October 9, 2006

The Foley Flap and the Honor Wars

By Christopher Chantrill
In the aftermath of the Foley resignation, conservatives have spent a lot of energy complaining about the very different outcome of the Eighties sex scandals.  Representative Barney Frank skated after disclosure that his sexual partner had run a male prostitution ring out of his apartment.  And Representative Gerry Studds was returned to Congress five times from the 10th District of Massachusetts after disclosure of a sexual relationship with a congressional page.  What a double standard! But the Democrats are not hypocrites, at least, not in the way you think. Republicans and conservatives live according to an honor culture.  It requires them to resign after the exposure of shameful deeds.  There is no need for Democrats to resign when they are are exposed for violating the very standards they impose upon the rest of society. They don't believe in honor. The honor culture of conservative America is a very different thing from the traditional culture of male...(Read Full Article)