https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xv6DAYD0jD8
This week disgraced politician and former Congressman, Anthony Weiner, announced that he is running for mayor of New York City. Normally we’d classify this as local news, however, if successful, Weiner could join an incredibly short list of politicians who have made their way back to the forefront after a near debilitating scandal — and one we’ve never witnessed before — a scandal involving social media.
Weiner’s disgrace from political life was certainly bizarre. It was a sex scandal for all intent and purposes without the actual sex. What resonated most with the public wasn’t how awful a thing Weiner did, but just how stupid. It really was one of those gobsmacked, “Can you believe this guy?” moments in political history. He got caught sex tweeting with young women. Was he unfaithful to his wife? This is a gray area. Did he jeopardize his position? Some disagree on this fact. Did he betray his constituents? Possibly. But only in the sense that through his actions and the lies he told to cover up those actions — he became untrustworthy — the way in which a desperate person becomes when their feet are held to the fire when something totally ridiculous and embarrassing in their personal life becomes exposed. Many of us decided that it really wasn’t any of our business and it was the media that ballooned this “nonstory” into something worth talking about. Yet, there is something in this, some nugget of awareness and frustration with the current state of political corruptness; however we define it that gives some of us pause.
Weiner’s downfall could be listed as bravado or a myriad other things when it comes to discussing what happens to people in positions of power. The grandiose feelings of superiority and the sense of being untouchable that comes with it. And then we have social media, which is all about exposure at your fingertips. Many of us have learned that nothing on the internet is ever really private. That nothing disappears into the ether. So in knowing this one has to wonder just what Anthony Weiner was thinking when he sent crotch shots and naked pictures of himself through cyberspace. That’s when we get to the real point. Can someone with such flawed thinking, someone who made such terrible decisions — should this person be elected to govern the City of New York? And if so, should we as a society begin to change our thinking about what we perceive is the possibly unrealistic purity of our elected figures?
At any rate, prepare for a bumpy ride, Anthony! If Jimmy Fallon is any indication, you’ll need a seat belt for this particular tilt-a-whirl.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuCTgTRYrg4
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