Posts Tagged ‘ABSCAM’
“It is mutual trust, even more than mutual interest, that holds human associations together”*…
… and in its absence? Millie Giles on the state of trust in American professions…
When choosing a career, there are several (often contradictory) factors that determine people’s decisions: pay, of course; personal interests; work-life balance; location; public perception; and how a particular job might weigh on their conscience.
But which professions do Americans trust the most?
A recent Gallup poll, [published last Monday], found that 76% of US adults considered nurses to have high or very high honesty and ethical standards, with teachers, military officers, and pharmacists also scoring highly amongst those surveyed.
Conversely, Americans were skeptical about the ethical standards of TV reporters (55% considered low or very low), members of Congress (68%), and lobbyists (68%) — perhaps because the public perception of professionals in political and media-related fields is that many of them have ulterior motives, as is the case with stereotypically mercenary car salespeople and lawyers, which also ranked negatively overall.
Lloyd Blankfein, the former CEO of Goldman Sachs, infamously said in November 2009 — with the impacts of the global financial crisis still reverberating loudly — that he and his fellow bankers were “doing God’s work.” Ridiculed at the time, he might be pleased to see his once vilified profession ranked not far behind the clergy, per Gallup.
Zooming out: the average of high/very high ethical ratings across the core 11 professions sunk to just 30% in 2024, with trust in medical doctors in particular having dropped 14 percentage points since 2021…
“America’s most trusted professions,” from @sherwood.news @Gallup
* H. L. Mencken
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As we contemplate confidence, we might recall that it was on this date in 1980 that news of the FBI’s Abscam operation, targeting corrupt Congress members and other elected officials, broke publicly. The two-year investigation had initially targeted trafficking in stolen property and illicit business people, but later evolved into a corruption investigation; it led to the convictions of six members of the United States House of Representatives and one member of the United States Senate, along with one member of the New Jersey State Senate, members of the Philadelphia City Council, the Mayor of Camden, New Jersey, and an inspector for the Immigration and Naturalization Service.
The Abscam operation wass dramatized in the 2013 feature film American Hustle, directed by David O. Russell, which received ten Academy Award nominations.
“A good film script should be able to do completely without dialogue”*…
But in the meantime…
… our friends at Flowing Data offer an expanded version of their earlier graphic survey of well-known movie lines [c.f., Diagramming (Famous) Sentences]. Click here for (a larger version of) the chart from which the image above is a small excerpt.
* David Mamet
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As we aspire to speak aphoristically, we might recall that it was on this date in 1980 that the public learned of the FBI operation known as ABSCAM. Born in 1978 as a sting operation aimed at forgery and stolen art, it shifted to focus on public corruption; aided by a convicted con-man, the FBI videotaped politicians as they were offered bribes by a fictional Middle Eastern sheik in return for political favors. The investigation ultimately led to the conviction of a United States Senator, six members of the United States House of Representatives, one member of the New Jersey State Senate, members of the Philadelphia City Council, the Mayor of Camden, New Jersey, and an inspector for the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service.
And of course, it provided the inspiration for American Hustle.
A videotape played at the first Abscam trial on Oct. 14, 1980, showing Pennsylvania Congressman Michael “Ozzie” Myers accepting an envelope containing $50,000 from undercover FBI agent Anthony Amoroso. Looking on is Camden Mayor Angelo Errichetti and con man Mel Weinberg.
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