Surviving a scandal

By paperbackwriter · Nov 12, 2018 · 510 · 5
  1. Big news in Australia recently. A Politician was caught in a sexual assault case against a journalist at a drunken Christmas Party.
    I try to imagine what it is like to have your sins plastered on the front page of a newspaper. Social media piranna mauling you to death.
    First let me make it quite clear that I feel sorry for the female victim in this too. Her life too has been turned upside down. Her life will never be the same. She might be forever known as "that woman who ruined his life". She will find it hard to move on and focus on happier events in her life.
    As a guy though I first of all felt empathy for him. This is a one off incident to my knowledge. His behaviour was outrageous, but should it ruin his career and marriage? I'd would be surprised if his wife stays with him now? What of his kids? So much collateral damage.
    He's damaged goods so would be lucky to get even lowly cleaning job like me. The Christian in me, sees his only hope is full repentance and surrender to Jesus Christ. He may have no other choice. I mean he could end up in jail if the woman wants to press charges. There was a witness.
    Loss of reputation is not only loss of status and self-esteem, it is financial ruin. Poverty here we come.
    I'm feeling sorry for the guy though I know 99% are not. His behaviour was atrocious. I just hope he chooses the humility and contrition road sooner than later.

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  1. GrahamLewis
    I don't know the details but if he is facing jail time, it's not a matter of a mere salacious sex scandal, he committed a crime. So it seems wrong to me for you to equate the two of them in any way, smacks of blaming the victim. If someone robbed your house, how would you feel if someone discussing the event expressed concern over the impact the consequences of his arrest would have on the guy who robbed you? You're the victim, not a co-conspirator. If the guy in your story broke the criminal law, that's his doing and his problem, as are the consequences.

    If he sexually assaulted her, she has already experienced far more serious consequences than reputational damage.
    GrahamLewis, Nov 14, 2018
  2. paperbackwriter
    Never argue with an ex lawyer. :)
    paperbackwriter, Nov 15, 2018
  3. paperbackwriter
    Good people do bad things. He's getting some empathy from me whether people deem he deserves it or not.
    paperbackwriter, Nov 15, 2018
  4. GrahamLewis
    And I admire you for your willingness to do that. Seriously. It'd be a lot harder, though, if you had a dog in the fight, e.g. if he had assaulted you. But I'm sure you would try. Your religion more or less requests it.

    Sure good people do bad things, by definition people do bad things, and we are all people. And we are all entitled to forgiveness, or at least empathy. I guess what struck me was that at first I thought it was simply a political scandal, which do involve two parties making choices, a la Gary Hart and his mistress, or perhaps The Donald and Miss Storm. Much easier then to see both sides.
    GrahamLewis, Nov 15, 2018
  5. paperbackwriter
    Graham, your viewpoint reminds me of a youtube sermon from ArchBishop Fulton Sheen, I watched recently. He said that he was worried that society was showing too much empathy for the perpetrator and not enough for the victim. (but this sermon was the from the 60s by the way). I was kind of shocked that here is a VIP catholic telling us not to "embrace all sinners". Surely that is the what the gospel is asking us to do. Jesus hung out with tax collectors nd prostitutes, the pariahs of society.
    paperbackwriter, Nov 15, 2018
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