I don't get why people are shocked when someone has an affair

[Connonym]

I hate the idea of being cheated on (have been and it sucks) but maybe because I've been cheated on and my grandfather kept a mistress for over 20 years I'm beyond feeling shocked by it. In the right set of circumstances I imagine the vast majority of people would be capable of cheating. If you look at stats the number of self-admitted cheaters is greater than half of all people. Then you have someone (like Edwards) who clearly very much loves his wife but he's and attractive wealthy man and he probably gets hit on all the time. He gave into it. He confessed it to his wife and she forgave him. I don't like how he denied it until the proof was shoved in his face but I suppose that is human nature as well and quite honestly he shouldn't have had to defend himself to us anyway. It's between him and Elizabeth. The average Joe Cheater never has cameras in his face and the guilt at the thought of his family going through the humiliation of public exposure.

Here's the thing, Elizabeth and John have stood together with one another through this. McCain divorced his wife after she had been in an accident and was no longer as beautiful as she had been. Why isn't THAT on the news every day? Has his statute of limitations run out? If that's the case why haven't we forgiven Gary Hart and why does the right still continually bring up Ted Kennedy's tragic car accident? Certainly the statute of limitations have expired on that too.

The thing that really makes me mad is that today I talked to my neanderthal conservative ex-husband and he was gloating about Edwards. When I brought up McCain and mentioned that he certainly isn't the first conservative to have an affair, not to mention all the conservatives who are so vocally anti-homosexual but then get caught having sex with men (not that there's anything wrong with gay sex but to be denouncing it as sinning but then doing it yourself is pretty shitty). To this my ex responded "whatever" because apparently either A) republicans can do what they want without fear of the LIBERAL media dragging them through the mud or B) Rush Limbaugh wasn't present to feed my ex with the words to respond to my comment.

As far as I'm concerned it's all nobody's business unless you're preaching against it and then doing it on the side yourself. Otherwise it's only the business of the involved parties.

[PeaceNikki]

1. I'll repeat what I said in the other thread.

I don't think the shock is in the act, but the risk he took. Had he won the nomination, it would have destroyed his campaign. Like it or not, it would have. Agree that it should or not, it would have. The media is obsessed with it now, imagine if he were the nominee. His private indiscretions would have thrown the whole election in the shitter.

He knew he fucked around between 2004 and 2008, yet he took a stab at the nomination. He's not an idiot, he HAD to know this would come out eventually, especially if he'd won. That's a very selfish risk after a very selfish act given the political climate and tabloid culture that we face in 2008.

I'm not shaking my finger at him for the act. Only in risking a very important election knowing full well that this could very well ruin it.

I get the human nature part of it. I really do. And I agree that personal indiscretions of this nature happen and that it SHOULDN'T be as big of a factor and media frenzy as it is. We all saw what happened in the last 2 elections and how easily it can be stolen as it slips through our fingers. This is not an election cycle where we could have weathered this storm.

[Connonym]

2. I agree with that aspect

it was pretty dumb on his part in a lot of ways and I sure as hell would be pissed if Edwards was our candidate and McCain (ALSO A CHEATER) won the election because of this.

All the attention from the right wing about this just shows to me that they've got nothing and are finding any poo they can to fling at the left in a pathetic attempt to look better themselves.

[Zuiderelle]

4. It's no use. People will completely ignore the fact that you aren't judging him for the affair.

For some reason it makes people feel good to chastise those of us who think it was irresponsible of him to continuing running for President. Go figure. I need to walk away from this crap now.

[PeaceNikki]

5. So...

this is twelve now, huh?

;)

[Zuiderelle]

6. Yeah, someone's apparently counting.

I guess I've reached my limit for the day.

:bounce:

[Rabrrrrrr]

3. Even more so, I don't get why anyone fucking cares.

Oh, sure, there's the matter of caring about this one in the sense that, because America is a country of people with the sexual maturity of a two-year-old, Edwards is gonna get reamed out for this.

But in a mature society - a society with its values in the right places, instead of all the wrong places - an affair would be a total humdrum boring yawner of a "revelation". "Whooopty-goddamned-doo," is what a mature society would say, "Give us more coverage on the illegal and immoral war that's killing our children".

Or something like that.

The only reason this is an issue is because America has a truly childish, sick, twisted, immature, utterly reprehensible view of sexuality.