Question

What does the author mean by the following quote from paragraph 7, and how does it develop the central ideas of the article?: “When leaders attempt to navigate the slippery slope of fairness, they will find themselves arbiter of public opinion and hostage to the politically correct”

Answer 1

According to the author, we shouldn't justify our own inertia by constantly claiming that life is unfair. People are not born in equal circumstances, but they have equal chances to make the best of their circumstances. Leaders, more than any other people, shouldn't fall prey to such vague concepts as fairness. Many things aren't fair, and that is true. Then again, many fair things wouldn't be the right things to do. Leaders should choose what is right over what is presumably fair. By pursuing "fairness", we are fooling ourselves, and providing an excuse for complaining instead of acting.

Answer 2

The author means that when people with power attempt to be fair they will be torn between two groups the people (critics) who feel that their choice is incorrect and the ones who feel that it is correct due to the situation. So kind of like the subject of bringing beheading back in the US many feel it is a horrible idea but many also feel it is correct. And for the second one, I am not sure because I have not read your article only the seventh paragraph.