The Between Power And Corruption

Power is more corruptive than powerlessness. I have come to this belief throughout my studies. The corruption of power can be seen in historically based literature, as well as psychological studies. Stanford Prison experiment exemplifies power corrupting because an experiment is the basis for scientific proof.

What is the cause? What is the effect? These two questions can greatly impact the mind of a person and broaden their view on subjects. One of which, is the age old issue of power and corruption. "It is said that power corrupts, but actually it 's more true that power attracts the corruptible." --David Brin. Does power cause corruption, or does the corrupted attract and gain the power? The truth is that it is power that causes corruption. Moreover, it is the idea of power that causes corruption.

Throughout history, people have gone crazy over power, making them do things that they would have never done. Stories have been written, wars have been fought, and even families destroyed over the struggle for power. Desiring power is part of our human nature, everyone wants it, and what one does while in power, is often attempts to gain more. Even the most paramount leaders can become corrupt, leaving their legacy resonating through history. A common theme throughout our history is the abuse of power. It is often that societies find that their highly elected officials have broken laws to a large degree. With superfluous power, there is an abuse of power. Human nature is to covet power, and when someone feels power, it makes them go ballistic over it, eventually, leading to that power becoming corrupt.

The Progress movement or as many refer to as the Progressive era, was a time frame where Americans joined in varying groups to advocate reform across the United States. To elaborate, Progressives believed in widespread change for child labor, industrialization, government, racial reform, and women’s rights. Countless stories of corruption in these areas were brought to light in the Progressive era mostly due to the published writings of Muckrakers. Muckrakers, were journalists who wrote for popular magazines that attempted to expose corrupt political activities from their investigative journalism. Furthermore, I will discuss and compare these groups and their attempts for changes in the rights of child labor, women, acknowledgment of corrupt government practices, racial relations, and industrialization reform.

Power does not corrupt, fear corrupts… Perhaps the fear of a loss of power. Throughout history it is shown that power can corrupt even the nicest of people. This can make them want to be superior to the people they know. This is shown in the Lord of the Rings : The Fellowship of the Ring by JRR Tolkien. Where it is true that power can corrupt people as it creates in them a desire to be superior. This is shown through the characters of Frodo Baggins, Saruman and the ring.

Tulia, a small town in Texas of just under five-thousand people, is a frightening example of how the judicial system is governed solely by racism as well as one corrupt man’s word. In 1999, nearly ten percent of the town’s African American population was arrested in a single drug bust. Of the forty-six people arrested, thirty-eight were African-American, furthermore all were convicted. The remaining seven arrested where know to associate more with the black community than the white in Tulia as well. With the towns income levels averaging at or below the poverty line, most arrested could not afford to hire a good attorney that cared or had the time to care, left therefore with one provided by the state. Consequently, convictions were up to ninety years in jail for allegedly selling three and a half grams, more commonly known as an eight ball, of cocaine in drug-free zones. In was only on appeals, that the convictions where revoked on insubstantial evidence.

I believe the Constitution is too vague. The dilemma lies in the details or lack of details. If the objective is free speech, it is much easier to just simply say free speech then to try and express every single instance where free speech is and is not allowed. While vagueness does allow for flexibility, it also allows some corruption, but corruption only comes from those who abuse the system. One example of corruption is in December 2005, the American Civil Liberties Union reported what they believed was one of the worst abuses of the Constitution since 9/11, the National Security Agency tapped into telephone calls of American citizens without a warrant, which violates the Fourth Amendment.

How does power corrupt people. Think about it, have you ever met somebody that just freaked out because they were under rule. People get mad when they go under rule because they can't do stuff themselves. Does power make people think they have to obey everything or just makes them think they are under it for their own good.

In The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, the Salem court gradually transformed from its original judicial goals to corruption, which strengthened Miller’s argument of the susceptibility of legal systems to ungodliness. Since Miller was suddenly listed as a sinner due to an accusation, he wrote this play as a commentary to the Puritan society and the corruption of officials. Situational irony was heavily utilized to contrast the original goals of a just theocracy to the resulting court corruption. In the beginning, the court strived to achieve equity and fairly punish sinners. However, the court then used the concept of “devil” to manipulate anyone

The Simpsons writers in the television show, “Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish”, explains that there is corruption for those in power and it can be easy for those in power to become corrupt.

In 1887, historian John Dalberg-Acton asserted, "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." This theme has a prominent role in history, literature, and even current times. Certainly, many instances have occurred where once someone earns authority, they allow it to get to their head and do things they would not have done otherwise. Similarly, it is also seen that when one is inferior or beneath others, they receive a hunger for power. Specifically, a few prime examples of people who became corrupted because of their dominance include Marc Antony from Shakespeare's The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Joseph Stalin, and Kim Jong-un. These rulers negatively impacted the places they ruled all because of their abusive tendencies that came with dominance.

Power and corruption are concepts that are difficult to fully understand. Several controversies occur within these topics. There are both conventional and unconventional ways of viewing power. In an attempt to make a claim contrary to common belief, David Brin stated, “It is said that power corrupts, but actually it’s more true that power attracts the corruptible.” This statement is not accurate because power is the corrupting device responsible for a plethora of downfalls leaders have experienced.

No one would ever argue that power does not corrupt. We see examples of corruption caused by power every day when we turn on the news- dictators ruling over the lives of their citizens with an iron fist, CEOs with billions of dollars cutting jobs because their companies are somehow not “turning a profit,” and countless other examples. While they all vary in degrees of egregiousness, there is no denying that a desire for power in different forms - usually money - is the root cause of these acts. To ask the question as to whether it is possible that a lack of power could corrupt more, requires more thought into the issue.

Washington today is a place that scares me, myself, and I. Recent events suggest that the government is gaining more control within the system, and power is the leader of all corruptness. The idea of being corrupt has been around for many years, and has created many significant problems including Watergate, 9/11, and the Benghazi Scandals. In this election cycle for President we even have a self-proclaimed socialist running for President in Bernie Sanders. Within the ideas of individual thinking today America is controlled by large corporations, and interest groups. Election are bought by the 1%, and speaking of the 1% almost all of America’s wealth is controlled by one out of every one-hundred persons. This is exactly what Hayek discusses

The unlawful use of a person’s position while in power leads to multiple problems with today’s government. The corrupt methods politicians use are ideas that are strictly in place for personal gain. Present throughout history and still prevalent within today’s world, government corruption has consisted of a number of negative issues including bribery, economic and social impacts, and the misuse of power. Government’s role within daily life has been shown to have negative effects as seen in many aspects of life as well as in literature.