The State of the Union

There's been a strange trend in America lately, one of scandal and outrage, spying and glorification of espionage. In a recently-released statement, it was found that Bill Clinton rendezvous'd with Ms. Lewinsky while Hillary was home. And not just 'home'... In the White House itself. Thanks to some sort of disclosure running out, the records of Hillary's daily schedule for quite a long time (some 11,000 pages worth) were released by the National Archives, along with a huge mountain of raw data gathered elsewhere.

There are some who are supporting Hillary now more than ever thanks to the releasing and subsequent dissemination of this information; they admire her courage to stand by her man as he cheated on her under her nose. They think it is noble that she faced public humiliation time and time again and yet had the strength to stick with it, and now she's trying to get herself into a position to make things right.

On the other hand, there are those that are condemning Hillary more than ever over the very same things. They aren't sure they trust someone who could stand by her man as he abused her in a roundabout way, humiliating her over and over, forcing her into a spotlight -- and a position -- that she never asked to be put in. Many would say they think it is better when a person in an abusive or otherwise unsavory relationship comes to her senses and steps forward than to stick with it, trying to salvage something that might never have been in the first place.

My position and thoughts on the matter: Who the fuck cares? What business is it of ours, the general public, to pry into these peoples' lives with such vigor, to feast upon their inequities and flaws like slavering animals, to continually rip at the carcass of their underlives, bringing them into the open? Are we truly so mindless, so starved for fanaticism, that we must look inward to destroy what we already have than to look outward and hope to expose and, ideally, rectify issues -- which, arguably, are much more dangerous and pressing -- in the global reality?

JFK had a number of affairs both foreign and domestic, and nobody said a word until after his death. Hell, let's go further back: Jefferson had affairs with his slaves and fathered a number of illegitimate black children that we're only just now figuring out. Did this stop them from being excellent leaders? Did these revelations suddenly reverse the good that they did while running the country? Are they now to be vilified and left for dead in the annals of history as adulterers?

For a long time, things like leaders' private lives were taboo subjects for reporters and newspeople. Despite the sheer amount of dirt they may have had, unless it had something to do with a president's professional life and conduct (Watergate, anyone?) it was off-limits. And really, I think that's the way it should be. These people, for better or for worse, were elected by the people they were sworn to serve. In reality, what they did behind closed doors was their business and their business alone; far be it from us to judge. Are we so perfect ourselves? Shit.

For decades, America has been viewed rather globally as something of a cesspit, this writhing mass of sin washed over with a veneer of pompous righteousness. It's a gross indignation and outrage that we as a collective can feel anything other than indifference towards such acts; when 50% of all marriages in the country end in divorce, when infidelity rates are through the roof, when lives are shattered and families torn asunder daily via the improprieties of the people who live them (remember, a full half of the population)... who the fuck are we to judge?

Final thought: What Bill does with his trouser snake is Bill's business. What Hillary chose to do when confronted with the information was her business. It's not mine, yours, or anybody else's. You could argue that it reflects on their abilities as a leader, but it really doesn't. Find me someone in a position of power who hasn't succumbed to some modicum of desire, privilege, or the benefits the prestige of their office grants them, and I will show you someone you know absolutely nothing about.

And to be honest, I don't really blame Bill. It seems like the marriage was political to begin with... and really, if I had to wake up next to H-Cli every day, see that face staring at me first thing in the morning, well. I'd be looking for some relief, too. I wouldn't let that anywhere NEAR my wet, sticky cigar.