This is a speech in opposition to Theodore Roosevelt’s speech called “The Man with the Muck-rake.”

In his speech “The Man with the Muck-rake,” Theodore Roosevelt clearly emphasizes the evils that exist in the political, economic, and social worlds. As technology and intelligence advances, we find evil growing in different aspects. Meanwhile, the discrepancy between the wealthy and the poor grows, becoming a social calamity. The discrepancy plants a powerful prejudice in the minds of both social classes, growing into a psychological monster.

Evil exists in any society of organisms with enough intellect. Each individual struggles for their own interests, whether as basic needs or greed for excess luxury. It is highly unlikely that one can find a truly honest man helping every other man he sees. In a developing society, people, especially the poor, prioritize their own interests. Even those who are already well-off still want to ascend higher into levels considered divine by those who even have difficulties staying alive. Every man will push down others in order to help himself to a better life, and every man will have different degrees of such “push” based on their wealth and power. This is seen in Africa not so long ago. We have shipped countless Africans here boosting our own economic needs by putting their heads under our feet. Why? They have the right to live, as much as we do, but we treat them like horses and cows just because of our personal interests. These pushes called competition will eventually form anger, hatred, and therefore evil.

Competition is a cause of most evils, along with other factors. As Thomas Malthus stated in his “Principle of Population,” the overpopulation of a species is inevitable. From this idea, Charles Darwin stated competition cannot be evaded when there is overpopulation. In the world today, the population of mankind is increasing drastically together with the technology, in reference to the Industrial Revolution. Most of the wealth is produced and kept by the upper class, and the poor people do not get any chance of competition by righteous means. As more and more people fall into the deep valley of poverty, they start getting together protesting for their rights. In turn, the wealthy use their power of influence to put down the poor. Who is there protecting the poor and pointing out the wrongdoings of the wealthy? Even if someone tries revealing corruption, would not the wealthy just deny it and use their overpowering influences to cover up the truth? Take a look at the current Chicago, for instance. The mafia has control over the government, police force, and even the judges in court through bribery. When some hit men get trialed for their crimes, the mafia will just manipulate the people hungry for money in the legal systems to get their people out of trouble of any sort. Before justice is brought onto these villains, how many mediocrities have suffered for things they, in no way, deserve?

In many and most civilized societies, as we know them, institutions have been punishing evil: sacrifice, judgment, police, or public law enforcement institutions named differently in any way. However, even as these institutions “regulate” evil, it does not end. People knowingly do wrong for their own interests. “They are motivated righteously,” you might respond in cases when respected people commit crimes, or something like: “They brought justice to the immoral and the corrupted.” But who is to judge what is right or wrong? There are intelligent, righteous people supporting very different and contradicting things, judging themselves as right. A matter of right and wrong cannot be trusted because people take different approaches to their opinions of morality and righteousness. People decide their rights and wrongs with their bias of personal wants and needs in mind, whether conscious or not. On the other hand, many people know what is wrong, but they still go ahead and do it. What institutions do we have correcting or even punishing those people? None! And this is simply because it is the nature of mankind. There is nothing we can do to stop the causes of evil even by returning mankind to the primitive form of retardants, in which we would then fight for food and shelter.

Assuming that evilness is an inevitable product of today’s society, is not Roosevelt’s idea of “muckraking” then an encouragement and invitation for propaganda? Since people violate established rules whenever they feel necessary acting out for their idea of “right,” they will surely criticize others untruthfully. Even if Roosevelt had said: “The liar is no whit better than the thief,” he cannot alter the fact that people act in response to personal interests. Numerous honest men in history have been brought down by liars, and who is there shielding the honest men from the evil? Justice? Nay, it cannot prevail against evil everywhere, since there is somehow a balance between good and evil. Sometimes one wins, and sometimes the other does. We cannot expect justice to always be the savior for the innocent. All we can do is act righteously in every aspect possible and hope that others will do the same unto you.

In the end, competition is still there. No matter how truly righteous and honest you are, how rich, how powerful, or anything else, it is still there. Don’t bother when you see evilness. Compete righteously and help others on the way. Just like what the Taoists would say: “Go with the flow,” but adding on it the fact that we must live righteously and be helpful to the “morally right.”