L'Affaire DSK
Apparently, the public (or at least the press) loves a good sex scandal. Why, it’s downright formulaic: At least one of the parties must be wealthy, and the more powerful and influential, the better. Apart from the innate human interest in anything sexual, a touch of "schadenfreude," as seasoning to the sauce, certainly makes for a spicier tale. In other words, there is nothing like watching the downfall of a rich and powerful person, and the sense of satisfaction derived from observing that the patrician elite is not completely immune from the hand of justice.
"L’Affaire DSK" has all of the key ingredients for a juicy sex scandal. (Or in this case, alleged sex crime.) On the one hand, we have Dominique Strauss-Kahn (DSK), a wealthy banker, former president of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and would-be-French presidential hopeful who is accused of sexual assault; on the other hand: the alleged victim, a black immigrant hotel housekeeper, just doing her job. This alleged sexual encounter cuts across socio-economic, racial, age, and cultural boundaries, all of which together form a very wide gap indeed between the accused and the accuser. In fact, all combined elements of this gap utterly strains the credibility of consensual sex (or at least a romp without strings attached).
If the subject of attempted rape weren’t so serious, the encounter between the two might make an excellent Saturday Night Live Sketch. Out emerges a naked DSK from the bathroom and ...boing! Surprise! He sees the object of his desire: the young hotel maid, who is, according to her account, just as surprised to see him. How convenient is that? No need to call an escort service: Instant gratification on the spot! Or was it? Exactly what happened is an ample dish for endless conjecture --and it is this very uncertainty that the press and the media’s select pundits thrive on.
Apparently, the forensic evidence indicates that there "was" a sexual encounter, but whether or not it was consensual, is the classic case of his word against hers. (In fact, the spotlight of public scrutiny hardly illuminates a flattering portrait of either DSK or the housekeeper.) Again, this is the type of mystery that attracts the press in hoards like flies to ...
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