Although we love to view the world in absolutes, things are seldom black and white. Heroes have skeletons in their closets and assholes secretly donate money to the ASPCA commercials with Sarah McLachlan. Okay, maybe not.
But the point is that the world is a complex place, full of moral ambiguity, double standards and mixed feelings.
So we have taken it upon ourselves to bring back the epic binary of good versus bad, right versus wrong, and virtuous versus evil.
We humbly present you Asshole and Hero of the week.
Via: Business Insider
Asshole: The CIA
Five years and 6.3 million pages of classified CIA documents has yielded a nearly 6,000 page report that was released on Tuesday that was meant to determine whether excessive interrogation techniques were used by the CIA in the post-9/11 era.
Not surprisingly to those of us who live in a country where the government uses its resources to spy on its own citizens, the report found that excessive interrogation techniques, including torture, were used on suspected terrorists in the Bush-era.
The report stated that the interrogation techniques did not actually lead to any real results in the fight against terrorism. The man behind the 9/11 attacks was actually waterboarded 183 times and never gave any useful information. So, by all means, keep torturing people because it clearly works and no one is ever able to withstand it.
But, the craziest part about this report is that it seems that no one knew this was going on at the time. The CIA actually deceived the White House, Congress and other government agencies. Apparently, President George W. Bush was not briefed on the specific tactics being used by the CIA for these interrogations. In fact, the CIA went so far as to outright lie to the White House about it saying that they were working and it was necessary to national security for them to continue.
While it’s not at all surprising to me that these revelations are finally coming to light, I have to admit that there was a part of me that hoped it wasn’t true. Why is our government violating international conventions with regards to torture? We’re not getting any information we didn’t already have, so what’s the point?
Every day, some part of the U.S. government does something that makes me question everything I was ever taught about this great nation of ours. So, thank you, CIA for continuing that questioning spiral. My sleepless nights really appreciate your dedication to the cause.
Via: People Magazine
Hero(es): John Legend and Chrissy Teigen
Over the weekend, marchers took the streets of New York City to protest the deaths of Mike Brown and Eric Garner. They braved freezing temperatures in order to make their opinions known, but John Legend and his wife Chrissy Teigen did not let them do it on empty stomachs.
Reportedly, the singer and model quietly paid for food trucks to provide each protester with a free hot meal while they stood outside and protested. I know that if I were out protesting in New York, a hot meal would be the kindest gesture someone could show me.
For a celebrity to show solidarity to a cause in such a real and tactile way, without the idea of the PR boost it will give them in mind, shows that there are good people in this world. It shows that people can be selfless. It’s the closest these people can get to protesting without causing mass hysteria in doing so.
Legend and his wife wanted to do their part without distracting the world from the message these protesters were trying to give, and I think that is very heroic.
The singer has been very vocal about his feelings regarding the Ferguson situation, even penning a new song for the film “Selma” where he makes references to the current powder keg.
Even though many celebrities have voiced their solidarity to the #BlackLivesMatter cause, Legend and his wife paying for food for cold and hungry protesters show that throwing up a hashtag on social media isn’t the only way celebrities can help. I think it’s a wonderful way to show people that you do care and that you’re actually willing to do something about things about which your passionate.
So, John Legend, while I love your voice and your songs make me swoon, I think this action makes you a true hero, worthy of our respect as well as our feels.
Feature photo courtesy of: Daily Press
