Martha’s Designs and Conrad’s Prints
Much has been said about Martha’s ‘sins’, which probably resulted in the biased jury that convicted her.
Black’s crimes are equally nefarious – that is to the few, and powerful, who wish to indict him.
Both in their own way managed to cloud over “Though shalt not steal”.
Yet, finally, question of their criminality is not how many legal (or illegal) barriers they jumped, but what are their values.
Martha’s values may indeed be what kept her company going for so long, enriching us with ideas and products. Her television show was a mixture of do-it-yourself crafts (which really can be done if taken the time) and a pristine set with pleasant colors and good design.
Black’s, well I’m not entirely sure what they brought us since many of his original newspapers have now been sold, and Canada’s National Post no longer maintains the vision he once had of it.
Courts, it seems, are not designed to judge based on values. It is life (or a higher order) that eventually decides that.
Martha’s sin – i.e. lack of values - (not crime) may have been her arrogance. But without it, how could she have run her mega-empire?
Black’s is probably his lustfulness (more so than his arrogance). But how could he satisfy his wife without that?
If I were to judge, I would say that Martha’s sin is the lesser of the two. A leader needs a certain amount of arrogance to run the show.
Black’s was all about himself – and his wife. All about money. And unlike Martha, he eventually had to sell the majority of his newspapers to other parties. At least Martha still has her magazine, and her visions intact.
Arguments that don’t take ‘values’ into account end up defending any one and anything in the name of legal technicalities.
Michael Jackson becomes just as defendable (even though he’s now in enemy territory in the Middle East apparently hooked on drugs), as Conrad Black who renounced his Canadian Citizenship to become an English Lord. The latest news is he wants it back to avoid American prisons!
The most Martha has done to defy her country and values is to sell her beautiful Connecticut home, and to go start her version of the “The Apprentice”. At least that one failed too – she couldn’t summon up the courage to be arrogant! And she’s back on her pristine sets under a new program “Martha”.