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: News AU
Asshole: Benitez Gilberto Zarate
A man in Paraguay has been arrested for allegedly raping his 10-year-old stepdaughter and getting her pregnant. Benitez Gilberto Zarate is, of course, denying the allegation and calling for a DNA test to prove it.
The girl and her family are asking for an abortion, a procedure that is not allowed in Paraguay unless the mother’s life is at risk. Amnesty International is backing her request for the abortion, despite laws to the contrary. So far, officials have blocked this request.
The girl’s mother has also been arrested in this case for endangering her child’s wellbeing and neglecting to care for her.
None of this changes the fact that a 10-year-old girl is probably going to have to give birth to a child because a government has interfered with her right to choose. Statistically, two million girls under the age of 14 give birth to children internationally and they tend to suffer from health problems as a result. Nearly 70,000 of adolescents who give birth die annually due to complications from childbirth.
Whether this man raped his stepdaughter remains to be seen, but his case is flimsy. Authorities seem to have reason to believe that you are capable of this kind of crime, so you can’t be completely without guilt.
Via: Deadline
Hero: Stephen Colbert
This week Stephen Colbert decided to give back to his South Carolina roots by funding 800 teachers’ 1,000 requests on the crowdfunding site DonorsChoose. His donation totaled about $800,000 and it all went directly to South Carolina public school teachers.
We hear about celebrities giving back to the world or community by donating to charity or giving away cars or something of the like, but we rarely hear about such a dramatic donation to education, especially public school education.
Colbert is a self-proclaimed product of the South Carolina public school system, and his donation will help teachers to revitalize their classrooms and give students to opportunity to learn in new and unique ways.
An education is the most important opportunity we can give a child, and while it’s great that every child has access to a public education, not all of those educations are created equally. It is funding like this that will award ample opportunities to learn creatively across all district and socioeconomic lines. This should inspire the rest of us to give back to our own communities and give all students the opportunity to have an unforgettable educational experience.
Feature photo courtesy of: The Chicago Tribune
