Friday, April 16, 2010

The sleaze factor

Here's the down side of the Internet, which otherwise has produced such good for the world. As reported by the Washington Post, a media-owned blog published a report about a public official's personal life, based on an unsupported comment by someone who has an interest in hurting the Administration. Although ultimately withdrawn, you can bet that the story has its own life now and is spreading to other sites.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

"In his e-mail, Domenech said that the naming of an openly gay justice would show "how far we've come as a society" and that this "will be an issue of political discussion, whether we like it or not." "

Right. Pseudo-tolerance by a conservative Christian while he is parroting personal gossip.

I am offended on two levels - first, on behalf of my gay nephew, I say to Mr. Domenench, "so #$@@&& what?"

Second, his sentence epitomizes a nasty habit I've noticed - someone publishes something they don't like and then pretends to be neutral about it. A sneaky way to get it out there. Not very honest or forthright.

nonlocal

Anonymous said...

On your first point, I totally agree. Why should sexual preference be a topic relevant to ability to serve anyway? It is a shame that it plays that way in public discourse. Maybe someday that will disappear. I hope so.

But given that it can be used that way, your second point is right on target as well.

Anonymous said...

Someone's sexual orientation is of absolutely no interest to me, and I don't understand the public's fascination with these things. Anyone who raises it as an issue is only showing his small-mindedness to the world.

I grew up in an area where the "majority" was openly hateful of anyone not in their group, and they claimed moral superiority because their religion told them that these "others" were hateful. Sad. Too bad they missed the Bible passages about the Golden Rule, not throwing the first stone, etc. etc. Hypocrisy is the worst sin.

NewYorker said...

Personal information is always shared about those in the spotlight, whether it is their religious persuasion, the number of children, the professional interests of their partner/spouse... Sexuality is along the same line of personal information. While is it nobody's "business" to share this information, I cannot imagine that as a society we will ever stop chattering about a candidate's home life.