Dominic Vance

March 26, 2020

Candor and Compliment
Those who profit off of vice tend to find the greatest sources of revenue in the dark

places of society; in the neighborhoods of the more depraved souls of humanity, casinos, bars,

and adult shops abound. The flatterer, however, ought to be considered the most dangerous of

these profiteers for a sole reason: anyone, so long as they possess some sort of wealth or

advantage, is susceptible to their advances. This is because flatterers, rather than exacerbating

one’s vices for their own profit, would rather have their victims ignore their defects, and

illuminate their good qualities. To avoid their advances, one can combat them by seeking to

“eliminate self-love and self-importance” (105).

When making criticism (i.e., speaking with candor), one must make sure it is not ill-

timed, or misconstrued; an excess of criticism can wound one’s pride, and they will seek other

means to assuage it (invariably, the flatterers). Thus, these precepts should be kept in mind when

utilizing candor: make sure the criticism does not seem to be driven by wounded pride, do not

use sarcasm, do not fight candor with candor, and use candor sparingly, if at all, when one’s

friend has fallen out of fortune.

CDC Executive: Now that this outbreak has taken New York captive, I really don’t know if

limiting testing at the outset was the best decision.

Johnson: To be honest, I think that was an extremely wise choice on your part; as this disease

spreads, the most important factor is to not put too much strain on our labs and facilities, so that

they can find a cure. Clearly, you were thinking of that when you made your outstanding

decision.

Executive: Good, good; that’s what I wanted to hear.

Jackson: If you’ll remember, I had your back when you decided to warn the public early on that

this was going to seriously disrupt their lives.

Executive: Of course.

Jackson: With all due respect, sir, I think we ought to have lifted most, if not all, of the

restrictions governing the testing. That way we could have had better intel as to where and how

the disease was spreading, in order to protect the public; after all, that is the very reason our

institute exists. Protecting the American people is our mission.

Executive: Yes, of course.

Johnson: Precisely.

Executive: Johnson, didn’t you just state that protecting our workers was more important?

Johnson: …well obviously I was kidding you. Protecting the public is clearly our top priority.

Executive: For the record, I’m extremely upset at both of you. You’re my brightest guys here,

and I looked to you to help keep this mess under control. So far, you haven’t just failed, but

spectacularly so.

Jackson: …very well, sir, we’ll do better.

Johnson: Well, to be fair, you’re not doing so hot yourself, are you? You’re supposed to be the

nation’s leading disease expert, and you’ve let this Chinese virus come in and take over your

country!

(long pause)

Executive: Clear your desk, Johnson. Nice working with you.