Role models are often useful in showing us how to behave. We might try, for example, to adopt for ourselves the humility of the Buddha, the kindness of Jesus, and the generosity of Muhammad. Or we might choose for ourselves a living model, following the bravery of Malala Yousifazi, the persistence of Greta Thunberg, or the imagination of Olga Tokarczuk.
Most often role models are positive, as with the examples I’ve just listed; we should conduct ourselves as they do. But role models can also be negative: they can show us how we shouldn’t behave. In that way, negative role models can be just as useful and instructive as positive role models.
With this idea in mind, and as the Matt Bevin era in Kentucky finally has come to a deserved end, we can learn a lot by looking back at the negative examples our ex-governor set for us, and by trying our best, whenever possible, to behave as nearly opposite to his example as we can.
Don’t keep secrets, and be skeptical of those who do. Bevin wasn’t open and honest when he refused to release the actuarial analysis of his pension-reform proposal, back in 2017. Now that Andy Beshear has released the analysis, we can see that Bevin’s proposal wasn’t very smart at all. Which is why he tried to keep it secret, we must assume. If somebody’s hiding something, then it should be obvious they have something to hide.
Don’t be a know-it-all; understand that expertise matters. Bevin probably knows a lot about making bells, but he also believes he’s an expert about a lot of other things, such as child sex abuse trauma. That’s arrogance, which is annoying at best and truly horrifying at worst, as with the case linked here. Better that we follow the example of Plato’s Socrates, who, upon meeting Bevin, would say, “this man thinks he knows something when he does not, whereas I, as I do not know anything, do not think I do either.” Don’t be the man who thinks he knows something when he does not; that’s who Bevin was.
Don’t be spiteful; be benevolent. Bevin wanted to spend about $270 million of our tax dollars just to make it harder for poor Kentuckians to access Medicaid, which is as much or more money than it would have cost to simply provide the health care in the first place. That’s just spite. We should be pleased Beshear has taken the steps to undo Bevin’s malicious plan.
Don’t be greedy; be generous. Bevin is a very wealthy man, and it’s okay that he should live in an expensive house. But in a naked attempt to reduce the property tax bill on his 7,775-square-foot Anchorage mansion, and thus nickel-and-dime Jefferson County schools out of at least a few thousand dollars, he first challenged the $2.9 million assessment of his property; then, when the assessment was reduced to $2 million, he challenged that. He lost that appeal this past summer, but as of this writing, Bevin has continued to insist his home is only worth $1.39 million, and the legal battle continues. In short, this man, holding assets somewhere north of $15 million, has spent the last three years doing his damnedest to make sure local schools get as little of his money as possible.
Don’t lie; be truthful and apologize for your misdeeds. Bevin’s pattern of lying to Kentuckians began very early, when he lied during his 2015 campaign about his support for Head Start funding and then reneged on his promise to release his income-tax returns. Even before that, he lied about that cockfighting rally when he ran for Senate. As Daniel Desrochers wrote last month, Bevin liked to cover for his lies by suggesting anyone who called them out was taking his words “out of context.” He never apologized; when caught, he made excuses. As the Christian Bible instructs its adherents, “keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit;” but in the event you do deceive, you should “confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed.” That’s good advice for believers and non-believers alike.
Don’t be prideful; show humility and be grateful for your good fortune. Many of the negative character traits Bevin displayed can probably be traced to his excessive pride. Having constructed a self-identity in which he told himself that he was smarter and more capable than everyone else, on any subject, any challenge to that self-identity could only be met with ever-greater expressions of superiority. So no apologies, because an apology would have been an admission that he could be wrong. And no generosity to the less fortunate, because in Bevin’s mind, all his wealth came to him entirely as a result of his own industry, and anyone who failed to earn similar riches just wasn’t working hard enough.
That’s a good list of don’ts, both for our leaders in Frankfort and for us regular folks. We can all learn lessons from the way Matt Bevin behaved while in office, and it’s my wish that Kentuckians see less of his ways around us, as 2019 draws to a close. So however you celebrate the season, here’s to more kindness, more honesty, and more generosity in your life. And much less Bevin-ness.
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