What is "corruption?"
It's both a temptation & a failure...
Woodrow Wilson “Woody” Guthrie [1912-1967] devoted his life & music to voicing resistance to those in office or other positions of advantage who used their power to exploit “the people,” i.e. those not in a position to dominate others
“Misusing” power, however, odious as it can be, is not “corruption”
Corruption, from Latin corruptio, meaning “to spoil, decay, or destroy” ca rme, by the 15th c. CE, to name the perversion of public office
Those who assume, or are charged with, public duties to direct or manage the affairs of society, whether by election or appointment, behave corruptly when they exploit their positions for personal gain or for political advantage
So corruption is constituted both by lying & by betrayal
In recent U.S. political history, the 37th U.S. President Richard Nixon [1913-1964] resigned his office in 1973, when he was found to have authorized a burglary in the attempt to ensure his re-election
Nixon’s crime, however, was different than his corruption, which consisted in his attempting to subvert the process of election (which is central to the democratic ideal of “free and fair” elevation to public office)
“Subversion” is almost a synonym for “corruption” therefore, because it typifies the attempt to use your power for personal gain
Woody Guthrie was born & raised in western Oklahoma, so he reached adulthood as the rapacious exploitation of the land resulted in the “dust bowl:” the sandstorms, produced by years of low-rainfall followed by sustained winds from the Rocky Mountains, which lasted from 1930-1938 and intensified the “Great Depression”
Guthrie’s lyrics identified the causes of destruction & loss not as natural phenomena but as the intentional exploitation of both the land & the wealth it provided to the country & its people
On this view then, when we—when “society”—suffers distortion or destruction, it’s because of deliberate actions we ourselves take
The point of this claim is that the corrupt actions of those in office are also allowed to happen by our not paying attention…
…or, worse, by vocally approving of the corrupt acts committed by people elevated to public position
There’s something corrupt about this too…