Sex scandal
A sex scandal is a scandal involving allegations or information about possibly-immoral sexual activities being made public. Sex scandals are often associated with sexual affairs of film stars, politicians,[1] famous athletes or others in the public eye, and become scandals largely because of the prominence of the person involved, perceptions of hypocrisy on their part, or the non-normative or non-consensual nature of their sexuality.[2] A scandal may be based on reality, the product of false allegations, or a mixture of both.
Sex scandals involving politicians often become political scandals, particularly when there is an attempt at a cover-up, or suspicions of illegality.
While some commentators see sex scandals as irrelevant to politics, particularly where "professional performance [does] not seem to be impaired",[3] Gene Healy of the Cato Institute views them as not just "great fun", but a reminder "that we should think twice before we cede more power to these clowns."[4] An increase in the prevalence of morally questionable expressions of sexuality is sometimes referred to as a sexidemic.[5]
See also
- Casting couch
- Celebrity sex tape
- Deviancy amplification spiral
- List of federal political sex scandals in the United States
References
- ^ Alison Dagnes (Shippensburg University), Stand By Your Man: Political Sex Scandals in American Pop Culture / Western Political Science Association Conference, Las Vegas, Nevada April 1–4, 2015
- ^ Juliet A. Williams (21 May 2011). "Why the Strauss-Kahn and Schwarzenegger scandals don't go together". Washington Post.
- ^ David Lamb (1 August 1976). "Sex and scandal are old partners in Washington". The Tuscaloosa News. p. 23, Section D3.
- ^ Gene Healy (6 June 2011). "Weinergate reminds us not to give these clowns more power". Washington Examiner.
- ^ Samuel, Lawrence R. (3 June 2013). "America's 'Sexidemic'". Psychology Today.
External links
- Beaucoup B.S. - Christopher Hitchens