David M. Green: Purveyor of fine humour

Playing by your own rules

Written by

David M. Green

in

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Avast ye matie… oh wait, sorry that was last week… hello,

I’m sure by now many of you would have heard of the recent David Letterman scandal. If not, read all about it here. Basically, some guy tried to blackmail him for $2 million. Apparently Letterman has had a few flings with some female co-workers over the years, which he admitted to on his show last night. The blackmailer has since been arrested. From what I’ve read on “The Internet” it seems most people are appalled at the blackmailer (and rightly so) but don’t seem to mind about Letterman’s affairs. To quote this article: “Reaction from Letterman fans appeared to back the popular chat show host. Kelli Lageschulte, 20, from Iowa said: ‘I wonder if he told jokes while they were having sex. He is, after all, very funny. Anyway, everybody’s doing it,’ she told The New York Daily News.”

You do have to admit, Letterman set a good example by how he handled the situation, ie. go straight to the police and then come clean. But the guy still cheated on his girlfriend. Hey, it’s none of my business. Each to their own, of course. But personally, I’m just very disturbed by “being unfaithful.” I remember hearing some statistic a few years ago, that close to 70% of both men and women have admitted to cheating on their partner at one time or another. 70%!

“Everybody’s doing it, so that makes it okay?” This is what troubles me. In the context of cheating, this is a bad mindset. It’s not like downloading music. People actually get hurt and it’s just not right, in my opinion anyway. I’ve never done it and I don’t think I could ever do it. If you are unsatisfied in a relationship, have the decency to end that relationship before you start another one. I’m sure there are some grey areas and there’ll be people who will argue sometimes it’s okay, eg. open relationships, separated, it’s “just sex,” etc. To them I say, you don’t need to argue with anyone else. You’ll know if you’ve done the wrong thing. That’s between you and your significant other(s). Just remember that no matter who you are, whether you’re some nobody or you’re the host of the biggest talk show on TV, you can’t just do whatever (and whoever) you want and not have to face the consequences of breaking the rules.

Kind regards,
David M. Green
And of course, blackmailing a much loved celebrity is pretty stupid too.

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4 responses to “Playing by your own rules”

  1. Anonymous Avatar
    Anonymous

    Sure, but relationships aren’t always that simple. Just saying that “cheating is bad” does not cover the myriad of different scenarios people find themselves in. You never truly know someone’s personal circumstances, so it’s unfair to simply label their behaviour as “bad”. Life and relationships can be a lot more complex than we’re led to believe during our childhoods!

  2. David M. Green Avatar
    David M. Green

    So you think that “cheating” is sometimes okay?

    What I’m saying is that cheating is bad, but behaviour that is considered cheating in one circumstance isn’t neccesarily considered cheating in another. An individual in a committed relationship will probably know if they have broken the rules (ie. cheated) or not. Different rules apply for different relationships and different individuals. But cheating is always bad. That’s not to say people can’t be forgiven. But then again, some people are just assholes.

  3. Anonymous Avatar
    Anonymous

    All I’m saying is that you seem to be looking at this in a very black and white way. Always calling it “cheating” no matter what the circumstances are is simply not realistic. It’s too simplistic an outlook.

    Sure, I also believe that the vast majority of people won’t go out there and “cheat” on purpose (there is always the “asshole” exception … men AND women). But sometimes, a genuine person’s current relationship could be well past its last legs, and there might be a whole lot of other factors (eg. domestic and psychological abuse, lack of affection, distrust, lack of support with life ambitions, incompatible outlooks on the future, etc) that ultimately lead to someone going out and nailing their interns left, right, and centre instead …

    Speaking of which …

    It’s a shame that Letterman will probably have to split half (and probably more) of the fortune he has built up over the last few decades with his soon to be ex-wife. I’m sure we’re not getting the full story on that one either …

    But it’s always easier for one side to play the victim card.

  4. David M. Green Avatar
    David M. Green

    I didn’t say “it is cheating when…” I said “cheating is bad.” It’s up to individuals (and their partners) to set the boundaries.

    Dysfunctional relationships are something else all together. You have to question whether parties involved (especially the dominated party, in the case of abuse) are acting of their own free will or because of threat of force/intimidation from their dominating partner. It’s easy to say “well why don’t they just leave then?” but it’s often the hardest way out, especially if you’ve got kids, house, joint back account, etc. If you find yourself in that situation, hey, probably best to get some form of professional help. If an individual wants to leave a relationship, he or she should be able to (but that’s me being idealistic).

    As for Letterman, sure, he’s the victim of a blackmail attempt, but he still cheated and I guess now he has to deal with the consequences. But hey, now that the blackmail fiasco is over, let him deal with everything else in private. It’s a little hard to take his jokes about other public figures’ fidelity seriously though… if indeed you can take a joke seriously?

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