Aaahhh, nothing like a fresh sex scandal to get Americans involved in “public life”, or more appropriately, in someone else’s private life.
The recent news surrounding Governor Spitzer’s shenanigans have had amazing resonance and omnipresence in the last few days. I suddenly started asking myself why this affair was so present in my mind, and realized that it is because we are fairly being bombarded with news on it. Now of course, Spitzer’s transgression is undeniably of public importance because:
1. He is a public figure known for his valiant efforts to battle prostitution rings, who has now completely invalidated and ridiculed his own efforts.
2. He might have been using campaign money to buy prostitutes.
3. The criminalization of prostitution continues to be a controversial issue.
However, other than that, I do not see how his infidelity is of anyone’s concern, except for his own and his family’s. What really mystifies me is not so much the reaction to Spitzer, but the way “Kristen”, the last high-priced prostitute he was reported to have met with, has been projected in the media. I don’t want to make any moral judgments here, because what this girl does with her body is really her own business. I am, however, puzzled that a woman’s choice to prostitute herself could become a reason for her glorification and upheaval.
The last time I checked, selling your body was not a trait to be admired, much less a passport to stardom and fame. It seems, though, that as of late, sleeping around and exposing private parts is enough to put you on a pedestal along with the Paris Hiltons of the world. “Kristen”, an aspiring singer, will not attain fame through talent, but, incredibly, by sleeping with important men. Yey for feminism. Meanwhile, in the midst of all this, there are so many other minor, unimportant things happening in the world, like deaths in Palestine and frisky South Americans getting into disputes.
But hey, why would the media cover stories like those when they can dish out tabloid-worthy material on one hell of an expensive gal pal.