Sex, Lies, and Adultery:The Celebrity Double-Standard

Is it just me, or is the moral compass in this country broken? We turn on the television and find out our favorite talk-show host has cheated on his wife, not once or twice, but numerous times over the years…and with his staff, no less. Have you stopped watching his show? Did his ratings plummet? Did his sponsors pull the plug? Did he get fired? Was his “apology” heart-felt?

Obviously, adultery is funny material. The late-night host is still on the air and still making jokes about his affairs. His wife hasn’t thrown him out, so why should we care? He’s entertaining and has great guests. It’s a party every night. Why should we do anything as radical as “not” watch him?

We’ve come to accept and expect deviant and criminal behavior from movie stars, politicians, pop divas, and sports figures. We have lower standards for public figures than we have for ourselves. After all, they entertain us. They amuse us. They’re better, richer, prettier, and ever so much smarter than we are.

We smile when we read the headlines on the latest issue of  “The National Enquirer.” We laugh at the preposterous assertions they make every week. We don’t care if the stories are true or not. The celebrity on the front page will be different next week. Why bother taking any of this seriously?

The latest “shocker” didn’t come from the tabloids. We turned on the news and found out that one of our most beloved sports heroes was in a horrible car accident. That his brave wife saved his life. That he didn’t want to talk about what really happened in the middle of the night. And, the kicker, that he was having an affair, no wait, two affairs, then three, four, eight, well…I’ve lost count. So what if we thought he was a clean-cut family man? Were you really surprised? Were you disappointed in him? Did you feel revulsion? If you don’t care one way or the other, then maybe we have become a nation of cynics.

What if your husband had a girlfriend? Would you forgive him and take him back? What if he had eight girlfriends? Is there an adultery quota? Do we, as a society, have one standard for public figures and another for “regular” people?

Who is your child’s male role model? Is it your husband? A fictional super-hero in a comic book? A football player, politician, or pop singer?

Your children are extremely vulnerable and impressionable. They are exposed to sex, violence, and untold horrors on a daily basis. Do you talk to your children about the stories they see on the news? Do you impose strict rules of conduct and enforce them? Do you encourage your child to talk to you about things they’ve seen or heard, but don’t understand? Do you have an “open door” policy with your children? In other words, do they know they can talk to you about anything?

In this multi-media age, where we are all eye-witnesses to every act of inhumanity, it is vitally important to teach your children the difference between right and wrong. Let them know that actions have consequences. Standards of morality should not be different for the rich and powerful. The vows we make to one another are meaningful and require both accountability and responsibility.

Who does your child want to emulate when he or she grows up? The answer to this question could seriously impact the next generation. And, unlike a certain talk-show host’s cavalier attitude, I don’t think the future of this country is a subject to be mocked.