Where's the Accountability?

What does it look like to raise a child, teach them respect for themselves, for their family and their peer, in a society where accountability is something a person can buy their way out of? That's what Aleem, Christian, and John dig into in this pod. It comes after Christian spent a week away from work to spend with his son on spring break. In the same time, former president Trump has been able to dodge just about every bit of accountability in criminal and civil proceedings up and down the east coast. Most recently, he had his bond in his New York fraud case massively reduced, from $464 million to about $175 million -- a large sum to be sure, but a reduction of over 50%, something few could ever ask for, let alone be granted. Sean "Diddy" Combs, meanwhile, has become the subject of a civil suit and a massive federal criminal case, with agents raiding his home. The accusations are as of yet unproven in either case. But the civil complaint contains horrific, graphic descriptions of sex trafficking and sexual assault. His reaction after agents raided his compound? Remarkably similar to Trump: he deflects, accuses, and attempts to discredit the legal system and the news media. Where does this all get started? How do these rich and powerful men even develop the taste for abuse and atrocity before they achieve positions of power, or is it really as simple as the old adage that power corrupts? And where does this leave parents, especially parents of boys, in today's America? For one thing, it makes us all somewhat countercultural -- even if we never ever thought of ourselves in that light -- for teaching the next generation to not follow and even contradict what they're seeing around them. Don't worry though! Aleem still says something awkward, John still calls him out, and an insomniac Christian still gets cherry red laughing. We have to have some fun, even when things around us are completely out of hand. #trump #parenting #raisingoursons #accountability #personaldevelopment #personalresponsibility #toxicmasculinity #healthymasculinity #diddy #puffdaddy #diddydoit #hiphop This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit christianhanley.substack.com