Taking into the consideration the situations that have occurred recently in the media, yes, power does corrupt. For example, let us take a celebrity who is pure and fresh into the business of music. If this person has too much power, they think they are omnipotent, power gets to their heads, and they utilize their power or fame in the wrong way. This mind set can cause major damage to a person’s reputation, endorsements, and relationships.
An example in the recent media of how power corrupts is the situation with Chris Brown and Rihanna. In the public eye, Chris and Rihanna had a healthy, loving relationship. But on February 8, 2009, the night that the couple was supposed to attend the Grammys together, they were involved in a domestic violence scandal. Uproar between the two lovers seemed to have caused Chris to give Rihanna “visible bruises on her face.” This confrontation with the law involving domestic violence led to Chris and Rihanna’s absence at the Grammys; also, Chris’s campaign ad with Wrigley’s Doublemint Gum® was suspended until the issue was resolved. This incident caused Chris to be viewed in the public eye with a tarnished reputation; his fans looked at him differently because they all thought that he was a nice, handsome gentleman with a great voice. Rihanna has refused to come in contact with Chris, and there is not a chance that they will be getting back together anytime soon. The power and fame that Chris possessed was corrupted through an unfortunate mistake made in the spur of the moment. This exemplifies how quickly things can change, and how easily power can corrupt.
Coming from a historical standpoint in relation to Alexander the Great, no, his power did not corrupt. Alexander went through all of his life with one goal, to conquer the world. He started as a student of Aristotle, not really learning much, but rather thinking of ways that he could become the ruler of the world. His father, Philip, was the king of Macedonia, until he was assassinated when Alexander was only nineteen years old. This is when Alexander sets out on a mission to destroy the ruthless people, the Persians, who killed his father, and become the king of all lands. Alexander travels through Troy and eventually ends up at Gordian, where he cuts the infallible knot, and becomes respected as a king. Alexander then continues on his journey for power in Egypt, where he is said to be a god because he would be the one to defeat Persia, an enemy of Egypt. This trip expands Alexander’s reign and gets him closer to the goal of being a king. Alexander and his friends take a road trip to Siwa, where he is also respected at a high level of kingship. He continues on his journey to Persepolis, the ancient capital of Persia, where he fights Darius at Issus. Darius is betrayed by his men and gives Alexander the land of Persia in his dying wishes. In order for the population of Persia to accept their new King Alexander, Alexander must go on a quest to find the men who killed Darius. When Alexander finds the man in Afghanistan, Bessus, who betrayed and killed Darius, he tortures him and kills him. Alexander tries to expand his reign to Tajikistan, but is defeated for the very first time there. He continued into India where he experiences daily attacks and constant fighting, and he is pierced in the lung by an arrow. The constant battle causes Alexander to depart from India for the southern deserts of Iran, and then to Babylon. He became very ill and depressed, which causes Alexander to die at the age of thirty-two. Alexander has conquered most of the natural-known world by this time in his short-lived lifetime. What happens to all of Alexander’s empire? It is split up between his generals and later named the Seleucid Empire and Ptolemaic Egypt. The land of Alexander was ruled by his descendants until Cleopatra came along.
During the short life of Alexander, he set his goal to conquer the world and did just that, without any corruption. If anything, people praised him for defeating Persia; they did not condemn him for his strongly willed quest. Alexander traveled through every piece of land known to him and dominated them, one by one. In conclusion, it is possible for power to corrupt by rash mistakes, but if you have a plan, and pursue it in the correct manor, power will not corrupt.
"Alexander the Great." 1902 Encyclopedia. Web. 26 Feb 2010. .
Errico, Marcus. "Chris Brown Arrested After Alleged Rihanna Assault." E! Online 8 February 2009: n. pag. Web. 26 Feb. 2010. ed.html>.
"Map of Alexander the Great (Decisive Battles)." Bible History. Web. 26 Feb 2010. .
Montgomery, James. "Doublemint Suspends Chris Brown Ad Campaign." MTV 9 Feb. 2009: n. pag. Web. 26 Feb 2010. Ad Campaign>.
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