The brouhaha in France over the DSK-affair has provoked a Grand Débat. It started with DSK and has moved much further, prompted by a vociferous feminist movement (against widespread rape and hassling of women both in the home and at work).  It appears that French men do not understand the word, “Non!” – except when they shout it.

But first some cultural values. Virility in Latin cultures amongst males is a prevalent characteristic. Seducing women and having children are both signs of such virility that has guided both ordinary men and those who live public lives. In fact, a great many French wives look the other way when a man, particularly a politician, starts philandering.

Bill Clinton’s trysts in the White House amused France, because they never would have been considered “newsworthy”. In fact, in France, such stories were tacitly “out of bounds”, because news editors were mostly all males.

And given that French women have decided to liberate themselves, they’ve also embarked on a bit of philandering as well. Though not of the same proportion, but who knows where it will lead to since their financial condition today is no longer solely dependent upon their that of their spouses.

The DSK-affair is now, at least in France, no longer just a matter of a Frenchman cheating on his wife. (Reports have it that Mrs. DSK knew for quite some time what was going on. In fact, most in political circles knew of DSK’s “affairs”.) It is now about wholesale abuse of women by French males. (Especially since a young girl of 12 last week was pounded to death by a young boy of the same age just in front of her school.)

What surprises the French is that though DSK was a candidate for the Socialist Party’s candidacy in the upcoming presidential elections, most French hadn’t the slightest notion of Mme DSK’s enormous fortune estimated at 30 million Euros. What kind of a socialist candidate is married to a woman and benefits from her millions? Not many.

So, when the Tron Affair became public two weeks ago, the guy didn’t have a chance. Sarkozy is starting his run-up to the elections next year and this kind of sleaze had become, abracadabra, unacceptable of a French politician. Out he went in a flash and, with his indictment yesterday, Tron has become Political Toxic Waste.

Which is a sea-change in mentality as regards sexual mores in France that are far, far less prudish than the American variety. You see, the French (and rightly so) put up a fire-wall between one’s private and public lives. Sexual peccadilloes are part of one’s private life and concern only a man and a wife – and not the media.

This is not the case in the US, where activity of any sort on behalf of a politician is Prime Beef for the “you saw it first here” crowd. Which is nauseating because it shows simply how puritanical a society we remain.

De gustibus non disputandum est.

The brouhaha in France over the DSK-affair has provoked a Grand Débat. It started with DSK and has moved much further, prompted by a vociferous feminist movement (against widespread rape and hassling of women both in the home and at work).  It appears that French men do not understand the word, “Non!” – except when they shout it.

But first some cultural values. Virility in Latin cultures amongst males is a prevalent characteristic. Seducing women and having children are both signs of such virility that has guided both ordinary men and those who live public lives. In fact, a great many French wives look the other way when a man, particularly a politician, starts philandering.

Bill Clinton’s trysts in the White House amused France, because they never would have been considered “newsworthy”. In fact, in France, such stories were tacitly “out of bounds”, because news editors were mostly all males.

And given that French women have decided to liberate themselves, they’ve also embarked on a bit of philandering as well. Though not of the same proportion, but who knows where it will lead to since their financial condition today is no longer solely dependent upon their that of their spouses.

The DSK-affair is now, at least in France, no longer just a matter of a Frenchman cheating on his wife. (Reports have it that Mrs. DSK knew for quite some time what was going on. In fact, most in political circles knew of DSK’s “affairs”.) It is now about wholesale abuse of women by French males. (Especially since a young girl of 12 last week was pounded to death by a young boy of the same age just in front of her school.)

What surprises the French is that though DSK was a candidate for the Socialist Party’s candidacy in the upcoming presidential elections, most French hadn’t the slightest notion of Mme DSK’s enormous fortune estimated at 30 million Euros. What kind of a socialist candidate is married to a woman and benefits from her millions? Not many.

So, when the Tron Affair became public two weeks ago, the guy didn’t have a chance. Sarkozy is starting his run-up to the elections next year and this kind of sleaze had become, abracadabra, unacceptable of a French politician. Out he went in a flash and, with his indictment yesterday, Tron has become Political Toxic Waste.

Which is a sea-change in mentality as regards sexual mores in France that are far, far less prudish than the American variety. You see, the French (and rightly so) put up a fire-wall between one’s private and public lives. Sexual peccadilloes are part of one’s private life and concern only a man and a wife – and not the media.

This is not the case in the US, where activity of any sort on behalf of a politician is Prime Beef for the “you saw it first here” crowd. Which is nauseating because it shows simply how puritanical a society we remain. It is an offense to the basic right of privacy in one’s personal existence.

De gustibus non disputandum est.