The Seven Deadly Sins, November 2017

You may recall, those of you who have been reading this blog for a while, that I've written five times* on the subject of the so-called Seven Deadly Sins: Pride, Greed, Gluttony, Sloth, Lust, Envy, and Wrath.

It's been almost two years since I last wrote on the topic, and recent events have caused me to take a fresh look at the Seven Deadly Sins in the news:

Pride - Donald Trump tweeted last Friday (November 24th): “Time Magazine called to say that I was PROBABLY going to be named ‘Man (Person) of the Year,’ like last year, but I would have to agree to an interview and a major photo shoot. I said probably is no good and took a pass. Thanks anyway!” By the way, Time Magazine disagrees with the tweet.

Greed - If you love what your cable company has done to your television viewing, just wait until the FCC kills net neutrality. In this administration, what matters is whether a decision is good for business, and screw the consumer. Take a look at the winners and losers in GOP tax reform, too, and see who really benefits.

Gluttony - We usually think of gluttony in terms of overeating, but in its original sense it refers to the overconsumption of any resource ... like tax breaks for the wealthy and for businesses that really don't need them.

Sloth - according to this article on the GolfNewsNetwork.com, "Since taking office on Jan. 20, 2017 [as of November 25, 2017], Mr. Trump has reportedly been on the grounds of his golf courses or played golf elsewhere 81 times since becoming President." This is the man who said during the campaign that "If I win ... because I'm going to be working for you, I'm not going to have time to go golfing, believe me. Believe me. Believe me, folks." Just sayin'.

Lust - Here's a good summary from the New York Times on November 21: After Weinstein: The Fallout for 34 Men Accused of Sexual Misconduct, From Lewd Texts to Rape. Lust is having a winning season.

Envy - We seem to have a national leader so jealous of the accomplishments of his predecessor that his only policy agenda appears to be deliberately undoing everything President Obama did.

Wrath - One day after the father of one of the UCLA basketball players who were detained in China belittled Donald Trump’s role in their release, Trump tweeted that he “should have left them in jail.” Perhaps petulance ought to be a deadly sin, as a subset of wrath. For straight wrath, how about "Lock Her Up!"

For an interesting look at The Seven Deadly Sins of American Politics, check out this series of articles on Ozy.com.

Have a good day. I will not be envious or wrathful if you do.

More thoughts tomorrow.

Bilbo

* Sins, Great, Small, and New (March 11, 2008); Deadly Sins (September 20, 2010); Deadly Sins, Cardinal Virtues, and Congress (July 2, 2013); Deadly Sins Around Us (December 18, 2013); and Presidential Campaigns and the Seven Deadly Sins (February 2, 2016).