Elliot Spitzer and America's Ethical Perversity

[nhboy (Premo)]

"The cross-the-political-spectrum attacks on Elliot Spitzer and the intensity of the demands that he resign his office [which he has now done -- ed.] show just how successfully the Right-wing sexual moralizing has been in trumping any other kind of ethical reasoning in American society.

Going to a prostitute is legal in some states and some countries around the world, and is often the very arrangement that saves families from splitting up whose sexual energies have diminished but whose love is intact.

It’s not uncommon for men (and now increasingly women) who have achieved great power in our society (even, as in Spitzer’s case, if the power is aimed at pursuing laudable ends), to feel a deep emptiness and loneliness that remains unaddressed by friends or spouse; these individuals often seek some kind of outside connection, no matter how superficial, unbound by previous rules and roles. Nevertheless, I and many others in the religious and spiritual world oppose that practice when it involves adultery or prostitution, because it depends on the objectification of another human being, so that sex is disconnected in ways that it should not be from a significant encounter with the spirit of God in the other or a deep recognition that is the only real way to overcome existential or situational alienation. "

Religion Dispatches - Elliot Spitzer and America's Ethical Perversity

[Larry Gude (Premo)]

Originally Posted by nhboy

"The cross-the-political-spectrum attacks on Elliot Spitzer and the intensity of the demands that he resign his office [which he has now done -- ed.] show just how successfully the Right-wing sexual moralizing has been in trumping any other kind of ethical reasoning in American society.

Going to a prostitute is legal in some states and some countries around the world, and is often the very arrangement that saves families from splitting up whose sexual energies have diminished but whose love is intact.

It’s not uncommon for men (and now increasingly women) who have achieved great power in our society (even, as in Spitzer’s case, if the power is aimed at pursuing laudable ends), to feel a deep emptiness and loneliness that remains unaddressed by friends or spouse; these individuals often seek some kind of outside connection, no matter how superficial, unbound by previous rules and roles. Nevertheless, I and many others in the religious and spiritual world oppose that practice when it involves adultery or prostitution, because it depends on the objectification of another human being, so that sex is disconnected in ways that it should not be from a significant encounter with the spirit of God in the other or a deep recognition that is the only real way to overcome existential or situational alienation. "

Religion Dispatches - Elliot Spitzer and America's Ethical Perversity

...utter balderdash. What profound soap boxing. What a childish exercise in in infantile logic and pretzel manufacturing.

It’s not uncommon for men (and now increasingly women) who have achieved great power in our society (even, as in Spitzer’s case, if the power is aimed at pursuing laudable ends), to feel a deep emptiness and loneliness that remains unaddressed by friends or spouse; these individuals often seek some kind of outside connection, no matter how superficial, unbound by previous rules and roles.

and is often the very arrangement that saves families from splitting up

deep emptiness and loneliness that remains unaddressed by friends or spouse; these individuals often seek some kind of outside connection, no matter how superficial,

To claim that 'right wing' moralizing is responsible for Eliot Spitzer's situation is perhaps the most asinine thing I've heard in some time, which is rather notable give the political season we are in and the rampant opportunities to spew forth all sorts of asinine arguments, proposals and so forth.

I highly doubt Eliot Spitzer was the only person in this nation who has achieved high power, of any political identity, who is also a client for prostitutes. I doubt they all suddenly stopped using hookers due to Eliot's situation. I doubt Eliot was the first person of power nor the first customer for the sex trade. I doubt they're all going to resign tomorrow due to GOP, or anyone else's, moralizing.

That Spitzer used the law against others who did what he was doing at the very same time doesn't show an act worthy of our forgiveness, it shows an act of a dark, evil heart able to bear that kind of hypocrisy and malice. He has NO business in any position of power. He's not the only one.

That he got caught, being who he is and what he knows, shows a person who is parts hubris, part guilt ridden and part moron. Again, did prostitution go out of business nationwide last week? Doubt it.

If there is any ethical reasoning to be done for people who have reached a state of deep emptiness and loneliness (and I think it laughable to suggest that the only people who feel emptiness and loneliness are the powerful) it has nothing to do sexual moralizing of any kind. To further suggest that prostitution as some sort of 'arrangement' that keeps families together heightens the laughter factor to pure farce.

The very emptiness and loneliness Spitzer and other achievers of power (and all the rest of us) feel, is not going to be addressed by an hour with a hooker any more than it's going to be addressed by an hour at the bar slamming martini's or an hour with drugs. If those things keeps anyone's family together it's only as a band aid and if that's good enough for them, so be it, but sex and drugs and alcohol are no more going to improve someones emptiness and loneliness than GOP moralizing caused it in the first place.

Obviously, all sorts of people lean on prostitution and drugs and alcohol as part of their lives and still have families. Removing 'GOP' moralizing from the equation and allowing all the 'other' ethical reasoning one would like is not going to alleviate the causes for feeling empty and lonely nor is it going to make it any better.

Emptiness and loneliness are feelings. It happens. If Eliot doesn't feel any better by spending an house with his wife instead of a hooker, I'd suggest an hour with the hooker isn't going to make him feel any closer to his wife not is it going to make him feel any less lonely or empty.

Maybe he's not 'empty' and 'alone'? Maybe he likes cheating and likes paying for sex?

[Bann (Premo)]

Originally Posted by nhboy

"The cross-the-political-spectrum attacks on Elliot Spitzer and the intensity of the demands that he resign his office [which he has now done -- ed.] show just how successfully the Right-wing sexual moralizing has been in trumping any other kind of ethical reasoning in American society.

Going to a prostitute is legal in some states and some countries around the world, and is often the very arrangement that saves families from splitting up whose sexual energies have diminished but whose love is intact.

It’s not uncommon for men (and now increasingly women) who have achieved great power in our society (even, as in Spitzer’s case, if the power is aimed at pursuing laudable ends), to feel a deep emptiness and loneliness that remains unaddressed by friends or spouse; these individuals often seek some kind of outside connection, no matter how superficial, unbound by previous rules and roles. Nevertheless, I and many others in the religious and spiritual world oppose that practice when it involves adultery or prostitution, because it depends on the objectification of another human being, so that sex is disconnected in ways that it should not be from a significant encounter with the spirit of God in the other or a deep recognition that is the only real way to overcome existential or situational alienation. "

Religion Dispatches - Elliot Spitzer and America's Ethical Perversity

"Michael Lerner Bio:

Rabbi Michael Lerner is editor of Tikkun, a prominent progressive Jewish and interfaith magazine and chair of the interfaith Network of Spiritual Progressives.

Lerner has been described as "a prophetic voice" by the New York Times, Cornel West of Princeton, Jim Wallis of Sojourners, and the most recent of his 11 books, the New York Times bestseller The Left Hand of God, has been lauded by the L.A. Times, the Washington Post, and by Karen Armstrong, George Lakoff, Buddhist scholar Robert Thurman and Howard Zinn. Lerner has been one of the most prominent Jewish voices in opposition to the war in Iraq and in critiquing Israeli policy toward Palestinians. He is rabbi of Beyt Tikkun synagogue in San Francisco."

[aps45819 (Premo)]

Big deal, some guy that was born rich and will die rich bought a hooker for the evening

Now some guy that rose in public office based on his prosecution of organized crime, getting caught in a federal sweep of the same thing seems to be quite hypocritical

[ImnoMensa]

Maybe my morals are screwed up, I dont care that he went to a hooker.That's a personal decision.
What ticks me off is that he made a career of screwing over guys and gals who did the same thing.
Not everyone can afford a piece of tail at $4,000 a pop, but is the woman really any different from the girls working Great Mills Rd. ? Is he as a John any different?

It may be the difference between a clapped out Yugo and a new Caddillac ,but for someone its still a ride.

[Larry Gude (Premo)]

Originally Posted by ImnoMensa

Maybe my morals are screwed up, I dont care that he went to a hooker.That's a personal decision.

...again, your morals, mine, GOP morals, that is all irrelevant to what he did. If you speed and get a ticket I don't care; you chose to do the crime, you pay the fine. Point is, prostitution is illegal and he got caught and we are a long, long way from legalizing prostitution and it's got as much to with society as a whole as it does with GOP moralizing.

[vraiblonde]

Originally Posted by nhboy

Going to a prostitute is legal in some states and some countries around the world, and is often the very arrangement that saves families from splitting up whose sexual energies have diminished but whose love is intact.

Okay....

[Baja28]

Originally Posted by ImnoMensa

but is the woman really any different from the girls working Great Mills Rd?

Have you seen this girl? There's a HUGE difference between her & a GM Road hooker....

She gets $4K/hour, they get $40.00/hour (if that).

[ImnoMensa]

Originally Posted by vraiblonde

Okay....

LOL!! Yeah I wish I had some of that stuff for my garden, it really makes things grow.

[Toxick]

Originally Posted by nhboy

"The cross-the-political-spectrum attacks on Elliot Spitzer and the intensity of the demands that he resign his office [which he has now done -- ed.] show just how successfully the Right-wing sexual moralizing has been in trumping any other kind of ethical reasoning in American society.

I guess that's why you never see anything like sex on TV, or out in the public.




Friggin' conservatives.