Dave Letterman, John Edwards, Steve Phillips and Tiger Woods. What do these four men have in common? Unless you've been living in a cave, you know that each one has recently been "outed" for sleeping with women other than their wives. Except for Letterman (who was not technically married at the time of his affair), each has seen his career ruined as a direct result of the affair becoming public. Oh, and two of them have admitted to being a "sex addict" and have done a stint in a Sex Addiction Clinic where, presumably, this particular monkey has been forcibly removed from both Phillips' and Woods' backs.
Now, just the other day, came the piece de resistance: Tiger Woods making a public apology for sleeping with several women during his marriage. He admitted that he had "cheated" and "hurt" those he loves. Okay, but why do the rest of us need to hear this? Apparently, sponsors have fled, and a public apology is believed to be the remedy. I wonder if that is part of his therapy: A kind of 12-step program, perhaps?
Americans can't get enough of this sort of drivel, it seems. Everybody likes sex (right?), and probably droves of us would have more of it if we weren't so working-class and boring. So, why is it surprising that those who lead exciting, spare-no-expense lives have more sex than we do? They have all the ingredients to attract partners, such as money, looks, money, talent, and money. Yet, each time some celebrity is found to have had extra-marital affairs, the media acts as if infidelity has just been invented (again).
Prurient interest aside, I think the real reason behind this feeding frenzy is the idea that each of these guys, particularly Woods, has been brought down a peg. Think about it. Whenever someone achieves some status that regular Joes and Janes only dream about, the media will almost immediately begin its search and destroy mission. Thus, beauty queens are dethroned for having posed nude (imagine!) earlier in their careers. Exemplary athletes like Michael Phelps become pariahs for taking a toke at a party, and the most gifted golfer in history finds himself in therapy designed to make him master of his domain. Let's face it: It took a lot of digging with heavy machinery to turn a one-car accident into the current scandal. None of this stuff was come across by accident, and every tidbit gets played for all it's worth.
Celebrities are people just like us, just richer (always) and more talented (usually). Tearing them down and exposing their foibles doesn't make them less so, but it does seem to make the general public feel better about themselves. It also doesn't make people like us any more important, or morally superior. If people want to be titillated, my suggestion is to subscribe to the Congressional Quarterly. At least knowing these peoples' shortcomings enables us to votes the bums out.
Now, just the other day, came the piece de resistance: Tiger Woods making a public apology for sleeping with several women during his marriage. He admitted that he had "cheated" and "hurt" those he loves. Okay, but why do the rest of us need to hear this? Apparently, sponsors have fled, and a public apology is believed to be the remedy. I wonder if that is part of his therapy: A kind of 12-step program, perhaps?
Americans can't get enough of this sort of drivel, it seems. Everybody likes sex (right?), and probably droves of us would have more of it if we weren't so working-class and boring. So, why is it surprising that those who lead exciting, spare-no-expense lives have more sex than we do? They have all the ingredients to attract partners, such as money, looks, money, talent, and money. Yet, each time some celebrity is found to have had extra-marital affairs, the media acts as if infidelity has just been invented (again).
Prurient interest aside, I think the real reason behind this feeding frenzy is the idea that each of these guys, particularly Woods, has been brought down a peg. Think about it. Whenever someone achieves some status that regular Joes and Janes only dream about, the media will almost immediately begin its search and destroy mission. Thus, beauty queens are dethroned for having posed nude (imagine!) earlier in their careers. Exemplary athletes like Michael Phelps become pariahs for taking a toke at a party, and the most gifted golfer in history finds himself in therapy designed to make him master of his domain. Let's face it: It took a lot of digging with heavy machinery to turn a one-car accident into the current scandal. None of this stuff was come across by accident, and every tidbit gets played for all it's worth.
Celebrities are people just like us, just richer (always) and more talented (usually). Tearing them down and exposing their foibles doesn't make them less so, but it does seem to make the general public feel better about themselves. It also doesn't make people like us any more important, or morally superior. If people want to be titillated, my suggestion is to subscribe to the Congressional Quarterly. At least knowing these peoples' shortcomings enables us to votes the bums out.
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