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Who of us wants to live in a culture where you are held responsible and judged for everything that you have ever said or done as an adult?

It appears that our culture is changing to become a culture where anyone, especially anyone in public life, can and will be held responsible and judged, based on the continually changing cultural views, for everything that they have ever said or done as a teen or adult. In such a culture, no one will be able to withstand that judgement of their life, and everyone will eventually fail to pass the cultural scrutiny and fall. Question: Do you personally want to live in a culture like that? Why, or why not?

Additional Thoughts: When I wrote this question originally, I didn't want it to become so politically focused, but that is how most have answered it, possibly because I wrote "especially anyone in public life" in the original question. What about other areas of life? If your entire life were researched and scrutinized by a possible employer during the job application process, based upon the values of the current culture, would you be OK with that?

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Picklebobble2 · 56-60, M

I think people who deliberately [i]seek[/i] a public office [i]should[/i] be held accountable to high public scrutiny.

Especially those whose positions afford them wealth; power; and influence.

ms20182878 · 61-69, M

@Picklebobble2 I definitely believe in accountability for recent events, but how do we avoid the situation where no one will be able to withstand the scrutiny of public office, and we will have very few people willing to serve?

Picklebobble2 · 56-60, M

@ms20182878 Example please.

ms20182878 · 61-69, M

@Picklebobble2 I asked the initial question, which few people have directly answered. From your responses, it appears that you are personally OK with living in a culture where you might end up being judged, in your place of work as an example, for something that you did as a teen that wasn't the best choice and doesn't pass scrutiny in the culture today.

Picklebobble2 · 56-60, M

@ms20182878 If this is in regard to Ralph Northam currently getting a grilling for his choice of attire for his yearbook photo, you HAVE to wonder WHY the hell he chose THAT particular costume !
Who does that ?
Dress as something so abhorrent it's bound to come back and bite you sooner or later !

Same as Prince Harry ! That daft idiot went to a fancy dress event dressed as a Nazi for goodness sake !

ms20182878 · 61-69, M

No, it's not about Ralph Northam, although he is an example. And there are many other examples.

I trust that you have never, in your life, done anything that might damage your integrity if it was disclosed to all of your friends and acquaintances and to the public.

Picklebobble2 · 56-60, M

@ms20182878 YOU and I make decisions EVERYDAY. Sometimes they involve just ourselves. Sometimes they involve being with other people.
But in EITHER case, both YOU and I know what is reasonably acceptable behavior. ESPECIALLY in a public place with OTHER people. Yes ?

So WHY on earth do SOME folk LACK this ability to KNOW what GOOD JUDGEMENT is ?

He could, and probably SHOULD have just owned up and been honest about being an idiot back then not giving any thought to how that decision might look to other people years later.

Throw yourself upon the mercy of the court of public opinion, kinda thing.
But he didn't ! He fluffed and faffed and made an awful mess of an excuse about it that now has folk wondering what ELSE he may have had POOR judgement in.

ms20182878 · 61-69, M

@Picklebobble2 I'm not talking about decisions made in the present, I'm talking about decisions made many years in the past. I'm sure that you've probably been a lot better than me... I just know that if you searched through my life 20+ years ago, there are plenty of things that I did that would be judged unfavorably in the "court of public opinion".

Picklebobble2 · 56-60, M

@ms20182878 But YOU'RE not STUPID enough to do the same kind of things THIS idiot did ! That's the point !
I mean there's regret and then there's.....inexplicable.

ms20182878 · 61-69, M

@Picklebobble2 I've definitely done things 20+ years ago that were worse than some of the things that people have lost their political positions for... so I guess I'm really no different than "THIS idiot".