Are we supposed to be shocked or are we supposed to giggle about the "charges" that the Italian captain of the wrecked cruise ship was unmanly enough to get into a lifeboat with other passengers instead of going down with the ship? From one point of view this storyline is charming and nostalgic. It conjures up chivalrous images of an era long-gone, when a gentleman was expected to give up his life preserver and place on the lifeboat to a lady and her two small children.
It's hard to believe that modern culture still believes in romantic atavisms like a captain being the last off his ship. Perhaps the Media is just desperate for a story: disasters have a way of becoming yesterday's news so quickly; but scandals and controversies can be milked for weeks or months.
Imagine you were on that ship as it began listing. Shouldn't your behavior mirror the norms of society in general? For decades the Federal government has been running a Ponzi scheme regarding housing, diplomas, and senior medical care. Since 2008, trillions of dollars of debt has been taken on. Nobody asks if it is fundamentally immoral to dump these obligations on the younger generation. Therefore, it is perfectly sensible for an aging baby-boomer, who has already lived most of his life, to shove a child out of the way so that the boomer can get the last seat on the lifeboat.
And if a male boomer considers giving up his seat to a young mother, well, what could be more sexist and politically incorrect than that! He should be more up-to-date: just shove her out of the way.
This Italian sea captain on the cruise liner simply did literally what central bankers, megabankers, and politicians have done metaphorically to their countries' economies. But none of them will lose their jobs, their government pensions, or their million dollar bonuses. We are told that's the way it must be, in order for large complex organizations not to lose Top Talent.
Well, the cruise liner corporation needs to hold on to its Top Talent, too. And yet everybody is out to lynch the Italian sea captain. I'm actually starting to feel sorry for the guy.
It's hard to believe that modern culture still believes in romantic atavisms like a captain being the last off his ship. Perhaps the Media is just desperate for a story: disasters have a way of becoming yesterday's news so quickly; but scandals and controversies can be milked for weeks or months.
Imagine you were on that ship as it began listing. Shouldn't your behavior mirror the norms of society in general? For decades the Federal government has been running a Ponzi scheme regarding housing, diplomas, and senior medical care. Since 2008, trillions of dollars of debt has been taken on. Nobody asks if it is fundamentally immoral to dump these obligations on the younger generation. Therefore, it is perfectly sensible for an aging baby-boomer, who has already lived most of his life, to shove a child out of the way so that the boomer can get the last seat on the lifeboat.
And if a male boomer considers giving up his seat to a young mother, well, what could be more sexist and politically incorrect than that! He should be more up-to-date: just shove her out of the way.
This Italian sea captain on the cruise liner simply did literally what central bankers, megabankers, and politicians have done metaphorically to their countries' economies. But none of them will lose their jobs, their government pensions, or their million dollar bonuses. We are told that's the way it must be, in order for large complex organizations not to lose Top Talent.
Well, the cruise liner corporation needs to hold on to its Top Talent, too. And yet everybody is out to lynch the Italian sea captain. I'm actually starting to feel sorry for the guy.
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