“Have patience awhile; slanders are not long-lived. Truth is the child of time; erelong she shall appear to vindicate thee.” – Immanuel Kant

One of the reasons I love dogs is their dignity. Because they cannot lie or be false to their nature, they have dignity. As we are all earning, every time a man lies or uses his power to injure or dominate or abuse, he loses some of his dignity. He might get what he wants for a moment, but he will destroy his soul in the process.

For a man like me to retain my dignity, I must not lie, or dominate, or abuse. I must like what I see in the mirror. I must respect myself, no matter what others think of me.

I must learn patience and empathy. A powerful man, it seems, is aroused in many different ways. Unchecked, he loses his dignity, and knows shame and fear, in one way or another,  he will always be exposed and disgraced, here or in some other world.

Yesterday, a new ritual of American life unfolded at the care where I was having lunch with my friend Scott at his Round House Cafe. He was waiting on a customer, I was checking my message, something I must do a number of times a day to manage my life.

I glanced over at the news, which I do more than I used to do, and saw the latest bulletin. “Scott,” I said, “this time it’s Garrison Keillor.”

Oh no, he shouted. We shook our heads.

Scott has listened to Garrison Keiilor every day of his adult life, his gentle humor and evocation of rural life was an integral part of daily life, he was a genius at what he did.

I liked him for the Writer’s Almanac he wrote every day, it is rare for anyone to remember writers and their lives any longer. I fantasized that one day he might refer to me. Now I know that will never happen.

Oh, no. And then, the new ritual, the new daily prayer.

The public outing, the non-denial denials, the apologies, the smooth-talking crisis manager,  the fake ritual of repentance, the new accusations, the self-shaming and embarrassment, the Stalinist  show trials, the purgings of a self, the censorship of a human.

C’mon, man, if you are so ashamed and embarrassed and remorseful, why did you pul your penis out in front of a young woman trying to live her life in this world? Why did you masturbate in front of someone and humiliate and degrade them? Are we really supposed to be that fickle and stupid?

It feels right that so many of these men are falling.  it seems wrong that they are tried and hung on Twitter. People love due process when they get in trouble, they abandon it quickly enough when their enemies are in the dock.

Stalin and Mao (and Trump) love Twitter Trials, anybody can say anything they want,  their loyal supporters are also the judges and juries, trials are over in minutes, there is nothing remotely like a defense, they cost nothing and are about any thing but justice.

We don’t storm towers with torches in this country, we use Facebook and Twitter.

The Puritans had this same idea about witches, if they are thrown into the water and float, they are witches, if they fall to the bottom and drown, they are witches.

Scenes cut out of movies, contracts canceled, work and archives purged without process, thought. We not only fire the accused, we destroy every vestige of his life. We think he’s guilty, but then again, how would we really know? If the context is different, the process is the same. They are treated just like the witches. It’s about time, they say. It’s a grotesque precedent, too.

The abusers and harassers of late have lots of money, they will be fine, this is America, they will repent and apologize, share their struggles to get  well, hire expensive lawyers and publicists, recast themselves.

We are learning every day that shame is dying in America, the vilest crimes and bigotry are simply proof of persecution and injustice. We are turned upside down. Our leaders no longer believe in suffering or sacrificing for morality, and many are losing any sense of what morality is.

The ever hypocritical and opportunist corporations, winking at abuse and brutality for generations, is suddenly righteous, outraged and unforgiving; “what? harassment? here?”  We are shocked, shocked. Accused at night, gone by morning. Wash your hands of him, he no longer exists.

The circus has risen, all of life is a reality show.

And so, these broken and immoral men vanish with their multi-million dollar contract settlements, off to see their therapists, debase themselves in their show trials, meet with their crisis managers, plot their return.

But do not ever fool yourself. They will return, perhaps more popular and powerful than before.   Those who don’t end up in jail will be back with fresh apologies, carefully chosen interviews, self-serving blogs and websites, images of charity work and redemption,  more declarations of shame.

Hannah Arendt was correct when she wrote that hypocrites are the lowest form of life. We have zoomed back to Mao’s Cultural Revolution, which we used to condemn.

I ought to say I think this is good for men in many ways, so many of us are talking and thinking having conversations we didn’t have before, seeing things they never saw before.

I believe it will get better. Women have support now they never had before, and are awakening in new ways for the better of the world. My own wish is that this is a necessary process to get from here to there, not a new system of justice.

I am thinking about my morality and self-respect.

I notice that these men say they despite themselves. Good, if that is true, then there is hope for them.

Every time I have lied, or been cruel,  I have lost a piece of my dignity. But you can get it back. All you have to do is look in the mirror and ask the face you see if you like yourself today, if  you have done good, told the truth, and respect yourself.

This morning, I looked in the mirror. “Do I Despise You?,” I asked myself. No, I answered, not today.

If the answer is no, I am on the path, and you don’t need a crisis counselor to get there.