By Dr Harold Pease
Pictures of dozens of media vehicles from all the networks converging on the residence of a struggling single mother with a 14 year old son allegedly illegitimately conceived some 15 years ago in a behavior not then nor now illegal, left me with a bad taste. Neither did anything now to draw attention to them. For heavens sake a third of the babies born today are illegitimate. The woman’s address was disclosed to the world and the intimate records of her life became fair game for everyone to trample through. She may in fact have fully repented and endured years of mental anguish with respect to the affair. “But the father was a world champion body builder, famous actor, and past governor,” one could argue in rebuttal, “indeed worthy of a ‘takedown’.” So hammer him and leave the child and woman’s name unmentioned.
For days the media camped in front of her home watching for any movement. If the victim opened her door they would paint her as guilty. If she didn’t open the door, to their insulting and probing questions, she is also guilty. For days she was a prisoner in her own home. Neighbors got instant, if temporary, stardom for divulging her “secrets.” They also provided a bigger base for spying, as seen by two cameramen in a neighbor’s backyard holding their cameras over the fence, hoping to illustrate something in the woman’s backyard to further target her or her son. Stalking is illegal in California—unless you have a press card. Princess Diana fled from the same thing, the Paparazzi, resulting in her tragic auto accident and death; and Sara Palin built a taller fence against her new neighbor, who moved from Massachusetts to Alaska for the purpose of spying on her and her family—anything for a sleaze story.
Then what of the Maria Shriver Schwarzenegger and the children? Are they not victims also? Are they not also flooded with reporters sneaking into their backyards, so to speak, wanting whatever sleaze they can capture or generate from an event stemming from a malfunction in a marriage that happened too long ago to now really effect anyone but them? They already know the painful story. How can they heal with gasoline continually poured on their wounds? Are we hurting so badly for news that this should be on the front page of any newspaper or the lead story on any network? If Arnold Schwarzenegger were running for president where character, or lack thereof, is an issue as was the case with Bill Clinton, than yes, but the ex-governor is already gone, washed-up, dismissed, and a “has been” except for a few movies.
Arnold is likely to die a very lonely man. In light of the fact that he likely will never be a prominent political player again, perhaps we should even let him alone to work whatever concessions or repentance he might need to do to retrieve grace with his family. Isn’t that the Christian way?
The destructive power of the media is like a tornado. One suddenly appears on the horizon cuts a swath of devastation through the neighborhood, lives are lost or shattered then it disappears just as quickly with no consequence for its actions. Probably a good portion of the media who have already judged and convicted the alleged Arnold Schwarzenegger mistress (notice that I have not given her name or address) have themselves had moments of inappropriate sexual misconduct over the years; some with the benefit of abortion to destroy the evidence of transgression. For far too many cheating is normal behavior. As I recall, someone infinitely wiser than I addressed judging over two hundred years ago. “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.” How many would still be haunting the accused if their laundry was rummaged through in the same manner and placed on billboards for all to see and judge? But this would not sell newspapers!
This said, most media attempt to evaluate and report as best they can with whatever bias that they have embraced but when sex, scandal, and politics come together they go crazy and often hurt and destroy without a moment of reflection on who they hurt and destroy.
Dr. Harold Pease is an expert on the United States Constitution. He has dedicated his career to studying the writings of the Founding Fathers and applying that knowledge to current events. He has taught history and political science from this perspective for over 25 years at Taft College.