Joe Public as Moral Arbiter? God Forbid

Joe Public loves it: how flattering to be asked to adjudicate in these megastars' private lives. But this new approach introduces a new relativism: you are only as good or bad as public opinion rules. It was bad enough to know this existed in politics; now that it has seeped into other areas as well, we really do look morally bankrupt.

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NB: There is something to be said for taking into account, certainly in politics and commanding a ship, the states of mind and morale of the crew. This is not to say that the captain is confined to leading based on what the crew tell him or that he can only lead where the crew is willing to follow, unbidden. He must show the way. Naturally he must be the best person for the job.

The obverse is true, of course: a bad captain can scuttle the ship.