seeing it again with Facebook moderators and AI trainers. I haven't heard any new cases of exfiltration in a very long time (at worst, just vice cops soliciting prostitutes) so I like to think the technical/procedural changes are working as intended.
- rightbyte 3y agoYe well I imagine watching CSA to any great extent messes you up. I read some article about some poor cop watching and trying to identify victims for all CSA cases in the country where I live. I wonder if you give such a task to some "psychopath", or atleast I hope so.