Getting a pass

In politics - and other kinds of public discourse like art and science - there is a phrase used by people who are upset that established standards (sometimes professional standards) are not applied in particular cases. There may be a general professional expectation that scientists are supposed to do empirical experiments, but if some scientist gets away with a weak piece of work, objectors will say she or he "got a pass".

In music, there are lots of recording artists who put out crap regularly. Whether judged on musical, or technical, or conceptual merits, some artists are clearly on a plateau, sliding by on the hope that nobody will call them on it. Critics of yesteryear would have complained. Critics of today will paraphrase the record company's press release and go on to the next party.

Every political candidate complains that the others in the same race are "getting a pass". The American presidential primaries, for example, have seen Clinton complaining that Obama has been getting a pass because the press has not been pressing him for details on his vague promises. The professional standards of journalism require factual and analytical reporting, but nowadays, because corporate values have washed out journalistic values, writers pretty much toe the corporate line, supporting the part of the political spectrum they are supposed to.

We readers should NOT give journalists a pass on such gutless failure. If they are going to call themselves journalists, they should be held to the standards of journalism.

And internationally, there are certain places that consistently "get a pass". A nation says it is a democracy, but there is not much evidence that it allows the people living there to participate in decisions. If they are a "friend" we "give them a pass". While at the same time, other nations - not friends - are chastised and categorized as evil for not living up to the same standards.

The question comes down to standards. Do we have them? Do we apply them?

For some people it is easy, because they have no idea what standards they have or are supposed to have. They don't think at the level of standards.

But if you do any self-examination, if you do have a notion that claims should be backed up, if you have the ability to critique what someone says against what they do, you have a chance to rise above giving everyone a pass.