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Sources

The Risk Of Moral Superiority, On The Left And Right

Weighing collateral damage in the wake of Oxfam prostitution scandal.

Oxfam at the heart of a new scandal
Oxfam at the heart of a new scandal

Ah, the sweet smell of scandal … Don't you just love it when a renowned institution or individual deemed beyond reproach has their reputation definitively tainted by the discovery of some deep moral failing or criminal action? No matter how appalling the object of the controversy, there is so often that inescapable and surreptitious feeling of satisfaction in seeing those endowed with a moral superiority being brutally brought down to earth.


Yet it's also true that our reactions to the hypocrite-in-the-headlights moment is often colored by our own politics, whether we are more likely to cringe at the family-values righteousness of the religious right or the preachy one-worldness of the left.


The recent accusations of groping against Democratic Senator and women's rights advocate Al Franken recalled the mega sex scandals linked to Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the former head of the IMF and stalwart of the French Socialist party who'd said all the right things about gender equality in public.


And now, the latest controversy is not about a single person, but an emblematic organization: Oxfam, one of the world's biggest NGOs, after accusations that the UK-based charity's aid workers frequented prostitutes in Haiti and Chad.

Writing in The Guardian, Gaby Hinsliff puts it plainly: "Think of the least likely place on earth to be plunged into a sexual abuse scandal, and Oxfam shops would surely be high on the list. What could be less predatory, and more wholesome, than a world full of kindly old women patiently sorting jumble? … And yet it's precisely the assumption that the good guys should be above suspicion that has proven so dangerous in the past."


And indeed, the fallout is spreading fast — maybe too fast. Priti Patel, the UK's former International Development Secretary has accused charities — not just Oxfam but several others as well — of creating a "culture of denial," alleging that sexual abuse inside charities, including of minors, was "a wider issue" and that the cases that had been disclosed until now were "just the tip of the iceberg."


Already, the Oxfam scandal has emboldened those who would want to see the government make cuts in foreign aid, gleefully rubbing their hands as they seize on this golden opportunity to push forward with their political agenda that was never about the probity of individuals. In the same way, catching a philandering senator who had preached family values is not in itself proof that those values are without merit.


The truth is that people of all ideas and backgrounds do bad things every day, and that the work that many good people do sadly ends up as collateral damage, as we celebrate those falling from on high. But just remember that savoring the failings of others is often the first step toward those very same headlights of hypocrisy.

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Society

Is Disney's "Wish" Spreading A Subtle Anti-Christian Message To Kids?

Disney's new movie "Wish" is being touted as a new children's blockbuster to celebrate the company's 100th anniversary. But some Christians may see the portrayal of the villain as God-like and turning wishes into prayers as the ultimate denial of the true message of Christmas.

photo of a kid running out of a church

For the Christmas holiday season?

Joseph Holmes

Christians have always had a love-hate relationship with Disney since I can remember. Growing up in the Christian culture of the 1990s and early 2000s, all the Christian parents I knew loved watching Disney movies with their kids – but have always had an uncomfortable relationship with some of its messages. It was due to the constant Disney tropes of “follow your heart philosophy” and “junior knows best” disdain for authority figures like parents that angered so many. Even so, most Christians felt the benefits had outweighed the costs.

That all seems to have changed as of late, with Disney being hit more and more by claims from conservatives (including Christian conservatives) that Disney is pushing more and more radical progressive social agendas, This has coincided with a steep drop at the box office for Disney.

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