Different people live in the world: some tend to act according to their conscience to do the right thing; for others, morality is secondary, and they do not perceive deviation from generally accepted norms as unacceptable. However, both make mistakes and periodically deviate from their standards of behavior.
In the first case, we feel disappointed when a good person does evil. In the second case, the pattern breaks if evil puts on the mask of goodness, at least for a moment. This cannot be called a pleasant surprise because the essence of a person has not changed, but it is impossible not to note a noble act.
Jim Jones
In November 1978, photos from Guyana shocked the world: hundreds of corpses in a small fenced area called Johnstown. A few years earlier, the Temple of the Peoples sect leased the land. The cult flourished in the United States for some time, but after an investigation was launched, it was forced to leave the country.
The founder of the sect, Jim John, enjoyed unquestioning authority. The followers believed their leader, if not God, was at least an official representative of the Almighty. Jones said he was constantly haunted by visions of a better, more just future.
Later, it turns out that the pastor is addicted to drugs and alcohol. That is why the words about miraculous revelations can be valid. Only they were sent not by higher powers but by prohibited substances and distorted world perception. In just a few minutes, 918 residents of Johnstown committed suicide by drinking a pre-prepared poison.
Jones convinced them that this was the best way out. Otherwise, CIA agents would come, arrest everyone, and send them to prison or a mental hospital for a long time. The pastor urged them to think about the fate of children who should not be left alone in a cruel world. He promised that there would be no agony and agony, so the parents gave poison to their children. V I S I T .A F R I N I K . C O M .Thus, it ended the history of the utopia of a just society. Jones himself chose to shoot himself right before the arrival of the SWAT team.
It should be noted that Jim Jones began his career as a real and relatively sane preacher.
He publicly defended the ideas of equality, arguing that God does not care about skin color and eye shape. It was a bold and relevant idea for the USA in the ’60s. It was on this basis that the split occurred. American churches were divided into parishes for whites and blacks, which Jones strongly disagreed with. In the name of the struggle for universal human rights, the pastor sacrificed his faith, finding a new vocation.
Pablo Escobar
The cocaine king is still one of the leading icons among Colombia’s lower social strata, even though everyone has long known precisely how Escobar earned his fortune. However, people understood everything ideally before voluntarily accepting self-deception.
Hardly anyone seriously believed that Pablo had risen in investment thanks to his exceptional analytical abilities. One way or another, the “Robin Hood” image has been fixed forever. Street artists of Medellin paint portraits of the idol, selling them to tourists. Thus, Pablo Escobar helps the poor even after death.
This popularity did not arise from scratch. Since the early 1980s, the drug lord began to care about his reputation because he was going to legalize his capital. Pablo began holding regular rallies to gain popularity, popular support, and entry into the Colombian Congress. Every poor person knew that money and food were distributed during such meetings.
In addition, representatives of the Medellin cartel accepted complaints and requests from the lower strata. Sometimes, this led to actions like building hundreds of houses for the poor. Naturally, everything was done for a specific purpose — to enter big politics. However, thousands of people have received real help.
They probably didn’t care who donated money for food for the family or clothes for the child — even Pablo Escobar, even the devil himself. Indeed, these donations saved someone from going on a criminal path – Pablo gave a better future to some Colombians.
Charles Floyd
The bank robber and “public enemy number 1” (according to the FBI classification) was the most wanted criminal of 1934. Society, or some part of it, saw a real defender or avenger in the robber. During the Great Depression, many blamed the banks for what was happening. In addition, soulless organizations, regardless of the situation, evicted people from their homes, condemning the recent middle class to a miserable existence or even starvation.
After another robbery, the agents interviewed witnesses and asked them to describe the perpetrator. One girl gave out a short phrase: “He’s handsome.” So Charles got the nickname Pretty Boy Floyd. Floyd’s gang found fame and famous love because after robbing another bank, they destroyed all documentation.
Bonfires were made from mortgages on houses and loan agreements. Along with the smoke and ashes, all the debts of ordinary citizens went to the sky. The gang representatives did not publicly cover this; no one interviewed them. Floyd probably relieved fellow citizens of debts without having any second thoughts. A simple principle came into force — it was not complex for him but pleasant for society.
The Yakuza
The world has yet to hear about the mafia, Chinese triads, and Japanese Yakuza. These are the most powerful criminal structures in the world. At the same time, the Yakuza have grown so tightly into the public sector that even local intelligence agencies need to know exactly which companies are completely clean and where there is a connection with crime.
A few years ago, a truce was declared in the Land of the Rising Sun. The police no longer have enough people with distinctive tattoos, and the absence of finger phalanges is no longer a sentence for life. In many ways, this was facilitated by a particular act during the 2011 earthquake. The economic damage amounted to $309 billion; due to a series of aftershocks and a powerful tsunami, the state apparatus in many prefectures was paralyzed.
However, the Yakuza had a parallel government that began to assist the victims. The lack of bureaucracy made it possible to react quickly. Many cities have received first aid from criminals. On the first day, 70 trucks filled with water, food, and medicines went to the most affected areas. One of the representatives of the organization, giving an anonymous interview, said: “Today there are no yakuza katagi (ordinary people), and gaijin (foreigners) in Japan; we are just people and should help each other.”
Al Capone
Chicago is called a windy city, and in winter, it can be freezing there. The situation became especially dire in the early 1930s when the Great Depression raged, and millions of people were left without livelihood. Life was difficult in summer during this period, but winter became a real test. The state could not provide shelter and food packages to all those in need.
At a certain point, help came from the most unexpected side. The most famous gangster in the city, Al Capone, has opened a free canteen. Probably, as in the case of Pablo Escobar, it was a propaganda move. However, Al did not show any aspirations to get into big politics. Anyway, the free canteen started working according to gangster principles: zero bureaucracy and full compliance with the name.
The food could not be taken out with you, but inside the establishment, it was served without restrictions — in as many portions as you wanted per person. None of the staff asked the poor people for documents confirming their right to benefits and did not ask any questions. A person hungry from the street must return full — that’s all the rules. In the winter from 1931 to 1932, thousands of impoverished citizens survived thanks to Al Capone’s dining room.
