Is Doing Something Good Actually Good If You Don't Brag About It?

     Boswell claims he decided to keep a journal in order to track things he does and says he plans to only include the moral things, while excluding the things that would make him sound like a bad person. This is both bold and ironic to me. 

    Although I completely understand wanting to be seen as a good person, Boswell might not understand that as well. I also understand that keeping a journal may help persuade someone to be a better version of themselves. Again, Boswell might not. Let's dive in. (pun intended because my last blog was on sharks). 

    So we all know that Boswell wrote about only including things that make him seem like a good person in his journal. This leads to the question: what on earth did he exclude? He talks about himself in a way that seems nearly narcissistic. He writes about giving money to the poor, which seems good, but is doing something nice really good if you feel you must brag about it? This is only the first error in his ways that I see. He does things that genuinely are good acts, but his bragging manner of describing the actions makes him seem as if he only does these things to get recognition. Boswell listens to a story of two children, a boy and a girl, who are arguing over who owes who what amount in exchange for a good. Boswell eagerly sides with the young boy, which is no surprise. Men stick together, right? Boswell knew very little about the scenario, and although the little girls side of the story seemed much more reliable since she was the one selling the product, Boswell's siding with the boy allowed him to get the goods and pay less than the asking price for it. This is a common display of gender that holds true in many many many times throughout history. Man knows best, so women must usually be wrong. A very big price to pay when you are a woman. 

    That leads to the next topic; Boswell's use of women in order to feel better about himself. He often times describes his encounters with "women of low morals" or as we call them with care, prostitutes. There is absolutely nothing wrong with sex work, a girl has to do what a girl as to do. Men should be well enough to understand that, seeing as they are the ones keeping these women in work. However, Boswell (and most men) degrade and talk down on women who are in this line of business. They are seen as being dirty or low, but what does that make the men who pay them? Apparently heroes, according to Boswell. His treatment of women (ie. when he shamed Louisa for giving him a sexually transmitted disease even though he visited an array of prostitutes) shows a side of Bowell that we would not expect to see given the fact he said he would only add that which makes him seem good, No shame to Boswell, but a few questions that I hope to ask him in the next life.