As a philosophical, theoretical, and hypothetical thought experiment, you can take it with a grain of salt: switch around the elements, change the make up of the actors involved, and reach whatever conclusion feels right to you. The Story of the Clan is a parable of how to overcome hate and corruption. The real purpose is to reflect on what such dynamics could mean and to consider how improvement might be possible if harmful behaviors become normalized and collectivized. As a philsophical discussion we can take this wherever we want and explore the the many different facets of a problem (We can even question if is even a problem at all?)
In this learning example, you may notice the inversion of values: the good being treated as bad, and the bad being treated as good. This often connects to the filters of perception and the unspoken symbols people use to assign value to others. When racism and bigotry are normalized within certain social networks, outcomes can be distorted—leading to corruption, weakened safeguards, and a breakdown of checks and balances.
Importantly, this is not a story meant to provoke anger or despair. Rather, the goal is to imagine a positive conclusion—one of reconciliation, accountability, and adaptation. In theory, such an ending would not only help protect the public but also enhance the performance and fairness of institutional systems. One may propose a counter argument here if they desire. It would be interesting to understand what those counter arguments might look like and how such justifications come forwad (...as crazy as it sounds). A moral quandry with complex dynamics. We have used the word 'moral conscious' to represent awareness of moral issues. In some ways stories like this might help raise moral conscious of readers by simply thinking about the topic for a moment in competetion with the many different things that we focus on in our daily lives.
How a Clan System Undermines Human and Civil RightsIn this learning example, a perpetrator worked with several corrupt officers, leveraging their positions of power to threaten, intimidate, and target a minority(s) member(s) (based on race, religion, or other identity) for personal gain (One can separate by anything including politics, eye color, education, wealth, etc. but this one is on hate and corruption). With dark triad traits at the forefront, a few poor actors spread false and bigoted rumors—narratives easily accepted by their prejudiced peers—to encourage dehumanization and collective mistreatment. Once that narrative was accepted without critical examination they then turned to a judge within their social network, who used conflict of interest to rule in their favor in a secretive meeting to protect and enrich the pepetrators. Inadvertently they also ruled against the rights of others. In the process, children were harmed, the elderly were abused, and the perpetrators refused to take any responsibility for their actions. They had a clan affiliated judge who was not going to allow that to happen least a can of worms was opened.
What makes this story so troubling is that, aside from the victims, none of the actors involved could claim innocence. Their crimes escalated to the point where covering up wrongdoing seemed easier than correcting it. Just saying "no" and enforcing your boundaries set people into a wild rage. Witnesses, whistleblowers, and victims were placed on target lists, while official complaints were systematically ignored to protect Clan members. New victims came forward from other people against some of the affiliated members that included other forms of authority misuse such as rape, targetings, theft/corruption, so on and so forth. The evidence was starting to pile up and couldn't be just considered random in occurance. A pattern that should have been discovered earlier if people were doing their jobs properly.
This willingness to sacrifice the most basic human and civil rights in the pursuit of power and group benefit highlights the dangers of Clan-based corruption. Hate became a tool for control, and the targeting of historically marginalized groups provided a convenient justification. While the manuscript below reflects racism, the same dynamics can extend to religiously motivated hate and other forms of of discrimination. How Racism Affects Well Being
In the thought experiment human and civil rights were violated for a few bucks and a pat on the back. One of the founding fathers Thomas Jefferson said something profound "The price of freedom is eternal vigilance". It means to be aware and to support those freedoms where and when one can. In my perspective it means thinking about and remembering the importance of such freedoms. How our daily choices and perceptions impact the continuance or realization of such freedoms. Small acts of kindness, connecting to different types of people, and sharing a perspective of what benefits us all helps ensure those freedoms continue. Those who divide cannot secure those freedoms in the end.
This study talks a little about corruption and its impact on society.
Corruption and economic growth: New empirical evidencePhilosophical Considerations
This list is not exhaustive—it simply opens a discussion. You may think of additional questions of your own. As a philosophical story we can propose different possibilities.
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Justice and Outcomes: Would stronger defaults toward justice lead to improved economic and social performance, or might they result in decline?
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Perceptions and Bias: How do the perceptions and biases people hold shape the way they view others? Can such biases be used to justify harmful behaviors if victims are deemed “worthy of hate”?
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Checks and Balances: What safeguards can prevent socially tight networks from exploiting institutions for enrichment or harm? What does it mean for society if those safeguards fail and wrongdoing cannot be corrected?
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Individual Responsibility: How can individuals encourage administrators to fulfill their mission of protecting the public? Should citizens vote out corrupt officials, promote broad reporting of misconduct, or hold leaders accountable to serve the whole community?
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Consequences of Inaction: What are the economic and social impacts of protecting, shielding, or failing to reverse corruption and hate crimes when they are uncovered?
Integrity to Oaths: What might it mean if someone swears oaths about certain values of (freedom, indivisibility, etc.) and then violates those oaths when socially pressured? What does it say about their character? Capacity to lead? Is it any different if a group of officials do that?
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Further Reflection: What other questions would you add to deepen this discussion? What type of world, nation, or community would you like to build? Is it the place or the principles that count?
This is a philosophical and theoretical thought experiment. Take it with a grain of salt. The goal is to explore perspectives, not dictate conclusions. Some may feel strongly that certain groups should be blocked from participation in society, while others argue for inclusion and fairness. Ultimately, the conclusion is yours to reach—there is no single “right” or “wrong” answer. There is a just a line of choices that lead to futures unknown.
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