Edwards

John Edwards, former Presidential candidate currently on trial for electoral corruption, represents the patriarchal hypocrisy which uses religiosity, nuclear family and cosmetic superficiality to attain social dominance. Reviewing his rise to public prominence during the 2008 Presidential campaign is a study in all that is wrong with U.S. politics and U.S. media.

However, it is wise to remember that Edwards is just one who is being held to account largely due to his betrayed wife's popularity with female-targeted media. The patriarchal paradigm of the high school hero who dates the head cheerleader permeates middle class American society. When he jilts the cheerleader, the star quarterback becomes vulnerable, as the illusion of perfection melts in the solvent of reality.

The up side of the Edwards matter is its corrosive effect on this patriarchal paradigm. Peeling away the hypocrisy of false monogamy and born-again morality humanizes social leaders in a positive way. Stripping away the falsehoods of the perfect couple or perfect family may be criticized as voyeuristic muckraking, but it forces those entranced with conformity and conservative values to question. This questioning can begin a process of skepticism in a person who may otherwise be sleepwalking from shopping mall to grave.

The world of patriarchal privilege denies equality to the vast majority of people. Despite the mouthing of words like "freedom" and "self-determination", the patriarchal exploiters maintain and enforce a system that excludes and confines on the basis of economic class. Lifting the lid and exposing these vampires to the light benefits the whole human species.