- 10
- Mar
By now you’ve probably heard or read that NY Governor Eliot Spitzer is being investigated for allegedly meeting with a prostitute, embarrassing himself, his wife, and the rest of his family.
Why does someone in such a visible and responsible position act in this way? Over the next few days you’ll hear plenty of psychologists, psychiatrists, and other mental health professionals give their sage perspectives.
But for all intents and purposes, no one can know why Governor Spitzer acted as he did, except the governor himself. As a matter of fact, it is against my code of ethics to state what the governor’s problem might be.
That’s because the reason that people stray away from their marriages are complex. One person may use extramarital sex to get back at a partner, another to escape obligations, a third to experience a thrill.
What it means to have sex with a paid partner is also complex. A person may ask the prostitute to perform acts that they cannot ask their spouse to perform, or that the spouse refuses to do. Or, the person may pay a prostitute because they actually may feel less ashamed about sex if they pay for it. Or, they may enjoy sex more when they do pay.
Take whatever you read or hear with a big grain of salt. We can speculate all we want, but ultimately only the governor knows the depth and cause of his current dilemma.
March 11th, 2008 at 11:02 am
[…] Is he a sex addict? Why does someone in such a visible and responsible position act in this way? Over the next few days you’ll hear plenty of psychologists, psychiatrists, and other mental health professionals give their sage perspectives. […]
March 14th, 2008 at 1:36 pm
It is indeed a sad time for New Yorkers, Americans, and the world…when those we put our hopes and trust in so completely violate that trust.
Whether or not Governor Spitzer is a sex addict-as you say, “no one can know why…except the Governor himself…”. is true, that “we”, the public, may never know all the reasons “why” he did what he did…but these are really less relevant, to us, than what “is”…and what he has done.
What is more significant…is that the Governor broke the law….New York State law-which he supposedly represented in it’s highest office, and even helped to enforce (Prostitution is illegal in NY State). He broke federal laws by allegedly bringing the girl across state lines for the purpose of prostitution. He broke the public trust-not only because he broke the law…it is much more complex, and far reaching, than that alone…but he violated our trust for a myriad of reasons…For one he was supposedly a major opponent against organized crime…and yet he engaged in it himself…(A prostitution ring is certainly a component of “organized crime). As Attorney General he was also known as New York’s major ethics watchdog-These actions not only make him a criminal, but also a major hypocrite….He represented NY State against all the “bad guys” (organized crime, big business/ethics, corruption, white collar crime, etc.)-and then he turns around and engages in it himself. How do we know he wasn’t engaging in prostitution, or other crimes/vile acts, during his time as Attorney General either??? We don’t…and we may never know.
Is he a sex addict??? God, I sure hope not…or chances are there’s a whole lot more vile & disgusting things that he has partaken in…that we have no idea of. Should we feel sorry for him, and make excuses if he were? Should we excuse sex addicts for engaging in lewd behaviors such as pornography addictions-which often results in promiscuity, sexual assault, adultery, broken marriages, abuse, child-abuse, rape, and perhaps even worse?? It is indeed a sad day…if a single person believes that a sex addict should be excused for their addictions instead of helped & stopped. I suppose it is a sad day when reports of 25% of all US teenage girls have had an STD, reports that nearly 40%, of adult NY women in the US will be sexually assaulted at some time in their life (much of it during childhood and teen years), when less than 6% (mostly white men) of the perpetrators serve any jail time, and even in cases of repeat offenders/child rapists-most do less than five years time-if that…(See:www.RAINN.org, http://www.nsopr.gov)…For those who believe, or would say that this is no big deal…it is a very sad day indeed…It is bad enough to be mislead but to mislead others is far worse. I am not implying that our Governor has committed all of these atrocities…but just the fact that he has committed one, while in office (let alone at least 8x documented) makes him unworthy of our trust and Governorship.
Finally, on a more personal note…I myself was shocked, and dismayed, (and obviously still am) when I received news of what he had done. While I’d like to believe in “innocent until proven guilty”, it was, afterall, the FBI making these allegations, and not just some tabloid…and Governor Spitzer certainly hasn’t denied the claims. I am so sorry for his wife and family. She is a gorgeous, attractive, and wonderful woman-she should not feel in any way to blame for this man’s weakness/weak morals…I’d like to tell his wife and daughters to have faith, that not all men…are so weak, or vile…but I cannot…
Myself, I have only known perhaps a handful of men that I could honestly say are completely trustworthy. I’m afraid that I am one of those many childhood statistics (at least X6) but a New Yorker who voted for him…who respected, and had high hopes for him as Attorney General, and Governor….Who had hoped that he could/would bring change to those horrible facts. Now, although I am no real Clinton fan, and wasn’t planning on voting for her, I certainly won’t be voting for that horrendous (although confessed) adulterer McCain…but at least I won’t have to worry about her purveying porn or hiring prostitutes…(Oh, God, I hope not….).