Here and everywhere
The recent scene between Rob Arkley and Larry Glass should really take no one by surprise. I’ve been hearing for years stories about Arkley throwing his considerable financial weight around, but also I’ve heard screaming fits of rage, and cold, calculated revenge. Assuming for the moment the allegations Glass has made are true, the indication would be that Arkley has anger management problems, and should seek professional help. It’s also not surprising that there’s been an effort to portray the affair as a political dustup between a hateful liberal and a sober, responsible conservative, and to portray the victim of Arkley’s attack as a whiner and a doper. That’s the way folks like Arkley play: it’s called spin control.
Time and again over recent years I’ve heard stories of the “good deeds” Arkley has done which either involve his taking control of an organization to which he’s making a donation as a precondition, or taking on a project for the sole purpose of driving an enemy out of business. From what I’ve seen and heard, this is not a man who is into disinterested philanthropy. There’s always a quid pro quo.
One can argue that that’s business. You promote your interests over those of your competitors. But two things about this situation make this different: First, the claims that assaults and threats on elected officials should be overlooked because of all the good things Arkley has done for the community, and second, the idea of driving people out of business not because they are competitors in business, but as retribution for the fact they opposed him. That’s not business, that’s not free market, and it’s not democracy. It’s terrorism.
Nor is this an isolated case. There are Arkleys all over the country. There are even liberal ones. They can be found wherever there are large accumulations of money and a paucity of morality and true civic-mindedness. Now that our values reflect money as the reason for living, it should surprise no one that people like OJ Simpson, the various felonious stars and atheletes, and especially our “leaders”, use their money to control everything in our lives, including our hopes and dreams.
Ultimately, since Arkley will never run for office, those of us who disapprove of his methods can vote with our wallets: I’ll never attend an event at the Arkley Center for the Arts, but I will make a point of buying more CDs than I need from Larry Glass. I will try to avoid other Arkley holdings and will never enter Home Depot, but will buy from Pierson’s. Similarly, this is being written for the Times Standard, not for Arkley’s Reporter. Will that make a difference? Probably not. But if I get sent to Guantanamo for advocating impeachment or if I receive threatening phone calls for dissing Mr. Arkley, at least I will be able to say invoked my rights as a free citizen and an American.
Comments
...and you sleep at night.
Posted by: Anonymous | September 19, 2007 12:10 AM
I once had to live with seven other women in a small space. Between that and half-a-hundred years I have made some observations about people interacting. To get somewhere can take a superhuman effort and there are always people who will use you and put you down. Ignore tham and move on, but a mouth that says uneeded things does not contribute to life and sometimes the owner of that mouth will be faced down by someone objecting. People have a right to defend themselves from words, just like they would stop actions. Talk all you want, but accept the consequences.
Posted by: bambi l peters | January 6, 2008 02:14 PM