Comments on: Dominique Strauss-Kahn and the Charmed Circle of Scandal http://www.deliberatelyconsidered.com/2011/05/dominique-strauss-kahn-and-the-charmed-circle-of-scandal/ Informed reflection on the events of the day Wed, 15 Jul 2015 17:00:00 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=4.4.23 By: Scott http://www.deliberatelyconsidered.com/2011/05/dominique-strauss-kahn-and-the-charmed-circle-of-scandal/comment-page-1/#comment-11315 Mon, 30 May 2011 18:11:00 +0000 http://www.deliberatelyconsidered.com/?p=5430#comment-11315 What is surprising about this scandal is that many prominent French figures have rushed to defend Strass-Kahn, quite absurdly I may add, and have lamented his treatment in custody in the US as “sickening.” Because this is in many ways a cross-cultural scandal it presents an opportunity to compare the reactions of the French and Americans, as Prof. Goldfarb pointed out. What I haven’t seen much in the American press is the reaction of Strauss-Kahn’s political enemies. Perhaps the idiom concerning a “glass house” applies here and has muted the responses the responses of French politicians making it possibly less interesting to the American press. I think what this reveals though is a very different political culture in France, particularly concerning attitudes towards sexuality and the treatment of women: http://watchingamerica.com/News/105241/different-definitions-of-sexual-harassment/

Of course, almost all of what we know about this scandal comes from the media. As much as the public and private have been blurred I’m sure there is still much that remains backstage, that is, truly private. At least for now.

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