JC: William Redman Carter Noble Savage Chapter 50 By Lazlo Zalezac Copyright (C) Lazlo Zalezac, 2005 Doug, sitting in the loveseat sideways with a leg over the armrest, looked up from his book and saw that William had put down the manuscript he had been reading. He asked, “So what do you think?” “I like it,” William said nodding his head. “What about my conclusion?” “I think you are right on target. It does seem that a crisis of followership must be a democratic phenomenon,” William answered. Doug had concluded after studying several dozen national histories that a loss in confidence in the democratic process led to crisis of followership. Historically, the result was a decline into social paralysis and subsequent conquest by a more vibrant regime. “It looks like a pretty clear pattern to me. First the society fragments into social groups that have disjoint goals and values. The groups become increasingly polarized to a point where consensus becomes impossible. Each group becomes convinced that the other groups suffer from some serious moral flaw and argue against them based on the perception of that flaw. The end comes rather quickly once an external group sees the weakness,” Doug said. “And history records the fall to be the result of corruption,” William said finishing the pattern. “Yes. History records the innuendos, false charges, and rumors since the facts weren’t really known even at the time,” Doug said. “That was pretty clever looking at tribal histories where leaders were elected by tribal consensus,” William said. “Most political organizations of the past were based on royal families who achieved power through inheritance, dictators who wrestled power from the existing leaders, and war lords who achieved power by conquering others. In comparison to those mechanisms of governorship, democratic means are rare.” “I’d like to see more of the details on the process by which a crisis of followership evolves,” William said. If he were to model it accurately, he would need to have more details about the social forces that were at play. “That is going to be very difficult. In all of the tribal histories that I found, the majority of information came from the victors. They weren’t all that concerned about the nature of the society that they conquered. Their emphasis was on the act of conquering a weak society.” “There has to be modern examples,” William said. “No there doesn’t,” Doug said with a smile. “How about Argentina?” William asked trying to think of a more modern example. “It wasn’t really a failure of followership,” Doug said. William thought about the material he had read. It had been a fascinating glimpse into big time losers in history. He said, “I want to understand it in terms of technology, medicine, economics, religion, natural events, and other social factors. Was the standard of living improving or failing? How was the culture being shaped by engineering advances? Were technological advances undermining religious beliefs? Was the culture being eroded as a result of interactions with external cultures?” Doug closed the book he had been reading and thought about what William was requesting. Frowning, he said, “I’ll try to identify that information. I can’t make any promises.” “One thing that you might want to look for concerns how the people began to view their past. It seems to me that a culture that is expanding does so because the people often make hard decisions. I’m sure that some of the more influential leaders of the past made decisions that were often very nasty, but necessary. At some point in time, people look back at those decisions and decide they weren’t nice. They start to dislike their past and feel that the foundation on which their culture is based is a lie,” William said. “My father is always going on about how he was taught that the founding fathers were great men. It seems that every article about those men that I read today is about what kind of hypocrites they were. Jefferson, who helped write one of the most amazing documents of all time, is viewed as a fraud because he owned slaves. The document he wrote has become suspect because of that. One of my fellow students called it the ultimate document in hypocrisy,” Doug said. “Exactly. Is it possible that losing faith in the past makes the culture lose faith in its ability to go forward in the future? Is that the real basis for a crisis of followership?” “I think it is a little more complex than that. There has been a shift in assessing leaders in terms of their public deeds to the character of their private lives. Unfortunately, what was perfectly acceptable behavior at one time can become unacceptable behavior at a later time. Back then, no one thought anything bad of Jefferson for owning slaves. That was the status quo. Today, he’s viewed quite differently,” Doug said. “Did the same thing happen in Greece and Rome? Did they start viewing their history through jaded eyes?” William asked. “Yes, they did.” Doug answered. He recalled reading a paper in which the author said that Romans had started looking outside of Rome for their values. Everything non-Roman became better than Roman. “So what leads to that evolution of historical perspective?” William asked. “I have no idea,” Doug answered shrugging his shoulders. It seemed to him that it was an impossible question to answer. “That’s the key we must discover if we are to understand the basis of a crisis in followership,” William said. “I agree with you. I don’t know how my advisor will feel about it,” Doug said. “Why?” “He feels that this country was founded on lies and that the lies have continued through today,” Doug answered. William grimaced at the thought. Shaking his head, he said, “Pity.” Five very attractive women entered the bar of the restaurant to wait for the rest of the party. Their entrance turned the heads of all of the men and most of the women in the place. It was hard not to notice them; each was stunningly beautiful in her own way. Professor Elliot McDonald watched the woman walk to the bar while holding his breath. Eyes fixed on Barbara, there was only a single thought running through his mind. He wanted her and he was going to get her. Such beauty had only one place in this world and that was spread across his bed. Just the thought of her in bondage was enough to give him an erection. If she wouldn’t come voluntarily, he’d take her against her will. The man had a reputation in the college in giving only one of two grades, A’s and F’s, to attractive coeds who took his freshman English class. The grade that the coed received was based on whether she said yes or no to his advances. Over the years, the number of attractive coeds who signed up for his courses had dropped significantly. Usually those who did were only too willing to trade sexual favors for good grades. Frequently, they did not expect the harsh treatment that came with that grade. He glanced across the table at the current coed who was warming his bed at nights. She was pretty, but couldn’t compare with the Goddess who had walked through the restaurant. Smiling at her, he said, “Excuse me for a minute.” “Sure, Professor McDonald,” the coed answered more than happy to have him leave the table. Once he was gone, she wondered what she had gotten into. The man had hurt her the other night, but she was too far into it to back out now. Elliot hurried over to the bar and approached Barbara trying to figure out what line would work best with her. He paused and walked over to her with a casualness that was purely artificial. She noticed his predatory approach and turned to watch him. Smiling, he said, “Excuse me. I’m Professor Elliot McDonald.” Barbara said, “So?” “I’m a rather famous author. Maybe you’ve read my books,” he said. “I’m sure that your mother is quite proud of you,” Barbara replied wishing that he would go away. She gave him a look intended to convey that she wanted nothing more to do with him. Surprised that his line about being famous didn’t impress her, he tried a second approach and said, “I’m a full professor at the college here.” “Isn’t that grand?” Barbara said rolling her eyes. She made a shooing gesture with one hand. “Let me buy you a drink,” he said trying his best to charm her. “Don’t,” she replied. The other women with her turned to watch the situation with concern. Usually a guy who continued after three rebukes meant trouble. “Look, there’s no need to be that way,” he said getting irritated at her. Taking a deep breath, Barbara stared at him and said, “Go away little man.” Professor McDonald stepped forward and grabbed her arm. He wasn’t used to being insulted by women. Women were his toys and he enjoyed absolute power over many of them. His grip on her failed and she twisted her arm free. There was a horrible shooting pain that originated from his elbow. Turning, he found that he was facing a young man. The young man was pinching his elbow between two fingers. He asked, “Who are you?” “I’m William Redman Carter and you are bothering a friend of mine,” William said in a flat even voice that sent chills down the Professor’s spine. “Unhand me,” Professor McDonald shouted in the belief that a public scene would scare away the young man. Doug sidled up to Donna and said, “This ought to be very interesting.” Glaring at him, she said, “What do you mean?” “I mean that William is about to tear that man a new orifice,” Doug answered with a wink. Donna smiled at the fact that this stranger knew William. Seeing her reaction, he said, “Your friend won’t have to worry about the vile Professor McDonald again.” “Professor McDonald, I know you by reputation and it is not a very good one. I suggest that you mend your ways or I will bury you,” William said without releasing his grip on the pressure point in the man’s elbow. His voice was low and very threatening. He had heard that the man had put a coed into the hospital the year before, but she had not pressed charges. “You can’t talk to me like that,” the man said looking around in the hope that someone would come to his rescue. The big guy standing behind William didn’t look like he would help him. The woman standing beside William reminded him of a barracuda. “I can and I will. You prey upon the weak using your position of authority over them to take advantage of them. That is repugnant to me and I will not allow that to continue,” William said. He looked into the eyes of the man and knew that he was far more dangerous than his reputation suggested. A shiver went through his body at the thought of the kinds of things the man was capable of doing. “You can’t do a damned thing to me,” the man snarled. Doug laughed and said, “Yes, he can.” The Professor glanced over at Doug and recognized him. He said, “I take it you’re going to use your connection with the Governor’s brat to pressure the school to get rid of me.” Doug turned to Donna and said, “You know, that man is exceptionally stupid.” “Why do you say that?” “William’s rolodex has more names in it than the President’s,” Doug answered about the time that Lucy came over to stand beside him. His comment caused her to smile. Donna laughed and said, “You’re funny.” “Thanks, although I prefer to go by the name Doug,” he said. When she giggled, he said, “You can call me funny if you like that better. That is a much nicer name than what most beautiful women call me.” Unable to restrain her curiosity, Donna asked, “What do they call you?” “Go away,” Doug answered with a smile. At her puzzled expression, he said, “I know it sounds weird, but each time I approach a beautiful woman that’s what she says. I know they are talking to me, so that must be their nickname for me.” Donna burst out in laughter. Barbara who had stepped back from the confrontation between William and the Professor had overheard his answer to Donna’s question and smiled. She decided that was the most original pickup line she had ever heard. Unable to believe that Doug had actually said that, Lucy repeated, “Go away.” Turning to Donna he winked and said, “See, she’s calling me.” Donna giggled and decided that she liked Doug. She said, “You’re too funny.” Looking over at Colt who was standing behind William, Doug said, “Looks like Colt is about to blow a fuse.” Hearing Doug’s comment, William turned to Nicole and said, “Nicole, perhaps you would like to escort this man back to his table and see that we aren’t disturbed by him again.” Nicole took the man by the arm and said, “Thank you, William. I just love escorting bad little boys who don’t know how to take no for an answer.” “Why?” William asked. “I love to teach them the meaning of the word, ‘no,’” she answered with a grim smile. Having played that game with Nicole in the past, Colt asked, “How do you do that?” “I hurt them until they really come to appreciate a whole bunch of words,” Nicole answered with a wink at Colt. “What words?” “No, stop, let me go, don’t hurt me, have pity, and other phrases like that,” she answered. She said, “I know they really appreciate what they mean because I hurt them until they’ve covered every one of them a dozen times or so.” “Sounds like fun,” Colt said nodding his head, “but I prefer breaking bones.” Looking over at Donna, Doug smiled and said, “You know what? If she wasn’t so serious, I’d be very excited about now.” Even Amanda had to laugh at that comment. Lucy elbowed him and said, “I can talk to her on your behalf.” “No thanks,” Doug said waving his hands. There were times when Nicole and Natalie scared him. Facing the professor, William said, “I’m assigning a bodyguard to her, Professor McDonald. You won’t be able to get within a hundred yards of her without me knowing it.” The man looked at William and could see that he was serious. After a glance at Barbara, he decided that she wasn’t worth the hassle. Too many people were aware of his interest in her. The last thing he needed was the Chief of Police coming around and asking questions again. While Nicole escorted the professor back to his table, the Hostess came over to William and led the party to the back room that had been reserved. When they reached the table, Donna sat down beside Doug. After a few minutes, Nicole sat down at the seat on his other side. Once everyone was seated, William introduced Doug to everyone at the table. Barbara asked, “Go away, what do you do for a living?” “I’m a student,” Doug answered with a grin. Lucy chuckled and, making reference to his nickname amongst the homeless, said, “I think I like Go Away better than Old Tales.” “You would,” Doug said shaking his head. Nicole wrapped an arm around Doug’s arm and said, “I heard that you want me to teach you a few things.” “Uh…,” Doug stuttered unable to come up with a witty response. “Poor guy. The cat’s got his tongue,” Nicole said noticing the somewhat possessive reaction of Donna to her teasing. She winked at Donna and said, “If he can’t beg, then he’s of no use to me. He’s all yours.” Surprised, Donna said, “Thank you, I think.” Everyone laughed at Doug’s blush. After some more good natured teasing, Amanda said, “William, I think it was very brave of you to step in and save Barbara from that horrible man.” “It wasn’t bravery,” William said. Looking over at Colt, he added, “I had Colt and Nicole backing me up.” Irritated at William’s actions, Colt said, “We were backing you up? You left us in the parking lot and raced in here like your hair was on fire.” “And you came in right behind me,” William said without embarrassment at the accusation. Nicole turned to Lucy and said, “Would you please explain to him that we are supposed to go into the dangerous situations first and then he can come in after it stops being a dangerous situation?” “I’ll be glad to do that after you convince a river that it is supposed to flow uphill,” Lucy said. “Hey, I’m not that bad,” William said. “Yes, you are,” Lucy said shaking her head. “Still, it was very brave of you to rescue Barbara,” Amanda said trying to get the topic back to William’s actions. “I do appreciate it,” Barbara added looking over at Amanda. She wondered what Amanda was doing. “Well, I was glad to be of service. That particular individual has a rather nasty reputation in the area. He’s hurt a couple of undergraduates,” William said. “He’s a perfectly horrible man,” Lucy said in disgust. She had signed up for his class and transferred out after the first lecture. He stared at her throughout the whole lecture hour in a very sickening manner. A fifteen year old girl shouldn’t have to put up with a middle aged man leering at her in that manner. She said, “I had him as an instructor and quit his class after the first lecture. He gave me the creeps.” Colt looked over at Nicole and said, “We’ll start a folder on him.” “We’ll do more than that,” William said. He had not realized that Lucy knew the man. He had planned to take care of the matter, but feared that his affection for Lucy might lead him to go overboard in achieving justice. “What do you mean?” “I want him investigated. I want the girls he hurt found and put in touch with a team of lawyers. They deserve compensation for their injuries and he should pay for his crimes,” William said. “Are you doing that because he harassed Barbara?” Sandra asked thinking that his reaction was overkill. “No. I’m doing it because he is a bad man who exploits women who are in vulnerable positions,” William answered. He looked around the table and, with a tight edge to his voice, said, “You don’t want to know what I would have done to him if he had hurt Barbara. No one hurts the people that I care about and walks away.” His comment was met with stunned silence. Although all of the women had heard the threat, the threat didn’t register. All that they focused on was the suggestion that he cared about them. Amanda covered her mouth with her hand to hide her reaction to his words. Barbara and Sandra took a deep breath. Donna stared at William open mouthed. Juanita smiled and said, “You are so much like your fathers.” “Thank you, Juanita,” William said with a nod of his head. Lucy watched the women across the table although most of her attention was on Amanda. She had come to recognize that when Amanda covered her mouth that she was feeling intense emotions. Curious, she said, “What do you think, Amanda?” Startled at being called upon, Amanda blurted out, “I love him.” Looking around to see who she was talking about, William asked, “Who? You love the guy that harassed Barbara?” “I love you.” It was so silent in the room that it was possible to hear a pin drop on the carpet. All eyes turned to watch William. Stunned, William sat there open mouthed and wide eyed. His head slowly pivoted to look at Lucy. She gave him that smile of superiority appropriate when someone has just been proven correct in an argument. She gestured to Amanda to let him know that he was supposed to reply.