Around the middle of last year, the Canadian press was handed a juicy bit of news – namely, the
sex scandal of senior Manitoba judge Lori Douglas. Though the plaintiff has since dropped his
suit against the judge (though not to his husband and his firm), it still remains uncertain how
Douglas will come off the whole debacle. This got me thinking about how modern society currently
perceives sex and its associated acts.
In former times, say 50 years back, a court judge (regardless of sex) who undeniably performed
explicit taboo sexual acts will undoubtedly be taken out of office immediately. Yet, Douglas remains
to hold her position until the Council have properly reviewed the charges, which could take more
than three months. So the question is: is sex just not that dirty anymore?
Admittedly, there have been many personalities whose careers have been greatly damaged after
they were caught with their pants down. Bill Clinton easily comes to mind. Then there’s Paul
Reubens and, more recently, hip hop artist Akon. Even allegations can bring down careers: just
think of Michael Jackson. It also nearly brought down Tiger Woods and Kobe Bryant.
There’s really no debate. For the public – or, at least, that’s how the media makes it seem – sex
outside of the traditional set-up (in the bedroom, with the person one’s married to) is still bad.
However, apparently, it’s not as bad as it used to be. Case in point: Paris Hilton. Though the hotel
heiress was already in the entertainment business before her sex scandal, it was her sex tapes that
launched her to mainstream consciousness. The result: instant celebrity status.
Ok, so mothers aren’t telling their daughters to look up to Paris – but nobody’s throwing stones at
her either. In fact, people seem to want more. Many other celebrities have even “followed” Paris’
lead and most of them come out better off of it. Even Italy’s minister of equal opportunity used to be
a topless model – and this is Italy, bastion of the Catholic Church.
Apparently, a sex scandal isn’t that big of a scandal anymore. It’s not even always damaging, or
any damage can be repaired in time: Woods and Bryant are still playing (and get top billing),
Paul Reuben and Akon had made a comeback, and even Clinton is still one of the most respected
politicians today. As for Lori Douglas, well, she had kinks. Don’t we all?
You already know how much I love lifehacker, even if many of their tips are wasted on me (i.e., how to make an emergency stove out of a tin can). So when they start to speak my language (awesome domestic tips versus wilderness survival) I get really, really happy. I’m definitely going to try this Crock-Pot recipe, as I am getting more and more into the idea of cooking meals that create yummy leftovers.
Here’s a link about married life.
