[{"jcr:title":"The Empire of Appearances and the Fragile Foundations of Our Ethics","cq:tags_0":"area-de-conhecimento:economia","cq:tags_1":"area-de-conhecimento:gestão-e-negócios","cq:tags_2":"programas:graduacao"},{"richText":"How a modern emperor, Tassone, used the school’s success as his ‘bread and circuses’, hiding corruption under the cloak of institutional excellence","authorDate":"16/12/2025 13h10","author":"Maria Caroline Zachini Parise","madeBy":"Por","tag":"programas:graduacao","title":"The Empire of Appearances and the Fragile Foundations of Our Ethics","variant":"image"},{"jcr:title":"transparente - turquesa - vermelho"},{"themeName":"transparente - turquesa - vermelho"},{"containerType":"containerTwo"},{"jcr:title":"Grid Container Section","layout":"responsiveGrid"},{"text":"To what extent can an empire of appearances conceal its own corruption, much like Rome masked its decline with bread and circuses? Bad Education (2019), directed by Cory Finley, is not merely the chronicle of the largest embezzlement scandal in a New York school district’s history. It is a profound dive into the psychology of power, the architecture of collective deception, and the fragile ethical foundations that solidify our institutions and sanity. Frank Tassone (Hugh Jackman) stands as a crucial part of this moral collapse, the embodiment of the enlightened despot. His upright posture and imposing physical presence seemed to materialize the powerful greatness attributed to him, a modern Roman emperor in impeccable suits. His empire was the Roslyn school district, and his power was sourced from a calculated charisma reinforced by his unquestionable physical presence. His vanity did not come from a place of futility, but from an essential part of the cultus persona, the public mask of a leader who must appear perfect in every detail, from his posture to his intonation voice. His contract included a clause granting him "complete discretion in all necessary expenses” a provision he twisted to redefine "necessary" as including plastic surgeries, luxurious trips, and a life of ostentation that benefits the majestic image he so carefully cultivated. The film’s brilliance lies in exposing the slippery slope of corruption. Tassone begins with small rationalizations: "I deserve it." His philosophy distorts Bentham’s utilitarianism, operating under the premise that maximizing collective well-being justifies any action benefiting himself. It is corruption through grandiosity, where the end not only justifies the means but validates them. In a system where losses are distributed while profits are individualized, a rehearsed social theater takes place, with everyone performing in the play "The Triumph of Appearances." Questioning Frank could be equalized as to betraying the institution. The scene where outraged taxpayers ultimately agree to cover up the scandal to "protect the school" reveals how the fear of damaging the collective reputation outweighs the commitment to truth. In the third act, the play collapses when Rachel Bhargava, the student journalist, decided to investigate the costs of the school’s skywalk, becoming Tassone’s antithesis. While he rationalized his crimes as necessary, she acts out of moral imperative. She is the quintessential Socratic heroine, preferring to suffer injustice rather than commit it. Her decision to publish the truth makes her a risk-taker, willing to defy the system for greater good. By "betraying" the system, she cooperates with the higher value: truth. It was a young woman who truly incorporated the Socratic principle of "know thyself" by exposing the system’s contradictions. Tassone’s downfall is predictable. He is brought down not by an external enemy but by the contradictions of his own persona. Would it have made a difference if a higher salary had restrained him? Would he have committed fewer offenses with a bonus? The irony reveals that Frank’s problem was not financial but existential, a hunger for recognition that no money could satisfy. Regardless of its magnitude, corruption doesn’t come from lacking tangible elements but from the belief that merit can entitle someone to privilege. In conclusion, Bad Education carries a powerful message about public spirit. It reveals that, much like the Roman Empire, which subordinated ethics to reason of state, contemporary systems tend to systematize moral decisions until mistakes become banalized. Salvation lies in critical thinking and the courage of those who reject strategic ignorance to choose conviction over convenience, as Rachel did. After all, as Socrates would say, ethics matters, not only because life is long, but because it is what makes life worth living. Bibliografia:  [True Story Behind HBO's 'Bad Education' - Who Are the Real Frank Tassone and Pamela Gluckin ](https://www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/arts-and-culture/a32291684/bad-education-hbo-true-story-frank-tassone-pamela-gluckin/) [(PDF) A Sátira X, De Juvenal ](https://www.academia.edu/100969357/A_S%C3%A1tira_X_De_Juvenal) https://legalclarity.org/what-is-moral-hazard-in-insurance-and-how-does-it- affect-coverage/  [https://www.britannica.com/place/ancient-Rome/Culture-and-religion](https://www.britannica.com/place/ancient-Rome/Culture-and-religion) [Jeremy Bentham (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)](https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/bentham/)   [https://www.imdb.com/pt/title/tt8206668/#:~:text=Bad Education%2C movie Based on a true story,played by Hugh jackman and Allision Gluckin respectively. ](https://www.imdb.com/pt/title/tt8206668/) [Filme "Bad Education" mostra escândalo do sistema educacional nos EUA - Revista Galileu | Cultura ](https://revistagalileu.globo.com/Cultura/noticia/2020/04/filme-bad-education-mostra-escandalo-do-sistema-educacional-nos-eua.html) [PUBLIC SPIRIT | tradução de inglês para português - Cambridge Dictionary ](https://dictionary.cambridge.org/pt/dicionario/ingles-portugues/public-spirit) [https://economiaenegocios.com/definicao-do-dilema-do-prisioneiro/](https://economiaenegocios.com/definicao-do-dilema-do-prisioneiro/) https://www.bing.com/search?pglt=299&q=AXELROD%2C+Robert.+A+Evolu ção+da+Cooperação.+1984&cvid=e572af90d7be402f833131d5bb45613c&gs_lcrp=Eg RlZGdlKgYIABBFGDkyBggAEEUYOTIHCAEQ6wcYQNIBCDEzMjNqMGoxqAIA sAIA&FORM=ANNTA1&PC=SMTS  [periodicos.fgv.br/rda/article/download/89570/84995/201973 ](periodicos.fgv.br/rda/article/download/89570/84995/201973) [Crítica do filme: 'Bad Education' ~ Guia do Cinéfilo](https://guiadocinefilo.blogspot.com/2020/04/critica-do-filme-bad-education.html) [▷ Definição do amante de risco - Economia e Negocios ](https://economiaenegocios.com/definicao-do-amante-de-risco/) [Heather Love reviews Bad Education – Critical Inquiry ](https://criticalinquiry.uchicago.edu/heather_love_reviews_bad_education/) [What Does 'Bread and Circuses' Mean? | HowStuffWorks ](https://people.howstuffworks.com/bread-circuses.htm) [Convicção e conveniência | VEJA ](https://veja.abril.com.br/coluna/murillo-de-aragao/conviccao-e-conveniencia/) [public spirit noun - Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage notes | Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary at OxfordLearnersDictionaries.com ](https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/public-spirit)"}]