Is infidelity becoming the norm in relationships?


2012 was a year of abundances – iPhone 5 sales, “Call Me Maybe” downloads, and surprisingly, infidelity cases. From political figures like Arnold Schwarzenegger and David Patraeus to our faves like Jude Law and K. Stew, it seems as if cheating has become the new trend, alongside Fifty Shades of Grey and Honey Boo Boo.

It’s become nothing out of the ordinary to hear of another one of our favorite couples going downhill because of some spicy polyamorous scandal (Heidi and Seal, my heart goes out to you). The act of cheating is so frequented among the famed that it begs the argument as to what really is causing the rise in divorce numbers. It could just be the regressive contemporary way of living, but the press showcasing famous figures committing a sin and not paying the moral price may be the culprit.

It’s as if the press is tolerating, almost condoning infidelity, much in the same way they dehumanize murder and shootings. Because infidelity seems so common, it no longer holds its piercing sting, or top spot as unspoken taboo.

Were the morals and principles of traditional marriage not commitment, loyalty, “‘til death do us part?”

Don’t try blaming the ruins of marriage on the same-sex couples either. Gay and lesbian couples are examples of the moral monogamous traditions that stronghold marriages together, yet they are still fighting a majority to be viewed as equal. The general public’s most idolized figures, accepted by the same majority, from all sub areas of fame are doing the dirty deed with the nanny, the assistant, and the hot cheerleader.

Same-sex marriage won’t be the thing to get the best of traditional marriage. In fact, we won’t have to worry about same-sex marriage ruining tradition since cuckolds and mistresses are ruining it before same-sex marriages will ever get the chance.

 Katie Chen is a freshman studying Business Administration.

2 replies
  1. Manny
    Manny says:

    Petraeus, not Patraeus.

    Look, I get the intent of this article (it is an entertainment blog after all), but this just is bizarre on multiple levels.

    First, it claims without any sort of measure that cheating is widespread. The only “evidence” it provides is that certain high-profile people have been caught up in these scandals. Since when do these cases speak for everyone? Then, it mentions that “it begs the argument as to what really is causing the rise in divorce numbers.” What divorce numbers? For actors, actresses, and other famous people that don’t live in the “real world”? I could buy that – celebrities have enough self-inflicted problems as it is. Or are you extrapolating again to include the near 50% divorce rate in America? If so, this claim is ludicrous. Sure, in some cases, infidelity may be a driving factor, but what data do you have to back that up? There are many couples to which infidelity hasn’t broken their relationship. There are a myriad of other reasons why relationships fail, and many of them surround money and possessions. I could go on, but you get my point. Simply claiming that “cheating is a trend” is beyond ridiculous. In this article, you have only a few examples of people who have been caught up in this, and that’s it. Why don’t we address the bigger issues, like the all too simple invasion of privacy of Petraeus’s emails by the FBI? I don’t condone infidelity, but that story exposed far bigger concerns.

    You could argue that by simply presenting these cases that the press condones them, but I think there are other motives. In this country, we simply love to tear people down from the top. Look at all the people who have adored Tiger Woods and Lance Armstrong and then tore them down incessantly when their secrets came to light. It’s time for people to get off their high horse, in my opinion. An individual life is far more complex than what is reported in the media; there are multitude of things we will never understand about these individuals and why they do what they do. Anything popular in this country will always tend to come crashing down in public opinion one way or another, fueled first by the media and secondly by our rush to judgment with lack of information. I could digress and say that the media as a whole in this country is a waste that simply distracts us from more important things (since 99.99% of stories don’t directly influence us in any way), but I’ll leave it at that.

    Finally, the author sets up a straw man argument, claiming that people blame the failure of marriages on same-sex couples. Who does that? “Gay and lesbian couples are examples of the moral monogamous traditions that stronghold marriages together” <- how do you know this? How can you possibly prove the integrity of every gay marriage and then dare to claim these are somehow holier than non-same-sex marriages?

    Like I said, I understand the intent of this article, but could we at least have something more coherent, something that doesn't extrapolate on some gossip?

  2. Manny
    Manny says:

    *Petraeus, not Patraeus

    Look, I get the intent of this article (it is an entertainment blog after all), but this just is bizarre on multiple levels.

    First, it claims without any sort of measure that cheating is widespread. The only “evidence” it provides is that certain high-profile people have been caught up in these scandals. Since when do these cases speak for everyone? Then, it mentions that “it begs the argument as to what really is causing the rise in divorce numbers.” What divorce numbers? For actors, actresses, and other famous people that don’t live in the “real world”? I could buy that – celebrities have enough self-inflicted problems as it is. Or are you extrapolating again to include the near 50% divorce rate in America? If so, this claim is ludicrous. Sure, in some cases, infidelity may be a driving factor, but what data do you have to back that up? There are many couples to which infidelity hasn’t broken their relationship. There are a myriad of other reasons why relationships fail, and many of them surround money and possessions. I could go on, but you get my point. Simply claiming that “cheating is a trend” is beyond ridiculous. In this article, you have only a few examples of people who have been caught up in this, and that’s it. Why don’t we address the bigger issues, like the all too simple invasion of privacy of Petraeus’s emails by the FBI? I don’t condone infidelity, but that story exposed far bigger concerns.

    You could argue that by simply presenting these cases that the press condones them, but I think there are other motives. In this country, we simply love to tear people down from the top. Look at all the people who have adored Tiger Woods and Lance Armstrong and then tore them down incessantly when their secrets came to light. It’s time for people to get off their high horse, in my opinion. An individual life is far more complex than what is reported in the media; there are multitude of things we will never understand about these individuals and why they do what they do. Anything popular in this country will always tend to come crashing down in public opinion one way or another, fueled first by the media and secondly by our rush to judgment with lack of information. I could digress and say that the media as a whole in this country is garbage that simply distracts us from more important things (since 99.99% of stories don’t directly influence us in any way), but I’ll leave it at that.

    Finally, the author sets up a straw man argument, claiming that people blame the failure of marriages on same-sex couples. Who does that? “Gay and lesbian couples are examples of the moral monogamous traditions that stronghold marriages together” <- how do you know this? How can you possibly prove the integrity of every gay marriage and then dare to claim these are somehow holier than non-same-sex marriages?

    Like I said, I understand the intent of this article, but could we at least have something more coherent, something that doesn't extrapolate on some dumb gossip?

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