Whatever Happened To Shame?
Things being what they are, I’m delighted when any newspaper is hiring. And when someone lands a job in journalism, I’m ready to pop the cork. But I find it hard to swallow champagne when the New York Post signs on Ashley Dupre.
Ms. Dupre, you may recall, was the prostitute in the scandal that brought down New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer and threw another stand-by-her-man wife onto the pyre. At that time, the Post ran a one-word headline: “Hooked.” Now they have hired the hooker to be an advice columnist. This is like hiring Bernie Madoff as a personal finance columnist.
In a girly voiced introductory video, she chirps, “Hi, I’m Ashley Dupre. I used to be on the front page of the New York Post, now I’m writing for it.” You go, girl? “Is your daughter on a dangerous path? Is there a telltale sign that your husband isn’t happy in his marriage? Readers, fire away. Take it from me, someone who could have used a little advice in the past: There’s nothing better than learning from someone else’s experiences.”
I may be a cynic, but somehow I don’t think the Post was motivated by a desire to reform a wayward (call) girl. Dupre’s second act isn’t reformation. It’s confirmation, if we needed it, that there’s no shame in the game.
“Shame on you” is not a phrase that trips off my lips. I am not yet a little old lady in tennis shoes waving my umbrella at the decline and fall of decency. The Post’s employment standards are not a whole lot lower than those of Harvard University, whose ethics center invited Spitzer to speak.
Furthermore, this is not actually the scandal of moment. The winner of that cup is Tiger Woods, and the cascading number of women on his scorecard. We have paparazzi zooming in on Elin’s empty wedding-ring finger. We have columnists writing about how we shouldn’t be writing about it. We have readers tut-tutting about gossip-mongers while displaying a detailed knowledge about the nine iron that came into contact with the Escalade.
But while Tiger is sequestered at home running through his text messages and watching his image handicap soar, the “other women” have paid no price. In fact, some are being paid a price. They are not worrying about hiding their heads. Or many other body parts.
If, as anthropologists say, shame comes from a violation of cultural norms, it seems to have found its match in a newer cultural norm: fame. Notoriety isn’t so notorious anymore. If Hester Prynne were around, she wouldn’t be the subject of a novel, she’d be the author of a tell-all memoir with cell phone pictures of a buff Arthur Dimmesdale.
But enough about sex and shameless. How about money? While Dupre was making her debut, eyes were turned on Wall Street bankers. As President Barack Obama said on “60 Minutes,” “I did not run for office to be helping out a bunch of fat-cat bankers.” The bankers who were too big to fail took the TARP money, ran, then paid much of it back so they could return to their boffo bonus ways. They are the latest incarnation of CEOs who get paid for nonperformance and masters of the universe convinced they deserve to be on the right side of the escalating pay gap.
When 12 bankers were invited to the White House woodshed Monday, three didn’t make it. Bad weather delayed their flights. Well, I have one word for those bankers: Amtrak.
Yes, adultery is easier to grasp than credit-default swaps. Tiger Woods, Eliot Spitzer and John Edwards are better known than Lloyd Blankfein, John Mack and Richard Parsons (Google them!). But here’s another word for the bailout babies: shameless.
Shame, we are told, is a self-conscious emotion. But money ranks up there with fame as a self-deceptive shield. I’m no Miss Manners, but if there is any cultural norm left, it’s that you don’t do well by doing others harm.
For a time, we had a rash of “shaming sentences” from judges. One ordered an abusive dad to sleep in a doghouse. Another ordered a teen to wear a sign reading, “I am a juvenile criminal.” But today we have a couple crashing the White House to get on reality TV and a parade of “other women” in the spotlight bragging they had Tiger by the tail.
And, of course, there’s our gal Ashley Dupre offering her talents as an, um, escort through this cultural thicket. Dear Editor: Isn’t this what they call a crying shame?
- Thanks to Ellen Goodman
Keywords
Shame, Ashley Dupree, Bailout, Culture, Economy, Eliot Spitzer, Ellen Goodman, Media, Money, New York Post, Obama, President, White House, Reality TV, Tiger Woods
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BB..looks like you have a firm grasp on US marketing concepts...keep the pictures coming. Need not even write anything really...a complete page of just these type pictures with rocket female abs would suffice. Try using subliminal characters blended into the fabrics and ice cube etc. We guys will focus deeply on these pictures for many hours .. trying to find the hidden messages your communicating to us. Liquor and women...not sure what your trying to say.....:) Easy something?
The New York Post is a Right -Wing rag...as such they are simply rewarding the person responsible for bringing down Spitzer whom Conservatives loved to hate for bringing down greedy business interests.
Were you saying something steelybob? I was looking at the picture. What was that again?
I did not even read the article ..what did he say..I can't take my eyes off the picture. Where we suppose to read something?
Obewan: See? Pictures do work.
I am sure that Hyroglifics probably had something to do with the female body shape...since no cameras were around back then. Statutes must have taken many years to sculpt too and then with no viagra available to be had at the corner drugstore...what a drag for the ancients. Maybe they had found special herbs to calm those wanton desires...
I think Obewan keeps coming back to check and see if the girls are drunk yet. ;)
So....you are implying I am an opportunist...what is wrong with that? Are they drunk yet? Please...email me... when they are.
Birch
Shame is overrated
Obewan
Overrated on you.
When I was younger I read playboy for the articles. Never looked at the pictures.
Jon - For some reason...I kind of believe you :-)
When I was younger... at 2 am... they all looked that pretty!
When I was young.....they all looked pretty all the time...never really new what time it was....:)
Welcome to the "ME" world, it appears to be a product of the 60's and it isn't going away.
"Man is the only animal that blushes; or needs to." ~Mark Twain
I'm thinking of possibly adding pictures of attractive women drinking to every blog I do from now own.
What do you guys think?
"This photo serves no purpose... other than to shamelessly promote my blog."
Oh It does a great job of promoting!
"I'm thinking of possibly adding pictures of attractive women drinking to every blog I do from now own.
What do you guys think?"
I think this is pretty much the level to which this site has sunk I am sorry to say. With pictures like this it has a "Post" feel to it.
We're just playing around, Roland. How about a compromise?: I could take a serious picture - one that has the topic involved in it - and then photo shop attractive women drinking into it? My God, readership would go through the roof.
I can see the headline now: Vatican Holds Annual Car Wash - then put in a picture of women in Catholic school girl outfits having a soap fight. It's genius. It simply can't fail.
I'm with Birch on this one. I'm trying to get Brad Kerns, a local Auburn resident, who wrote a book "How Tiger Does It", to write a another one called "How Tiger Does It Now". Complete with pictures. I'm sure it would be a best seller.
Hey anyone know... is BB going to post any more pictures...I will check back again.... in a couple of minutes...or every couple of minutes...:)
The pictures fine Birch...blogs...SOSDD...I guess I need a new life :)
I don't know, Obewan. I actually felt kind of bad after Roland gave me a hard time. I thought it would be really funny to super-impose women drinking behind various scenes of politics, tragedy, and religion... and, of course, various tragedies of religion mixed with politics. Now I just don't know. (sigh) I'll have to sleep on it. (insert photo of me sleeping with two hot chicks chugging whiskey in background)
BB...Roland likes to give people a hard time once in awhile. I for one think that if you follow up on your idea and concept....you will personally become famous overnight. It is about time someone brought the truths of marketing to the forefront of the political scene etc....the sex and humor and shock will quickly wake up those that are completely asleep at the wheel. No need to practice decency or to be timid in the value of exposing real truths...problem is that no one will read the articles...so the pictures should be all telling of the message at hand...that might not be read anyway....or hopefully read as an after shock of the initial thought process. Women will be noticed and it is really their time of power... not ours...............
Obewan, Women have always held all the power. They just didn't know it. Ask any husband. "She who must be obeyed"
Jon...gee.. I have to have someway to justify that we guys....at least at one time in the distant past might of had or even might have thought ...we had the power....any power... a little power.. maybe some power.....##$$@...alright... alright.... WE HAVE NO POWER!...but we do have pictures now thanks to BB...:)
Our power lies in letting women think they have the power. Given the impression that they are really the shot callers... we can then move on to the next phase of our plan... wait, what's the next phase of our plan? Hold on, "Observer, what's the next phase of our plan? What? Really? Ok, then." Well guys... the next phase of our plan is apparently to keep busy with football this weekend and not to enter the kitchen where the ladies will be plotting, err, conspiring, err, cackling on about God knows what. Bwa ha ha! Fools! Unbeknownst to them we, the men, are vigilant, unceasing, untiring, unzzzzzzzzzzzz.........
...and then finally after much one on one training it becomes....we men.... who are considered........ Easy something? Hats off to Observer.. she must be an excellent "man trainer"...:)
Ever wonder why Mary (There is an Army in her name) is the lead figure and Joseph is always in the background?
BirchBricker -
Uh-oh! Just wait until Observer gets home.