The downfall story goes like this:
A Russian politician is beguiled into indiscretion by a pretty girl who ultimately proves to have:
- A video camera
- An ulterior motive
Says Mr. Yashin (from the linked BBC story),
“She was pretty and I fell for her and behaved like any single young person would.”
“I didn’t suspect anything until drugs and sex toys were brought out. Instinctively I felt something was wrong and left.”
But it was already too late. Enough embarrassing footage had already been filmed.
I think we’re all familar with the story. This story is incredibly old. This story is incredibly proven. This story was working long before there were ever Russians or politicians.
If you need leverage over a man… you need a pretty girl.
But why does this story of entrapment work? How come it continually plays out like this? I can think of a thousand postmodern, enlightened reasons why this absolutely, positively shouldn’t work. But it absolutely, positively does. And, in my heart of hearts, I believe it will never stop working.
Not on everyone, not in every instance… but it will always work in scale.
There are a few key elements needed for this story to work.
- The man has to chase the pretty girl
- The man has to do something shameful
- The general public has to condemn the man
If the man stayed home that night – no story.
If the man and the girl feed cookies to the park ducks – no story.
If the public said, “Whatever” – no story.
But the evidence here says that there is a story, and the question is, “Why?”
Why are we willing to chase the girl (or the money, or the status)?
Why are we willing to do something indiscreet and shameful?
Why do we, as a public, condemn something in a leader that is so incredibly common?
Note – there’s at least one question that Mr. Yashin would disagree with here. He doesn’t see anything shameful in what he did. Interesting.
In any case, there is a mystery here to ponder.
It’s truly bizarre – if it’s wrong why did he do it, and if it’s not wrong, why is able to cause his downfall?
At the very least, we should be getting smarter about these things… and we’re not.
2 Responses to "Why does this work?"
Successful politicians have always tended toward womanizing. Ted Kennedy, Bill Clinton, Martin Luther King, JFK, Solomon, David. I think it’s the besetting sin that’s the flip side of the character type that makes them great.
Just like there’s no sucker like a good salesman.
Perhaps, but then plumbers and milkmen aren’t too shabby at it either
You might be right that a top figure has a go get ‘em attitude and perhaps feels entitled to certain privileges above and beyond…
They also probably have a great deal of opportunity.