What Makes a Politician Corrupt?

None of us like a corrupt politician. As a matter of fact, if we want to stigmatize a politician, we can simply throw that adjective, corrupt, at them and suddenly everyone despises them. But what does corrupt really mean? What makes a politician crooked? What motives are to blame for the politican garnering such a bad reputation? I suggest there are two reasons a politician may be labeled as corrupt.....and they are actually polar opposites.

The first reason we may begin to perceive a politician as corrupt is if they try to appeal to everyone. Sure, we have the notion that a politician ought to seek the common good but, in reality, the politician who does that will be dubbed 'wishy-washy.' Why? Because there is no common good! There is only my good and your good. The politician who dilutes his message for the sake of mass appeal is perceived as a sell-out only interested in popularity. He breaks the promises made to those who got him into office for the sake of achieving mass appeal. Like a computer file is said to 'corrupted' if its original content is altered, that politician too is said to be corrupted when his beliefs change.

Business leaders often have this problem when they try to broaden the reaches of a particular brand. BMW begins adding cupholders to their sports cars, because the broader market wants cupholders. BMW driving enthusiasts become enraged! Starbucks introduces a line of instant coffee, because the market for instant coffee is a large untapped stream of revenue. Coffee snobs all over the world are revolting! These companies are perceived by their niche customers as sell-outs, perhaps even in some way.....corrupt.

The other reason a politician may be labeled as corrupt is if she does the complete opposite. If a politician neglects the masses for the sake of her own voters, she is considered corrupt. Politicians who 'earmark' certain funds in a budget for their constituents are frowned upon. Actually, many people will consider it more noble to help out those who did not get them into office rather than those who did. Returning a favor is underhanded bribery. A politican who sticks with her beliefs and continues to honor her core customer base is despised for not seeking after the 'common good.'

Business leaders, again, are critized in this same way. If BMW does not put cupholders in their sports cars, a huge segment of interested customers will lambaste the brand for making it difficult to drink coffee. On a similar note, a huge stream of coffeedrinkers may be saying that Starbucks should come out with a coffee product more accessible and less fancy that can fit into busy routines. The mass market makes demands that the niche market finds repulsive.

What is the right thing to do for the politician or businessman? What can keep them from being dubbed, corrupt? Well, nothing. There is but one question they need to answer: who is my customer? Those who a politician, a businessman, a religious leader, a blogger, a teacher, etc. need to honor first and foremost are their customers. Who is my voter? Who is my buyer? Who is my parishioner? Who is my subscriber? Who is my student? For a politician that gets voted into office, his customers are his constituents.....or are they?

Perhaps his customers change once he gets into office and his customer base is broader. Whatever the case may be, a politician's job is to make his message relevant to those who are either voters or potential voters.....and disregard everyone else. A person who complains and lambastes a politician as corrupt but has no intention of ever voting for him is simply a bad customer--a customer that the politician cannot profit from. They are simply PR problems.