From Jon & Kate Gosselin (Plus Eight) to David Letterman, there is hardly a day that goes by without some little nugget of celebrity news that also includes a cheating spouse or some other assault against marriage. Remember Edwards or Sanford? Maybe not too much; we have already moved on from them.
There might have been a time when we would have been shocked by such scandals, but today it is different. There is publicity (and not all of it negative) in a marriage scandal. Individuals can admit their mistake, get their fame, promote their book and move on, with the rest of us applauding them for their honesty in being open with the press. But wasn’t it a lack of honesty and integrity that got them in their situation in the first place?
While we google these scandals for every bit of the latest information (I am guilty myself), take sides and shake our heads, we might think, “Oh that will never happen to me.” But really, why wouldn’t it? If the behavior of the people involved in the scandals isn’t exactly normal, well, is it starting to get pretty common?
Instead of shock and dismay when I hear about the latest scandal, I admit, I may at the most raise an eyebrow. There will be another scandal to take its place, and the next one better be really juicy, or I won’t be bothered to read the “news.”
This is the sort of apathy I fear. Are we getting too used to marriage scandals? Is it okay and maybe even colorful to have one of these in one’s life?
People aren’t that stupid, not even, if I can be tongue-in-cheek, married people. We aren’t all going to jump off of the bridge just because so many others have. But if we know that there is a big fluffy cushion at the end, well, does jumping seem more appealing? The ride down may be scary, but at least there will be others there waiting for us.
We should approach these scandals with sympathy for those involved, with understanding and with a little shock. But not as entertainment or even with apathy. What do you think?
You can read more blog posts by Mary Ann Romans here!