In Joe Biden's inaugural address, he said that people tell lies for profit and for power. This reminded me of the type of President that should never be trusted. These are the one's who insert themselves into stories of truly heroic people to make themselves look worthy of an office that is beyond their worthiness.
I can remember in 2008 being disgusted with Senator John McCain, when he basically plagiarized Solzhenitsyn's story about when he was in prison and drew a cross in the sand, which was an inspiring moment for him and a fellow prisoner, but then had to wipe it out quickly before the prison guards saw it. Having known of this Solzhenitsyn story since the 1990's, when McCain stole this story for his autobiography and used in the campaign in 2008 as a tale to inspire future voters to vote for him, I knew that I could never vote for such a person who tried to make himself into someone he wasn't, especially when I'm sure he had enough true stories to tell. Him stealing this story unnecessarily made me believe he was just a typical lying politician who will say anything to get ahead.
It wasn't until these past few months that I again heard such stories of self-proclaimed heroism plagiarized from true stories of more heroic people, and both of these stories came from the new Vice President and President of the United States. Vice President Kamala Harris has repeatedly shared an anecdote about her younger self crying out for "Fweedom!", even though this is a story clearly lifted from one told by civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. And President Joe Biden recounted a story — multiple times — about being arrested on his way to see Nelson Mandela, but when this was proven to not be true, he changed his story and merely said he was "separated" at the airport in South Africa. But when you have a media who really wants you to be the next President and doesn't hold you accountable for your lies, and suppresses all negative information against you, such things are easily passed over.
Self-written hagiographies are most unheroic. You have to earn it, not lift it. Isn't this what the story of Pinnochio taught us?
I can remember in 2008 being disgusted with Senator John McCain, when he basically plagiarized Solzhenitsyn's story about when he was in prison and drew a cross in the sand, which was an inspiring moment for him and a fellow prisoner, but then had to wipe it out quickly before the prison guards saw it. Having known of this Solzhenitsyn story since the 1990's, when McCain stole this story for his autobiography and used in the campaign in 2008 as a tale to inspire future voters to vote for him, I knew that I could never vote for such a person who tried to make himself into someone he wasn't, especially when I'm sure he had enough true stories to tell. Him stealing this story unnecessarily made me believe he was just a typical lying politician who will say anything to get ahead.
It wasn't until these past few months that I again heard such stories of self-proclaimed heroism plagiarized from true stories of more heroic people, and both of these stories came from the new Vice President and President of the United States. Vice President Kamala Harris has repeatedly shared an anecdote about her younger self crying out for "Fweedom!", even though this is a story clearly lifted from one told by civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. And President Joe Biden recounted a story — multiple times — about being arrested on his way to see Nelson Mandela, but when this was proven to not be true, he changed his story and merely said he was "separated" at the airport in South Africa. But when you have a media who really wants you to be the next President and doesn't hold you accountable for your lies, and suppresses all negative information against you, such things are easily passed over.
Self-written hagiographies are most unheroic. You have to earn it, not lift it. Isn't this what the story of Pinnochio taught us?
