With Sen. Larry Criag (R-Idaho) joining the list of politicians nailed for surreptitious sauciness, we feel it is incumbent upon us to laugh like a truck full of fools at the utter silliness of the whole situation.
Two facts: Humans like sexual activity. It is one of those down-in-the-DNA things that are hardwired into us. It feels good. It lowers your blood pressure. You get an endorphin flood from it and it is a somewhat important component for breeding other humans. Like it or not, we are also animals and we are predisposed to wanting and enjoying sexual activity.
Morality, the control of where, when, how and in what context humans engage in sexual activity, is a learned behavior. Religion, family and societal conditioning are very large components of morality that change sexual activity patterns and practices. The two are inextricably intertwined. Again, like it or not, we are also socialized animals.
(Personal Morality Disclosure: If the participants are of the age of majority and can actively consent, I have no issue, as long as the participants keep it private and discreet. Those three conditions means no kids, no animals, no tonsil hockey on the subway, please. The details, I don’t want to know about it)
The list of politicians who have been caught in various shenanigans is too long to be recited, even here. However, the reason many have been caught is quite clear: Lack of Discretion.
Entering a leadership position in a societal structure usually entails surrendering personal privacy and personal morality for raw, unadulterated Power. Power, to quote Hank Kissinger, is the ultimate aphrodisiac. Which leads me to a vivid mental picture of Margaret Thatcher and her consort Dennis, later in the evening, after declaring war on Argentina over the Falkland Islands. I’ll need an extended session of self-trepanation with a 3/8" drill to get rid of that image.
The immediate loss of privacy is part of the deal for power. Setting yourself up as a Moral Leader means you must behave as an exemplary example of all things Moral, by what ever definition the electorate is fond of this week.
Where we get all bent out of shape is when those in a leadership position say one thing and do another. The hypocrisy of it makes us outraged and crusty because the leaders’ lack of discretion has led to us being confronted with hard evidence that our leaders are mere mortals too.
By being humans we’re intertwined in the rope of sexuality and morality in every possible combination, permutation and association you care to mention. Which is at best, confusing, possibly uncomfortable and potentially unsanitary.
Feel free to lead, but do not take a moral position unless you are willing to back it up with behaviors that reflect that moral position. Or, if you choose to lead, take a moral stance and get caught deviating from it, learn this quote from the Duke of Wellington: "Publish and Be Dammed"
I think it would be lovely if a leader caught in one of those situations simply said "So what? At least I’m getting some. Next question?" The media would have a collective stroke and possibly fall over dead. I’m not seeing a downside to that.
RoadDave 