Wearing the robes of hubris
Today, class, we’re going to examine one of the words that our language has received from the Greeks. I trust they’re proud, because the word is hubris ( ὕβρις ), or excessive pride. I have decided to present you with two examples from the daily press; one would suffice but two is better.
My first choice will demonstrate criminal hubris, where someone has committed a crime but still believes that he is above any punishment. Today saw the sentencing of a “white collar criminal”, which means that he dressed well while hurting someone else. Fraud. The man took a lot of money from those who were poor, and now he believes that the state owes him a new trial, no prison time, nothing at all. He did no wrong. His pride has convinced him that he was right, in spite of all evidence to the contrary.
My second choice will demonstrate political hubris (is there any other emotion that ties with the profession, I wonder?) In this case, our current prime minister who has decided that he also is an expert in nuclear power generation. Today, the former official in charge of the Chalk River reactor spoke out publicly. She underlined the dangerous state of the reactor when she decided to shut the sucker down and get some repairs. She also noted that the government overruled her, changed the law to cover their wrong decision and fired her in the process. Oh yes, hubris; our current prime minister believes that he knows better than anyone else how old nuclear reactors might “react” in an emergency. Did I mention that he knows better than anyone else about anything else? In fact, he might be the poster boy of both political and criminal hubris, should the backup pumps ever be needed.
There. Now you have the duty to judge their behaviour. May the sentence fit the crime.
