Archive: Opinions

Headlines from the previous week’s news confirmed what many Americans had believed all along about former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.  After it was announced that he and his wife of 25 years, Maria Shriver, were calling it quits, the reasons behind the breakup came to light.  Schwarzenegger admitted to fathering a child with a housekeeper nearly a decade ago. 

It was a shock to many as the child was born ten days after his own son, a secret he kept hidden from his wife until he left office earlier this year.  Like much of his life, the whole mess fits the narrative of a man who has always seemed to live in his own celebrity world by his own twisted rules of privilege and entitlement, an egotistical life of self-glory.

But this self destructive behavior is not limited to an ego-centric man like Arnold. Politicians, professional athletes, and highly successful businessmen display the same destructive behavior.  In the past, we have seen powerful and influential men fall from grace because of their desire to have whatever they want regardless of those who they may harm in their pursuit. 

Presidential hopeful John Edwards had an affair with one of his staffers, and he had to leave the Presidential Campaign in 2008.  His wife, Elizabeth who was battling cancer at the time, emerged as a heroic figure and role model for all women.  John Edward’s political career came to a grinding halt, and he continues to fight legal battles over his actions.

Tiger Woods, arguably the best golfer in the history of the sport, fell from the spotlight in 2010 after he admitted to having multiple affairs with a host of women.  Business sponsors and investor fled from the Tiger Woods brand with an amazing speed. Nearly two years later, his career continues to spiral downward dropping from the top ten ranking in golf, a place he has held for the last 14 years.

Most recently, the former head of the International Monetary Fund, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, was escorted off a plane by New York City Police and arrested on charges that he had sexually assaulted a Manhattan hotel maid.  Strauss-Kahn was expected to challenge French President Nicholas Sarkozy in the 2012 election. 

The question most people ask is this, “Why would men who have so much going for them risk it all for an affair?”  In like manner, why would anyone cause such harm to himself and those he loves with such destructive behavior?

It is not power or fame that changes an individual.  Power and fame rarely change an individual’s personality in any fundamental way.   Rather it is a pattern of behavior that an individual has demonstrated throughout his life.  The men mentioned above possess a sense of superiority and feeling of invincibility at having gotten away with this type of behavior in the past.  These same men believe that the rewards far outweigh the risks. In their self-centered world, they think that they are exempt to the rules that apply to everyone else. 

But contrary to what you may think of men or read about them in the paper, Arnold, John, Tiger, and Dominique are the exception to the rule.   Hundreds of male professional athletes, thousands of male politicians and millions of husbands do not follow the pattern of the few.  The overwhelming majority of men are faithful, dedicated, and honest.  They are devoted to their wives, their families, and their communities.  They go about their daily routines with little notice or fanfare.  The press ignores their daily achievements, their daily routine, but they are always welcomed home by those who love them for their genuine good nature, faithfulness, and dedication to their calling.

They, like most of men, consider themselves average Americans content with their jobs, happy in their marriages, and proud of their children’s accomplishments.  Whether sitting in a school auditorium, at the dinner table with the family, or next to their wife on the couch watching the news, they know their place and their duty.  They are living the dream, and life does not get much better than this.  And that is to the point. 

v7i20