Quote of the Week...from Vito Corleone

I spent my whole life trying not to be careless.  Women and children can afford to be careless, but not men.                                                                Don Vito Corleone, The Godfather

A  couple of years ago I wrote about another quote from the fictional organized crime magnate protagonist of The Godfather, so ably portrayed by Marlon Brando in the 1972 movie.  In that article I alluded to today's quote but didn't delve too deeply into it.  The quote is a product of the times and culture it would have supposedly been delivered in, when society's leaders...those who had the power and responsibility to make decisions that could impact others and themselves in either a positive...or sometimes very destructive...way, were by and large men with women largely excluded.  In today's world where women are becoming more of an active force within leadership, I would change Corleone's statement to "The rest can afford to be careless, but not adults in positions of authority."  Adults, especially in a leadership capacity, be it in a family, school, business, politics, or any other societal institution, make themselves a visible target of anyone "lower" than them who has built up a negative narrative and has some axes to grind...regardless whether the "leader" has ever done them any harm.  Once someone accuses someone in a position of authority of abusing their power or harassment, the individual in question sadly often stands ruined by the accusation...even when the produced evidence demonstrates their innocence.  There is in today's politically correct world a tendency to exalt the subjective testimony of the aggrieved and to impart greater validity to their charges when they either use emotional fervency or identify with a "victim" group to enhance the impact of their words.  To objectively and fairly treat the accused can then place those listening to the grievance in a setting where they themselves can be accused of covering up or having ulterior motives should they ultimately reject the charges, so they can find themselves tempted to excessively criticize the accused even when he or she has done nothing wrong besides possibly being careless.   I don't know of any way to change this state of affairs, but instead suggest that anyone who is a leader on any level...no matter how obscure...observe the Godfather's quote for themselves by restricting communication and interaction with others outside the immediate family and their established, close circle of friends and colleagues to public-based forums or at least assuring the presence of a third party.  That means nix it with one-on-one phone texting and Facebook Messenger outside your close circle of family and trusted friends and associates as well as delegating phoning of others to someone in a supportive position when you're dealing with people you don't really know all that well...and steer away from meeting...or even proposing meeting...with another you don't know well without someone else present.  It's sad to have to say that, but there are some real bad actors out there, even psychopaths who've become very adept at destroying other people's lives.  But there are even many, many more people who, due to their own often distorted personal narratives...in which false memory can play a role...or simply from honest misunderstandings, can misinterpret perfectly innocent communications and actions on a leader's part...better to protect yourself by being careful...