Big Lizards:Blog:Entry “Tricky Dick”

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July 30, 2013

Tricky Dick

Hatched by Korso

Yes, I know. Korso has been a tad hard to find in these pages lately, but I swear I've got an excuse! Lots of them, actually. But I won't bore you with any of that, not when there's plenty of other stuff I can bore you with. So let's get to it, shall we?

Ah, Tony the Weiner. What can I say?

We sure missed you, buddy. And after the all-Zimmerman-all-the-time coverage of the last few weeks, your return to the spolight couldn't have come at a better time. Sure, it must've been hard to top the last time your eminence came into prominence -- but you didn't let that hold you back, not for a New York minute. Carlos Danger? Sheer brilliance. And Sydney Leathers? That's just taking it to a whole new level, bro. You've given inspiration to legions of "Fifty Shades" fanfic writers. Salute your little soldier, my friend, cuz he done good.

Of course, not everyone is so enamored of the Weiner's return to pubic -- er, public -- life. One of them is Tina Brown, who posted her thoughts on the Daily Beast. While I certainly admire her coinage of the term "dicksmanship," the piece quickly descends into the kind of male bashing you might find on The View -- men can't be trusted with power, men take too many stupid risks, yada yada -- most of which is largely true, as anybody who has lived in a guys' dorm can readily attest; however, Brown's assertion that women aren't just as guilty of bad judgement in their own special ways strikes me as a bit sexist. Just ask Rielle Hunter. Or Monica Lewinsky.

Which brings us to my larger point: just why is it that we're seeing a vertiable sexplosion of risky behavior on the part of male politicians these days? After all, it's not just Tony the Weiner--there's Mayor Whatshisname Filner out in San Diego kissing the girls and making them cry. Al "Love Story" Gore also managed to squeeze in an affair while he wasn't asking his comely masseuse to release his second chakra. Then there's John Edwards. Jesse Jackson. Not to mention the Mack Daddy himself, Billy Bob Clinton. What is it with these guys?

Well, there is an answer -- but I don't think Tina Brown is gonna like it.

The reason these men do what they do isn't just because they're looking for nothin' but a good time (although that does play into it). The simpler -- and far uglier -- truth is that, by and large, they're allowed to get away with it. Take the Edwards example I listed above. Why would a man risk so much in the middle of his presidential nomination bid just so he could boink his videographer? Because he figured that because he was a Democrat, the mainstream press would dutifully look the other way -- and for a while, that's exactly what they did (until the National Enquirer did the job that "serious" reporters were unwilling to do).

And it's not only that. The culture also looks the other way, so long as the men behaving badly hold the correct political opinions. You support abortion and free birth control? Feel free to fool around on your wife and family! Hell, Teddy Kennedy -- that slice of bread in the famous waitress sandwich -- went to his grave lauded as a champion of women's rights, even after he let one drown in the back of his car.

So is it any wonder that Tony the Weiner thought he could get away with it? And even if he did get caught, did he have any reason to believe that he wouldn't be forgiven? Sorry ladies, but this is what enabling bad behavior in men gets you.

My advice? Expect more. You just might get it.

Hatched by Korso on this day, July 30, 2013, at the time of 1:44 PM