On Thu, 7 Jun 2001, Doug Henwood wrote:
> But I do like gossip, I'll admit to that. But, more weightily, I do
> get worked up when moralizers are exposed as hypocrites - though for
> me the point of the exposure should be that the morals themselves are
> humanly unsustainable. If the exposure has the perverse effect of
> promoting moralism - is there any evidence that it does? - then I'll
> repress my love of gossip.
I think this case provides evidence of the opposite. At least everything I've read so far in mainstream sources assumes as a starting point that there's nothing wrong with homos sleeping around. And that's a great mainstream starting point.
I think a case can be made, somewhat as DD made it, that gossip is moral philosophy made fun and thus made democratic. Underneath the arguments over whether x is guilty -- which gives us a penny-ante stake and some imagery to emote to -- people are having arguments in relief over moral principles.
On the down side, it may mangle the person-as-symbol that makes this popularization possible. And they may or may not deserve that -- which is yet another popular moral argument to hash out in each case.
Michael
__________________________________________________________________________ Michael Pollak................New York City..............mpollak at panix.com