Sunday, December 13, 2009

December 13, 2009

It is interesting to see how moral values change with time. I am thoroughly convinced that the media and its infatuation with sensationalism, meaning selling, is responsible for it.

The more they can dig up about a person the more they sell. They are cowering behind the slogan that "the public has the right to know".

As far as I am concerned the less the public knows the better!

I recently read in a Hungarian publication about the life of a very famous Hungarian writer who lived between the 1863 and 1954. He was a fabulous and very popular writer. He had a girlfriend, some famous actress with whom he lived. This actress had three daughters.

Well, the writer fell in love with the youngest daughter and supposedly his feelings were returned in kind. But they waited until the eldest daughter got married before informing the mother of their feelings for one and other. Eventually they also got married and years later, naturally, divorced.

The writer then started courting the middle daughter and they spent many happy years together.

All this was known only through the society rumor mills. Nobody made a big thing about it. He was never blackballed and he remained a great and accepted writer.

When Woody Allen got together with his stepdaughter the country cried incest, rape, immoral beast etc. They called him all kinds of monster. And the media ate it up, no, fueled it. Every day there was something about them in the papers and on TV.

When New York State Governor Spitzer was found out frequenting prostitutes he had to resign. They said his political life was over. And the media was there reporting all the sordid details saying the people cared.

They always said that Eisenhower had a girlfriend during World War II while he was in England. But even if it was the truth it was handled with sensitivity. Back then the media showed respect toward some people.

Beside, who cared if he had a girlfriend. It was to be between a man and his wife. It is nobody else's business. The people have certainly no right to know.

I am sure that all great men, might they be artists, politicians, athletes or anything else had friends from the opposite sex or even from the same sex. That shouldn't diminish their talents, achievements and they shouldn't be penalized for it.

As long as they don't break the law it is nobodies' business.

OK, eight or ten women for a married man is a little overdoing it. But he is not the guardian of the chalice of morality. All he knows how to do is to play golf.

Whatever he did is between his wife and himself. If she forgives him it is not anybody else's affair.

I'll bet that when this person returns to play golf and starts winning, all his transgressions will be forgiven by the public.

The public might not forgive a politician but it will certainly forgive a sport hero. A sport hero's achievements are much more important than any politician's.

2 comments:

  1. My only comment is that If I were the wife,He would be singing high soprano. Certanly he is no role model,only a rich person, yes he is multi talented,juggling golf, marriage, children and countless of mistresses. If I were his wife,I would walk, no run away, but money will keep her with him and that is very sad,because she got reduced to nothing.

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  2. Nobody says over what lenght of time did he have all the mistresses. Possibly he did not have more than one at a time. Also some of these women possibly never slept with him, but are only after publicity and money. Poor man, he might suffer from some condition. Luckily he had the opportunity to indulge his condition.

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