UNITED STATES OF SCANDAL (REVIEW)
The diminishing taint of shame troubles me. Shame used to be a powerful deterrent. But today, wrongdoing isn’t just often without repercussions. Scandal is an avenue to instant fame. It’s celebrated.
Call me old-fashioned. But I don’t like it when people lie. I don’t like it when people steal. I don’t like it when people refuse to take responsibility for their actions. I don’t like it when people say one thing and then do another. I don’t like hypocrisy. And, it’s far worse when our “leaders” do it. I view our collective shrug at scandal as a bad thing for society–and ultimately a grave danger. We’ve reached the abyss depravity when the excuse becomes “well, everybody does it.” The floodgates of scandal are perpetually open.
CNN’s latest series “United States of Scandal” is an investigation into many (in)famous recent scandals, most of them involving political figures. Each segment lasts an hour and digs deep into what happened. Hosted by Jake Tapper, the expose becomes mostly a conversation, stemming from Tapper (in some cases) being quite close to those men who committed transgressions. Also note they are all men–which probably deserves some explanation on its own. The key players who were involved provide a contemporary reflection filtered over documentary archives, which surprisingly provides candid insight into why they misbehaved (and/or committed crimes).
So far, I’ve watched four segments — featuring Eliot Spitzer (NY AG and Gov.), Mark Sanford (SC Gov.), John Edwards (presidential candidate), and Rod Blagojevich (IL Gov.). Though their scandals had some similarities, each case (and the culprit’s reaction to it) is remarkably different. Their hubris is astonishing. I kept asking myself — how did they think they could get away with this? I was also unprepared for my own moral and ethical judgments, which are largely non-partisan. For instance, I voted for John Edwards in the 2008 Democratic Primary (and spoke with him and his campaign manager at a rally, an exchange which was later picked up by the Reno Gazette). But Edwards comes across as the biggest scumbag. I also couldn’t help but like Rod Blagojevich for his self-deprecating nature and apparent honesty. “Blago” comes across far better than anyone of the four scandal-makers.
The tragedy of Eliot Spitzer merits special mention. Spitzer was a true believer and do-gooder crusader. As NY AG, he went after the Mafia. He also went after Wall Street. Some say Spitzer was the bravest and maybe best AG in history. He may have even been on a path to the White House and had his personal scandal not happened or been exposed (it involved prostitution), the country might be very different, and perhaps even better today. I find it bizarre that his career was destroyed while another NY candidate’s extramarital affairs, including illegal bribes paid, and am orchestrated cover up has been completely ignored by his supporters. Hence, one guy’s political career was destroyed. Another guy is leading in the polls to become the 47th president. Explain that, please, because I cannot.
So, perhaps what’s strangest of all is how *WE* react to each case, the men involved, and their misdeeds. Clearly, there’s some grotesque hypocrisy going on here.
I must also acknowledge my own rubbernecking. After all, we’re using scandal as entertainment. Then again, crime is entertainment. War is entertainment. Even horror and death can be entertainment. This only serves to fuel the beast.