Today I heard that Chelsea Clinton was asked about how the Lewinsky scandal affected her mother's reputation. Chelsea replied that it was none of the student's business.
This made me wonder how the public views unfaithful spouses and their spouse. Could a wife really be looked down on because her husband cheated on her? This seems backwards to what common sense brings me to believe. Shouldn't the wife be comforted, not treated with more disrespect?
And for a nation that praises long marriages because so many fail, we are very easy to judge someone for forgiving a spouse. Isn't marriage about working on the issues and forgiveness? If we are to judge Hillary for wanting to solve her marital problems instead of simply abandoning her husband, what message are we sending children and young couples today? Furthermore, as a Presidential nominee, shouldn't she be the type of person that is patient, and forgiving, and can solve problems?
So do I think her reputation was ruined by her husband's affair? Certainly not. If anything I believe it simply shows the nation a forgiving side of Hillary, and I don't believe that the ability to forgive is a bad trait by any means.
Sincerely Yours,
Beth
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Political wives have always been intriguing to me. I even did a report on Dolly Madsion in elementary school. :) Your post makes me think of the recent Govenor Spitzer circus. When his wife Silda stood by him, plenty of people were commenting, "How the heck can she stand by him? Dump his butt!" One political analyst couldn't stop mentioning that she should just divorce him.
I guess it all comes down to whether the wife is truly committed to her husband. If she is, she can forgive even when his commitment is lacking. If she's not and maybe places too much importance on the perks of fame and fortune, then she'll probably react like Paul McCartney's ex-wife and go for 50 million smackers. How someone reacts in a divorce or even just a marital crisis really shows his or her true feelings to me.
As for the flack the wife receives, I totally think some people on a small level place a little blame on the spouse who didn't cheat. I don't condone it, but it crosses people's minds that maybe the cheating spouse wouldn't have strayed if the his or her spouse would have been more [insert adjective here]. It doesn't seem fair, but there may be something to it in some cases...
www.progressiveu.org/blog/americangirlinchina