Ring! Ring! Ring! The Puritans called...

[whttevrr]

They want their Scarlet Letter back.



Apparently, back in 1772 some guy showed his wiener to a virtuous lass.

Oh and if the 21st Century Hypocrites were done with them?

Could they have their pillories back?

[JoePhilly]

1. Tell them to get a Twitter account.

[loli phabay]

2. lol, there definetly is a puritan streak to society

Everyone seems to believe that whatever they find icky is morally wrong, we would all be better off just living and let live. Sexuality is a highly unique thing to each individual and we sll have different preferences and foibles.

[Whisp]

7. yeh, I think we should be able to fuck in public.

buncho pearl clutching puritans! harumph!

[boston bean]

10. lol

You makes me lol!

[loli phabay]

14. as long as all watching consent then no problem

With the internet gone are the days of behind closed doors with the lights off.

[boston bean]

21. And what's to be said of those who don't consent?

[Agschmid]

37. George Michael called...

He is in.

[KittyWampus]

15. it isn't puritanical to reject exposing oneself in public as appropriate behavior. Weiner is lucky

none of the young women he sent pix to was under 18.

[whttevrr]

18. And he did not expose himslef in public...

If you saw his penis; you were looking for it.

[boston bean]

22. He twittered it to the world! By accident, but still. I wonder if he had any underage followers?

[KittyWampus]

31. this whole thing started with him sending pix unsolicited.

[cthulu2016]

3. Utter fail.

It seems you think there is some cleverness or superiority suggested by your incomprehension of the actual topic.

There isn't.

[whttevrr]

9. Why?

Because you say so?

What makes you the arbiter of righteousness?

[Nuclear Unicorn]

25. "What makes you the arbiter of righteousness?"

I'm not declaring whether your OP is correct or not on it's own terms but as a matter of fairness it does seek to arbitrate what is or is not righteous. "Puritan" is just a pejorative used by those who have -- as a matter of morals -- declared the Puritans are the stereotype of excessiveness.

"We should not impose moral standards!" is a self-contradicting term as it is a moral standard being imposed.

[Dreamer Tatum]

4. Wrong number...it was the Missed Point Society. nt

[Safetykitten]

5. There is Puritanism and then there is Spring Break.

[whttevrr]

6. I did, but...

They said they could not look upon the birds in that time. For they and the bees were pollinating flowers in a most obscene way.

[WCLinolVir]

8. Comparing Weiner to the women who were targeted is ridiculous.

The consequences were horrible. Being branded was terrorism. Weiner is being called on for being the lying hump is he.

[whttevrr]

11. huh? What?

What consequences?

[WCLinolVir]

63. Consequences of being branded.

[geek tragedy]

12. Weiner can be holding orgies in his apartment every night for all I care.

But, when he shows that he has behavioral issues that he can't control even when they threaten everything he has, he's simply unfit for office.

[Capt. Obvious]

19. Just like JFK and Bill Clinton

[geek tragedy]

23. JFK never got caught. Clinton was more discrete than Weiner has been.

Also, Clinton had 10 times the merit as a policymaker than Weiner will ever have.

[Capt. Obvious]

24. It ain't a crime if you don't get caught

and some pigs are more equal than others.

[cali]

43. By George, I think s/he's got it!

Or as my ma used to say: discretion is the better part of valor. At least in politician/sex matters. Why? Well, for one thing it inevitably becomes a huge, stupid distraction that obliterates mention of any actual issues.

Is it hypocritical? Sure? So what?

[Capt. Obvious]

46. I just hate that only Democrats get forced from office over it

While family values Republicans who push the issues always skate.

[MADem]

55. It's often not a crime even if ya do get caught. It simply goes to "judgment."

It's not cool to humiliate one's spouse and to present an appearance of lacking even a modicum of control over one's own personage and one's own affairs.

Behavior suggestive of a "loose cannon" in one's personal life leads people to believe that the person will be an unreliable, capricious, arbitrary and unreasonable person in their public life. It also suggests that they have a callous and uncaring attitude towards the spouse they (usually) purport to love deeply.

People who run their personal lives in a sloppy, poorly-thought-out manner are viewed as having the same managerial style.

[NightWatcher]

13. It's about a pattern of lying and poor decisions

Remember when he said his twitter account was hacked?

Remember when he said it wasn't his schmecky in the pic?

Remember when he said he was sorry and would stop?

Remember when it came out that he was doing it after he said he stopped?

Why would anyone trust what he says or his decision making? He has a pattern of doing dumb things.

Remember this post when he does it again.

[whttevrr]

16. I know, right? None of us ever lie about personal issues...

I suppose that every time someone asks you a question, you answer it with unflinching honesty, right?

[NightWatcher]

28. Knock yourself out. Vote for the guy. Just don't act surprised the next time

he makes a terrible decision.

[cali]

44. let me know, hon, when you're running for Mayor? No?

Look, you want to live in the public eye, you get stuck with a different standard. And guess what? Shocker, they all fucking know it.

You aren't very good at this.

[frylock]

50. none of us got up on national teevee and made a fucking fool..

of ourselves by lying about being hacked. I eagerly await your compelling "whutevs" reply.

[Capt. Obvious]

20. Or when he said he did not have sexual relations with that woman, Ms. Lewinsky?

[Nuclear Unicorn]

26. The hacking claim was the part that upset me.

Hacking is a crime, especially against a member of congress. Had he not admitted his behavior the FBI would be out looking to prosecute fictitious criminals and God forbid they investigate -- or worse -- some poor, innocent person.

[bahrbearian]

48. Then Clinton should have Resigned

[nadinbrzezinski]

17. You know what bothers me about posts like this one?

1.- you ignore the obvious addiction problem...(which he claims he's gotten therapy for)

2.- You also ignore the fact that he has been lying to cover part one.

On the bright side, he cannot be blackmailed over this...since we all know about it.

Finally, this is not just Anthony...we have men...we have yet to have a woman do this, in powerful possitions...taking advantage of people of the oposite sex, rarely same sex...and they get away with it because of those positions of power.

Chasing the local version of the young and the restless downtown right at the moment...and this is part of the pattern.

[TreasonousBastard]

29. And a third thing...

Kennedy, Clinton, maybe even Eisenhower, had flings on the side, but whether or not one says flings are a bad thing, they happen a lot and follow a certain, shall we say, accepted pattern.

Weiner is just weird. He's out of control and not having a fling. He's self destructive, and to even think of putting such a guy, with such a lame Congressional record to boot, in charge of NYC is disgraceful.

BTW, of course his wife is standing behind him. Whatever she may think of wifely duties, there is that of helping him get through this so she might live in Gracie Mansion.

[nadinbrzezinski]

30. They actually had a lot of family therapy

As to flings...at one time none talked about it. In that Filner is correct...when he was growing up it was part of the code of secrecy. The press broke that code with Clinton.

Weiner is just doing it online and not physically touching a soul. I guess that is why it's weird.

For the record, my local scandal will see charges soon

[TreasonousBastard]

38. I always fall back on the question...

with a million or so eligible, and at least a few hundred actually viable, why should NYC accept anyone with such problems and so few accomplishments as its Mayor?

[nadinbrzezinski]

60. I don't really know

[whttevrr]

33. Ignore?

Last edited Wed Jul 24, 2013, 01:00 PM - Edit history (1)

No not really.

1.- His 'addiction is between him, his wife, and his therapist or counselor. His transgressions are against the woman he is married to and she forgives him. Who am I, with peripheral knowledge of the actual facts, to be the one to judge him harsher than his spouse.

If there is any offense toward the receiver of said pictures I suppose she could adjudicate such offense in civil court.

2.- I do not ignore his lies. I expect them. He is just not as good at being the liar. I actually count that as a plus. A politician who cannot lie effectively is one that should do well; as long as he is not continuing to ignore the needs of those who elect him to office. I cannot remember a politician who at first opportunity thrust himself into the limelight and said: "Oh yeah, that was me."

Who does that except the most virtuous amongst us. The normative behavior is to try to wiggle out of a tough situation. Only when confronted does one come to that point where they actually do 'come clean.' And he actually did stand up and tell us all way more information than was necessary. Did Elliot Spitzer inform the public of his transgressions at first hint of scandal? No, he hedged, and then 'came clean.' Did Bill Clinton 'come clean' and tell the public: "Oh yeah, that was me. And, there is a dress to prove it. Gee, I hope she did not get it dry cleaned yet."

I do not think the sexual proclivities of our elected officials should be the litmus test for their worthiness. And I do not know many people who tell everyone every sexual truth that is part of their lives. It really is no other persons business except their spouse or partner.

The most important thing about this whole affair is stated in his wife's statement:

"When we faced this publicly two years ago, it was beginning of a time in our marriage that was very difficult. And it took us a very long time to get through it. Our marriage, like many others, has had its ups and its downs. It took a lot of work and a whole lot of therapy to get to a place where I could forgive Anthony. It was not an easy choice in any way. But I made the decision that it was worth staying in this marriage. That was a decision I made for me, for our son and for our family."

"I didn't know how it would work out, but I did know I wanted to give it a try. Anthony's made some horrible mistakes, both before he resigned from Congress and after. But I do very strongly believe that that is between us and our marriage."

"We discussed all of this before Anthony decided to run for mayor, so really what I want to say is I love him, I have forgiven him, I believe in him, and as we have said from the beginning, we are moving forward. Thank you very much."

~Huma Abedin

If she can forgive him? Why shouldn't I?

[nadinbrzezinski]

36. As a woman, I am guessing you are a man,

I find the idea of this is between just him and his wife and all of us should just butt off offensive.

I will tell you why, it is part of the pattern of the objectification of women. This type of behavior can rise to criminality as well, and is a challenge for women to enjoy equal employment. Perhaps my views are tad colored by the Filner scandal, where indeed a hostile work environment has been created. I expect nothing less from Anthony Wiener in the Mayer's office, call it a sneaky.

Twenty years ago that was fully acceptable and people did indeed look the other way.

No, this behavior is not just between them. It should become completely unacceptable, regardless of political party.

[whttevrr]

47. It's the double negative, right?

"And I do not know many people who do not tell everyone every sexual truth that is part of their lives." should have read: "And I do not know many people who tell everyone every sexual truth that is part of their lives."

I meant no offense.

It really is about him and his wife. He emotionally cheated on her. That, is their issue to grapple with. Physically he was a cad. If you outlaw being an asshole, most of us would be in jail. Never before has there been such a wide dissemination potentiality for information. Now, people can be destroyed overnight with the click of a mouse.

The objectification of women is a wide ranging issue that is ingrained within our global community. While intellectually I deplore it, physically I feel compelled to act upon it. We all struggle with our own actualization imperfections. It is difficult to go through life in a ratified state of of perfection, if not impossible. But it does not mean that we do not try to better ourselves as we learn to walk our individual and collective paths.

But in your original entry you wrote: "1.- you ignore the obvious addiction problem...(which he claims he's gotten therapy for) ".

I did not ignore it. I wrote directly to it in my reply: "1.- His 'addiction' is between him, his wife, and his therapist or counselor."

His transgressions, however, may indeed involve others, but certainly not you or I. And remedies are available to those who have been aggrieved. Not the least of which is his own objectification of self. He has distilled his existence to a photo of his wank. sad? Maybe... but a sin against womankind everywhere? Maybe not so much.

The conflation of this argument to include "the Filner scandal" is a little far reaching. I do not believe he will have the ability to get away with much once he gets into office. On the contrary, the magnifying glass he has put upon himself should cudgel him into going above and beyond the call of duty to ensure that he treats women with respect and equality. The lawsuits and recriminations will be waiting within the walls of city hall.

One does not imply the other. Unless you have inside information that we are not privy to; I would err on the side of his wife. She has suffered the bigger slight. If she can forgive him? Why shouldn't I?

[nadinbrzezinski]

58. Ok, having spoken just now with people who actually get it

since they have been fighitng this crap for all their professional careers... I can safely say you don't get it. We are actually, independent of Weiner, or Filner, or Vitter, or the rest... at a paradigm shift.

[emulatorloo]

56. If anything Weiner is objectifying himself.

He is presenting his penis as an object of pleasure for the viewer, in this case a woman who apparently enjoyed the cybersexual relationship for a while before deciding it was not for her.

"I find the idea of this is between just him and his wife and all of us should just butt off offensive. I will tell you why, it is part of the pattern of the objectification of women. This type of behavior can rise to criminality as well, and is a challenge for women to enjoy equal employment."

That's a huge leap -

- First, I have been around long enough to know that no outsider can know what goes on in a relationship. Obvious physical abuse would be the exception, and should be reported.

- Second, to say Weiner's sexting is a challenge to equal employment for women is a bizarre leap of logic. If you can clarify I would certainly like to here what gets you to this conclusion.

[nadinbrzezinski]

59. The sexting is just a step before getting physical

and if you remember when the scandal broke in Congress, the woman said that text was unwanted.

The law has not caught up to sexting.

[Nye Bevan]

27. Yeah, what's with all the pearl-clutching over a little schlong-sexting?

People swooning into their fainting couches just because some dude tweeted his tassel? Folks, it's 2013!

[Wednesdays]

52. Because it's about SEX...and that's DIRTY!

Well, no, it's not about the sex, it's about the lying.
Gee, I seem to have heard that before...

[BlueStater]

54. Heh heh heh.

[4Q2u2]

32. Unwanted Sexual Advance

Would it have been alright if he walked up to this same woman in a park and exposed himself instead of just doing the creep thing by 21st Century technology. But hey he is "Our Guy" so accountability and reasonable expectations go out the window? This definitely shows poor decision making. Is that what we should expect from a leader?

[whttevrr]

34. He didn't do this in the park.

derp

[4Q2u2]

42. Read the Post

I did not say it happened in a park. I asked what is the difference? There is none, just because he used modern technology does not make it any different then that act of a flasher. It is an unwanted sexual advance, which is sexual harassment.

derp, really?

[DCBob]

35. Weiner is a lying, scheming, pervert..

other than that he's a great guy!

[KurtNYC]

39. He is an insecure, risk taker.

Not exactly Mayor material. Good luck to Weiner in his life after politics.

[cali]

45. yep. poor judgment. No impulse control.

[cali]

40. Ring! Ring! Critical thinking calling whttevrr!!!!

This isn't too difficult:

No impulse control.

No fucking judgment.

Compulsive behavior that is sure to be a huge distraction.

Those are not traits that I want to see in a chief executive.

[LanternWaste]

41. I s'pose a lot of people believe that distrust of a person

I s'pose a lot of people believe that distrust of a person who send unsolicited pictures of genitalia is the equivalent of puritanism and hypocrisy.

For my part, I'd distrust both the person sending the unsolicited pictures, as well as the person who rationalizes it by minimizing and/or trivializing it.

[whttevrr]

51. Nice deflection

Immaterial is still immaterial.

People are fucking kinky freaks, get over it or under it.

[Taverner]

49. I'm not upset over his infidelity, it's his STUPIDITY that has me riled

I mean COME ON!!

Couldn't he just DENY it?

I guarantee, if he just denied it, and gave us a "Who are you gonna beleive? Me or those lyin' eyes of yours?" New Yorkers would respect that.

Or at least "That's none of your business."

Because it is, none of our business

But starting a fight by rolling on your back, pissing yourself and whimpering is not an effective strategy

[JoePhilly]

61. YUP ... he's a repeat offender of being Chronically Stupid, in public.

Teenagers know not to tweet their junk.

This dope seems to be unable to grasp the notion.

People do not like to vote for the chronically stupid.

[MADem]

53. Ring...ring...ring! David Spade called....he wants that lame joke construct back!

So he can shoot it, and bury it in the backyard!

[840high]

57. He shows no respect

for his wife or women.

[Coyotl]

62. Ring! Ring! Ring! Native Americans calling the Puritans. Want the whole country back,

and take your Scarlet Letter back where you found it too.