Being Too Important

Earlier this week, a large picture of an Asian man in a suit that boasted the black panache of the wealthy caught my attention, either in the front section or the Business section of the L.A. Times. I forget.

He is the C.E.O. of Hyundai, and he was brought up by the Japanese government on charges of fraud, I believe. As history goes, those Eastern countries never grant much leniency to delinquents. Lots of floggings and beheadings and such--not too many pardons. Anyone can forgive someone else, so why use a Mandate of Heaven for that? No, no. Mandates of that caliber are for immunity from public backlash of capricious, unwarranted slaughter.

Of course, the Mandate of Heaven or similar derivations of authority haven't been invoked in first-world countries since Tojo Hideki, the emperor of Japan during World War 2, shamefully surrendered to the wrath of amoral Americans and their good physics--you know, nuclear fission and all that. Speaking of physics, which is closely related to trigonometry, please excuse my tangent. Yes, it's a silly joke. But maybe you'll like it.

The C.E.O. of Hyundai wasn't flogged, or beheaded, or even imprisoned. His violations were overlooked, because he plays such a vital role in such a massive company that his incarceration would directly impact Japan's economy.

How would you like to be told what his pardon tells him? If you do not know what his pardon implies, it is this: he is too important to be missing, even when equality demands his removal. He has attained a position powerful enough to subvert principles of equality and justice.

Imagine if that were to happen in our country:

"Oh, hey there George. You really should be laying off of the kilos, don'tcha think?" the Chief Justice would say. "Good thing you're president, or you'd be fucked."
"Yep," George would say. "Good thing."