In the field of ethics, one of the guiding principles for making ethical decisions is known as the “Mom Test”.
Basically the Mom Test asks decision makers to think about what their mom would think of the decision he or she is about to make. If you think your Mom would approve the decision, then it passes the Mom Test, and you can go ahead and choose that particular course of action. If it fails the Mom Test, then it means the decision maker should choose a different course of action.
This past weekend at the Tony Awards, Robert De Niro, one of my favorite actors, dropped the F-bomb when referencing President Trump. It got a standing ovation from the crowd, and I’m not sure why.
Now I dislike President Trump as much as the next guy, but I think there are more appropriate ways to express such dislike, while still showing respect for the Office of the President of the United States.
I know my Mom would not approve of me using such language when talking about someone, and I wonder if De Niro’s Mom would have approved of his behavior.
So what to do?
The most powerful, and most appropriate, way we can voice our displeasure with our leaders is to vote against them, and to rally others to do so.
Given that my Mom volunteered at the polls for several years, I’m sure she would approve of such an approach.
That being said, while I can’t wait for President Trump to be out of office, I do hope he succeeds in bringing peace and prosperity to not only the U.S., but the world as well.
#NotTrump2020
Borden's Blather 
Jim,
This is one of your best blogs yet. My sense is Robert DeNiro was smitten with the affirmation he would receive from the New York Times test. He held that in higher regard than the Mom test and that’s a shame.
As a Trump supporter and a man who embraces the continuing success of our President, it’s so refreshing to have a friend on the opposite end of the political spectrum who stands for civility and open expression of political beliefs.
Wish there were more of us 🙂
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Hi Ken, As always, it’s great to hear from you. I agree, I think De Niro knew the audience would be behind him on anything anti-Trump. Given that, I don’t know whey he had to stoop so low. I also agree that it’s nice to have a friend who thinks differently than I do, but one I would enjoy having a conversation with at any time, on any topic, because I knew he would respect my opinions, and I would do the same.
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You know, this would be easy to do if you just took a vacation to our beautiful island of Oahu!
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we will be heading to the Big Island later this summer, so if you happen to be in the neighborhood…
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