"To be with an other woman is French, but to get caught is American.......", prophetic words spoken by French Inspector André in the 1988 comedy flick, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. This wonderful comedy, set in the French Riviera, is about a couple of con-artists aided and abetted by the local Police Inspector André.
Here's the irony. What we saw playing out last few weeks is one of biggest names in France, Mr. Dominique Strauss-Kahn (DSK), getting "caught" by the Americans for being with another woman, of all things. Its almost as if the Americans have been smarting over this comment Inspector André made, half in wit, for over 2 decades and have finally seen a chance to get even!!
Media's penchant for conspiracy theories was apparent within the few days of the arrest. From Russian mafias to political vendetta to the French Right were blamed for this "entrapment" of DSK. After all, they said, he was a shoo in for the next President of France and someone in the French establishment did not like this. Of course!! This is politics and politicians have enemies like everybody else... only lot more powerful. While DSK has been quite a "ladies" man himself, it beats me if he would go out on a limb for any gal unless there is consent. Let us believe for just a moment that he did chase this chamber-maid down the aisles and assaulted her. Case in point is, the maid is 32 years old and DSK a mere 62!! How did he manage to run faster than her? What am also confused about is what's a lone chamber-maid doing in a Presidential Suite unsupervised and that too when the guest is still in the suite? Did she just wander off into the suite unwittingly? Surprising!! DSK allegedly jumped out of his shower "butt-naked" and chased this woman down. Is it possible he heard foot steps in his suite while in his shower and came out to check and found this "loitering" lady and chased her down thinking she was a thief out to get to his Swiss watches and other pedigreed paraphernalia.... only to realise later that she was an innocent employee of the hotel? Remember this is New York City so getting robbed in your hotel room in broad daylight isn't unimaginable. Or was he simply expecting company and mistook this girl to be the one his "agency" dispatched for their right Honorable gentleman client? From what we read about him, it is eminently possible he may have placed a request for some personal services in the "safe" confines of his suite..... So is this a case simply of mistaken identity that took an unusual turn? Yes. It is the man in me ever so subtly defending DSK's actions, isn't it? What about her side of the story? After all the only two people who know the whole truth are the alleged victim and the alleged perpetrator, DSK. Am glad American system with its pledge of allegiance that concludes as "liberty and justice for all" will give everyone in this case a fair chance to seek and obtain a prompt and fair trial and justice.
The debate on consensuality is nothing new and there have been many in the annals of history. After all, history is about people and celebrates the glorious union of the male and female for progeny or for pleasure!! However, much of ancient and medieval history is patriarchal and thus gives the benefit of the doubt to the men folk. Take for example, the story of Ahalya, an aside in the epic Ramayana. It is said that she was the most beautiful woman ever created by Brahma and was given away in matrimony to a much older sage, Gautama. Indra, the king of the Hindu pantheon of Gods, took a particular liking to this lady and tricked her into having sexual intercourse by coming to her disguised as her husband, Gautama. The learned sage returns to find his wife sullied and curses both Indra and Ahalya. Ahalya turns into a stone, only to be resurrected after several years by Rama. Thus, both history and her own husband were unkind to the woman in question here. Some historical entries even aver consensuality in this case, despite Ahalya seeing through Indra's treachery. How unkind!! A very similar anecdote is seen in Western mythology. Zeus, Indra's counterpart in Greek Mythology, pines for the love of Leda and forces himself on her. Leda escapes taking the form of a swan but Zeus pursues and tricks her by himself taking the form of a swan. While history is kind to Zeus and terms the resulting sexual encounter as consensual, it was certainly treachery and trickery that Zeus used to win over Leda. Its another story that the child born out of this union was none other than the (in)famous Helen (of Troy). But certainly the ends don't justify the means!!
Rising from such historical precedents, humans in the Modern Age have certainly evolved, esp., in the last decade to give woman a voice in matters of sexual propriety or the lack of it at least in many of the civilised societies. This is notwithstanding the ethnic cleansing and mass genocide in places like Bosnia-Herzegovina in the 1990s, Rwanda and Congo in the last decade that has triggered a pre-meditated mass sexual assaults and crimes on women. Mankind and the men of this World have nothing to feel proud of about their brethren that have perpertrated these crimes.......
Let the trial of DSK be an eye-opener for all men of this World to know the subtle difference between sensuality and sexual drive. Am tempted to use my own lines penned in Aug of 2009....
Love is something so thoughtful,
No wrong moves that could hurt
feelings delicate, let femininity set
the pace, give her that comfort....
Here's the irony. What we saw playing out last few weeks is one of biggest names in France, Mr. Dominique Strauss-Kahn (DSK), getting "caught" by the Americans for being with another woman, of all things. Its almost as if the Americans have been smarting over this comment Inspector André made, half in wit, for over 2 decades and have finally seen a chance to get even!!
Media's penchant for conspiracy theories was apparent within the few days of the arrest. From Russian mafias to political vendetta to the French Right were blamed for this "entrapment" of DSK. After all, they said, he was a shoo in for the next President of France and someone in the French establishment did not like this. Of course!! This is politics and politicians have enemies like everybody else... only lot more powerful. While DSK has been quite a "ladies" man himself, it beats me if he would go out on a limb for any gal unless there is consent. Let us believe for just a moment that he did chase this chamber-maid down the aisles and assaulted her. Case in point is, the maid is 32 years old and DSK a mere 62!! How did he manage to run faster than her? What am also confused about is what's a lone chamber-maid doing in a Presidential Suite unsupervised and that too when the guest is still in the suite? Did she just wander off into the suite unwittingly? Surprising!! DSK allegedly jumped out of his shower "butt-naked" and chased this woman down. Is it possible he heard foot steps in his suite while in his shower and came out to check and found this "loitering" lady and chased her down thinking she was a thief out to get to his Swiss watches and other pedigreed paraphernalia.... only to realise later that she was an innocent employee of the hotel? Remember this is New York City so getting robbed in your hotel room in broad daylight isn't unimaginable. Or was he simply expecting company and mistook this girl to be the one his "agency" dispatched for their right Honorable gentleman client? From what we read about him, it is eminently possible he may have placed a request for some personal services in the "safe" confines of his suite..... So is this a case simply of mistaken identity that took an unusual turn? Yes. It is the man in me ever so subtly defending DSK's actions, isn't it? What about her side of the story? After all the only two people who know the whole truth are the alleged victim and the alleged perpetrator, DSK. Am glad American system with its pledge of allegiance that concludes as "liberty and justice for all" will give everyone in this case a fair chance to seek and obtain a prompt and fair trial and justice.
The debate on consensuality is nothing new and there have been many in the annals of history. After all, history is about people and celebrates the glorious union of the male and female for progeny or for pleasure!! However, much of ancient and medieval history is patriarchal and thus gives the benefit of the doubt to the men folk. Take for example, the story of Ahalya, an aside in the epic Ramayana. It is said that she was the most beautiful woman ever created by Brahma and was given away in matrimony to a much older sage, Gautama. Indra, the king of the Hindu pantheon of Gods, took a particular liking to this lady and tricked her into having sexual intercourse by coming to her disguised as her husband, Gautama. The learned sage returns to find his wife sullied and curses both Indra and Ahalya. Ahalya turns into a stone, only to be resurrected after several years by Rama. Thus, both history and her own husband were unkind to the woman in question here. Some historical entries even aver consensuality in this case, despite Ahalya seeing through Indra's treachery. How unkind!! A very similar anecdote is seen in Western mythology. Zeus, Indra's counterpart in Greek Mythology, pines for the love of Leda and forces himself on her. Leda escapes taking the form of a swan but Zeus pursues and tricks her by himself taking the form of a swan. While history is kind to Zeus and terms the resulting sexual encounter as consensual, it was certainly treachery and trickery that Zeus used to win over Leda. Its another story that the child born out of this union was none other than the (in)famous Helen (of Troy). But certainly the ends don't justify the means!!
Rising from such historical precedents, humans in the Modern Age have certainly evolved, esp., in the last decade to give woman a voice in matters of sexual propriety or the lack of it at least in many of the civilised societies. This is notwithstanding the ethnic cleansing and mass genocide in places like Bosnia-Herzegovina in the 1990s, Rwanda and Congo in the last decade that has triggered a pre-meditated mass sexual assaults and crimes on women. Mankind and the men of this World have nothing to feel proud of about their brethren that have perpertrated these crimes.......
Let the trial of DSK be an eye-opener for all men of this World to know the subtle difference between sensuality and sexual drive. Am tempted to use my own lines penned in Aug of 2009....
Love is something so thoughtful,
No wrong moves that could hurt
feelings delicate, let femininity set
the pace, give her that comfort....
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