Silda and Eliot Spitzer are in quite a tough spot right now. They are under the microscope of America’s talk-show hosts, pundits, and fly-by-night pop-psychologists. Everyone suddenly has an opinion on who these people are and what they obviously stand for. I would wager that Larry Craig is sleeping better than he has in six months.
It is amazing though, how people come out of the woodwork to weigh in on this kind of a scandal. A few have expressed admiration for Silda, so glad to see her standing by her spouse. Others condemn what looks like devotion to her husband, suggesting that sometimes a man must accept the consequences of his actions alone.
Some see this as the perfect time to have another debate on prostitution. Taking even another angle, radio host Laura Schlessinger has offered the opinion several times lately that Silda Spitzer drove her husband to hiring prostitutes. Schlessinger asserted that it is a woman’s job to please her man, to swell his head with thoughts of being god-like. If a woman falls short in this task, then the poor man, driven by nothing more than his own insecurities and basic human needs, will have no choice but to find love elsewhere.
I really do not wish to address the issue of prostitution. I do wish to briefly address Schlessinger’s assertion. I am not sure how Schlessinger has managed to hold something that vaguely resembles a journalistic career while living solely for the purpose of pleasing her man.
Perhaps more impressive though, is how she in one fell swoop, sets back women 30 years and manages to depict men as spineless, needy little beings, completely devoid of self control.
Moving on, I also do not wish to address Silda’s presence with Eliot at a press conference. How much can we really gather from that? The idea of a press conference is that you show up and present yourself to the public the way you want the public to perceive you. It is not a reflection of any kind of reality.
As for the marriage, couples can work through issues of infidelity. Couples can work through amazingly difficult circumstances if they want to, but I don’t really think it is any of my business.
I will regretfully admit that if I had ever heard Spitzer’s name before last week, I cannot recall how or why. If I was interested in his integrity as a politician, I would have to search long and hard to sort through all the writings about his personal life.
Some say that Spitzer should not have resigned because of these charges. These people want Americans to judge politicians on their politics, but I’m afraid if we do that we may have to start judging actors on their acting. The next thing you know, singers will only be judged by the public on their ability to sing! If this were to happen the only people left to be role models for America’s kids will be, well, regular people! Just imagine, Regular Joes and Josephines whose jobs do not place them in the spotlight, influencing the world as much as the actresses on those picture shows. What kind of world would that be?

Author