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Our childish, cartoon world

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(T)he original “GI Joe” was manufactured, a Faux Joe character designed to sell comic books and toys.

He was never real.

And neither was Joe Gliniewicz.

Too much about our society isn’t real. Our public discourse is too often based on way too little information and way too much ideology, all intensified by our too-quick reactions in an age when everybody has access to their own online megaphones.

Many of us in this Statehouse business got a close look at how this works when Barack Obama ran for President. He was quickly turned into a cartoon character that few of us recognized. Hero or villain, that just wasn’t the person we knew.

Cartoon versions of reality abound. Just read any newspaper comment section for two minutes (or more than a few newspaper opinion pages), or browse your Facebook feed. It’s not only disappointing, but downright dangerous that so many people choose to live in their own black and white fantasy worlds and forcefully believe that everyone else should, too.

* Greg Tejeda…

Now I’m not about to tag “crooked cop” all over Gliniewicz’s name. Personally, I think anybody who is obsessed with doing so is missing the point. They’re definitely wasting their time.

Although I do find some contempt for those people who got all bent out of shape by those who initially challenged the image of a “heroic cop” for Gliniewicz. Those were the people so eager to constantly deify police officers that they can’t accept the reality I came to a long time ago when it came to my dealings as a reporter-type person with law enforcement officials.

They’re human beings! Just like everybody else.

We are, indeed, all just human beings. We’re all a little different and strange in our own dark little corners. Even so, most of us try to do good things. For all his many faults, Gliniewicz was locally beloved for his good works before he killed himself because of his bad works.

Human beings are not gods. We shouldn’t declare our “faith” in them. We should recognize that, once we’ve grown into adulthood, everybody will occasionally disappoint, some much more than others. It’s simply the reality of being an adult and part of the oftentimes puzzling beauty of living on this planet.

/rant

posted by Rich Miller
Friday, Nov 6, 15 @ 12:26 pm

Comments

Without checks and balances, the kind of behavior that GI Joe engaged in is more common than we would like to believe.

I have seen numerous case where ‘pillars of the community’ have enriched themselves at the public trough while leading a life far different than their public persona. More often than not, they ‘retire’ from public life and occasionally fleece another trusting community.

Comment by plutocrat03 Friday, Nov 6, 15 @ 12:36 pm
spot on. Virtually every issue in society is “cartoonized” now.

Our budget problem is framed as either bringing down mobster union bosses or protecting the middle class from Scrooge McDuck.

tax reform is either making moochers pay their fair share or making Mr. Burns pay his fair share.

abortion is either killing babies or waging a war on women.

And that’s why it’s ALL about the money. The money fuels the extremism. You won’t get anybody to donate to your cause if you’re saying reasonable things. It’s the extremes that drive people to the polls and to the collection plate. And those with the power know that.

Comment by Johnny Pyle Driver Friday, Nov 6, 15 @ 12:37 pm
Well said.

When people let anecdotes become “hard” evidence for their worldview it is a recipe for misdiagnosed anger and glorification.

Comment by Abe the Babe Friday, Nov 6, 15 @ 12:39 pm
“all have sinned” is an all inclusive club

Comment by Empty Suit Friday, Nov 6, 15 @ 12:40 pm
The thing that amazes me in this case, is that many who allowed this individual to be essentially deified, also should have known that not to be the case. Fellow officers, city officials, family, etc. had to be at least somewhat aware of his imperfections as documented in his personnel file. Much of the praise and actions as they were building could have been muted. I don’t understand why they weren’t. I agree too that we all have imperfections and that many on the fringe rush to create the story they want. Many lessons in this one.

Comment by Lincoln Lad Friday, Nov 6, 15 @ 12:43 pm
Johnny =

Maybe I am not grasping the point of your comments
or they are too obtuse for me to fully comprehend.

But this really has me wondering what I am missing - “And that’s why it’s ALL about the money” - I do not understand the connection.

Comment by illini Friday, Nov 6, 15 @ 12:51 pm
Terrific piece.
Things/opinions/technology moves so fast that we don’t consider ramifications or what will happen next.
GI Joe wasn’t all bad. We all have many sides. It’s hard to see them all as we move so quickly through life that seems hyper-active at times.

Comment by Belle Friday, Nov 6, 15 @ 12:53 pm
Well said, my friend.

Comment by Hon. John Fritchey Friday, Nov 6, 15 @ 12:55 pm
My real problem with GI Joe is thew same one I have with the Metra exec who ended it all by jumping in front of a train.

Taking your life in a manner that is so hurtful and disrespectful to your coworkers and profession is sickening. The Metra guy knew the impact his choice of death would have on the engineers operating that train.

Similarly, GI Joe, knew the pain, anguish, fear, wasted resources his choice of death would have on his coworkers and the Brotherhood of Blue and yet he gave them all the middle finger with his actions.

That my friends is the worst part of both these stories.

Comment by Tommydanger Friday, Nov 6, 15 @ 12:59 pm
Well said, Tommydanger. The other point is that his fellow officers knew of his behavorial pattern and some attempted to bring it to Fox Lake’s attention - yet no action was taken. Are local police collective bargaining agreements that strong that any action above repeated suspensions would have resulted in prolonged litigation?

Comment by Bogey Golfer Friday, Nov 6, 15 @ 1:06 pm
Really smart and accurate rant, Rich. Thanks

Comment by Handle Bar Mustache Friday, Nov 6, 15 @ 1:13 pm
It’s not the person, it’s the profession that deifies itself. Perhaps why many flawed humans find themselves seduced and entrapped, becoming aggressively defensive, perhaps forced into situations that cause harm to themselves and others. The betrayal isn’t just felt by the people of Fox Lake. I think Gliniewicz felt it too.

Comment by Wensicia Friday, Nov 6, 15 @ 1:14 pm
Rich - great write-up, but conversely I “vet” my boys heroes well. As a parent, that is a must.

Comment by Anonymous Friday, Nov 6, 15 @ 1:19 pm
Whoops - 1:19 was me.

Comment by Team Sleep Friday, Nov 6, 15 @ 1:20 pm
=== Our public discourse is too often based on way too little information and way too much ideology, all intensified by our too-quick reactions in an age when everybody has access to their own online megaphones. ===

Great point.

Regarding the we’re human and make mistakes but he did good things angle, I can’t accept that with this guy. He crossed a horrible line when he started looking to have the administrator killed.

Comment by Norseman Friday, Nov 6, 15 @ 1:22 pm
“Gliniewicz was locally beloved for his good works before he killed himself because of his bad works”

We are what we do.

Gliniewicz was locally beloved for who he pretended to be before he killed himself because who he actually was — a thief, a liar, a bully, a sexual harasser, and THIS — was going to be revealed.

I give Gliniewicz ZERO credit for being a very successful fraud.

– MrJM

Comment by @MisterJayEm Friday, Nov 6, 15 @ 1:24 pm
illini

I’m saying that our money-driven politics creates the illusion of two cartoons battling each other for supremacy. We spend our time arguing against those cartoons instead of the much more complex, nuanced reality we inhabit. If you’re asking what money has to do with it, my point there is that the cartoons are what sells. Most people aren’t energized to vote or donate to the middle of the road reasonable guy. They’re motivated by or against the cartoons

Comment by Johnny Pyle Driver Friday, Nov 6, 15 @ 1:26 pm
===I can’t accept that with this guy. He crossed a horrible line when he started looking to have the administrator killed.===

I’m glad Norseman said it. His reputation goes a bit further than mine.

Comment by Anon Friday, Nov 6, 15 @ 1:27 pm
The cartooning of this individual was not done by the public - it was done by media impatient for answers regarding this event.

We repeatedly see excited media chasing after anything it could use to drive viewership numbers higher.

So few were interested in waiting around for a full accounting. They generated stories and buried this person without knowing what really happened to him.

Every event today can spiral out of control due to how sexy and saleable it could be to our media. Everything seems to be turned into eye candy if it is deemed excitable, whether true or not.

It might be traditional to bury an officer on duty with full hours and praise, but trumpeting him, glamourizing him or “cartooning” him is something no one but an excitable and immature media searching for news ratings did.

Not the world. It figures that someone who could rant against a Christmas toy as a symbol of phoniness would also feel let down by reality. Honestly, we all knew GI Joe was a toy.

Comment by VanillaMan Friday, Nov 6, 15 @ 1:28 pm
=== Regarding the we’re human and make mistakes but he did good things angle, I can’t accept that with this guy. He crossed a horrible line when he started looking to have the administrator killed. ===

Yes, @Norseman, I was thinking the same thing. When I first heard he was taking money from the Explorers — that’s something I can chalk up to a very foolish, criminal act that shouldn’t define the guy for life, but planting drugs or ordering a hit on the Village Admin, well that’s a different story.

Comment by Just Observing Friday, Nov 6, 15 @ 1:32 pm
What was the old City News Bureau sign? Oh yes - “If your mother says she loves you check it out.”.

A few days ago there was a story on the internet about the rift in Wyoming and it said it was “… six football fields long.” Every TV newscaster I saw later said it was six football fields long. Not six hundred yards or eighteen hundred feet long. In depth copy and paste reporting; or as the WGN reporter kept yelling during the press conference “Why didn’t you tell us?’.

Comment by Weltschmerz Friday, Nov 6, 15 @ 1:48 pm
Norseman, Anon & Just - good points. It’s interesting to read some of the social media comments about GI Joe in the afternoon. There’s a difference between letting the deceased rest peacefully and bring true crimes and deeply-rooted corruption to the surface. The public deserves to know about these - especially in light of the stunning revelations that have been released or leased over the last few days.

Comment by Team Sleep Friday, Nov 6, 15 @ 1:54 pm
Johhny Pyle Driver is right on with the fact that money drives alot of this.

Take gun control for instance:

What’s going to get a donation–a 20 page write-up logically explaining in detail all the arguments against gun control–or a large worded “Obama’s jack-booted nazi thugs will take your guns tommorrow unless you donate today”

Unfortunately people will react to the latter and send in their cash.

train111

train111

Comment by train111 Friday, Nov 6, 15 @ 1:54 pm
It’s always puzzling when somebody who seems to have it made (Hastert, Schock, Cosby, Gliniewicz)turns out to not be who we thought they were. All of them did good things, but their bad things are what we remember them for.

This is one of the most discouraging news stories of 2015.

Comment by Streator Curmudgeon Friday, Nov 6, 15 @ 2:24 pm
“All have sinned” is always an inadequate rejoinder to an abuse of power.

When you aren’t just one of the rest of us, the standard is higher. And like it or not (I don’t) police power is assumed to be nearly absolute unless proven otherwise.

Cops covered his sins for decades. “All” may have sinned but we don’t “all” get that.

Yeah, he had “many sides,” I’m sure. Probably loved by his mom. But most people who have pulled half the stunts he did are lucky if the media and the criminal justice system treats them merely as a number…rather than as a monster.

Comment by crazybleedingheart Friday, Nov 6, 15 @ 2:26 pm
“This is one of the most discouraging news stories of 2015.”

Only if you routinely take the side of authority without question.

If you know better, the fact that the conspiracy is likely to come unraveled is actually pretty refreshing.

Comment by crazybleedingheart Friday, Nov 6, 15 @ 2:27 pm
Amen to Mr. Tejeda! Well spoken and so true. These days people need to not judge so quick. Before we judge we all need to be honest with ourselves. Look at the Patrick Kane situation and a writter by the name of Tim Baffone. He is eating crow now. Everyone enjoy your weekend and be safe.

Comment by Anonymous Friday, Nov 6, 15 @ 2:58 pm
Anon, it’s not like Kane was using great judgment even though he skated. He should be spending summers in Chicago anyway, and not chase any skirt that comes along. He is guilty of pretty bad judgment, even though I could say the same of Baffoe who should have never got a writing gig from CBS Chicago.

Heck, there’s a human being behind Rauner somewhere. Right?

Comment by Southern Illinois Hoopdee Friday, Nov 6, 15 @ 3:01 pm
Mr Southern whatever guy, you must not of taken Mr Tejeda’s comments to heart. Easy to cast stones when one lives in a glass house. No pne knows what happens between Kane and the women but we know for a fact she discontinued going thru the legal process. I ask Mr Southern guy point blank, have you done anything that would embarras you in the past if itnwere to get out? I would Sir. Have a great weekend.

Comment by Anonymous Friday, Nov 6, 15 @ 3:12 pm
Johnny -

To your point about money driven politics ( and this is not about Joe G. ) with Citizens for Rauner sitting on $20 million and IllinoisGO with $9 million, does this mean we are going to be seeing a lot more cartoons!

Comment by illini Friday, Nov 6, 15 @ 3:16 pm
Anon @ 3:12, you really think I’m not aware of the legal machinations here? I think I’m making a fairly obvious judgment. Exercise better judgment? If that’s what you mean by casting stones, then we’re all in trouble.

I also blasted the people who convicted Kane in the court of public opinion but you obviously missed that part.

Comment by Southern Illinois Hoopdee Friday, Nov 6, 15 @ 3:25 pm
Southern guy get off the blog so I can go enjoy a cold beverage and stop wasting my time responding to your know it attitude . People like you will never change because you have all the answers. Go enjoy your weekend Sir.

Comment by Anonymous Friday, Nov 6, 15 @ 3:29 pm
One big issue is that this guy was lionized in part as a response to Black Lives Matter. How many stories did we have to read about how this guys death showed that BLM was endangering cops? How many of you had your facebook feeds clogged with people sharing those stories?

A separate big issue, semi-related to the first, is that the who GI Joe image was being projected by many people who knew better. Read the recent stories about this guy - a lot of fellow cops had complained to superiors about his abusive, disgusting behavior, and nothing happened. His coroner initially said suicide couldn’t be ruled out, and the department turned on him.

Those two together in a nutshell are they big problem I have with this whole thing. Cops aren’t gods, they aren’t benevolent dictators, they are people employed by the government to keep the peace. They are normal humans and some of them do wrong just like some of the rest of do wrong. But the response to this death, by people who knew him, was not to acknowledge that, just like so much of society refuses to acknowledge that BLM has a point about police killing black people. The response to this death was to knowingly spread lies about this guy to make him look like a saint and use these lies to demonize people who criticize police.

That is shameful as a society.

Comment by deeds Friday, Nov 6, 15 @ 4:11 pm