Unpublished Letter to the Sun by Leon Hoffman
Sex Sells
Why are we so the fascinated with the sexual lives of public figures
(“Albany starts to wonder at Patterson,” March 21-23, 2008)? We as a public
are both fascinated and outraged as we read story after story of sexual
misdemeanors.
Certainly many men in power and women too become involved in sexual
liaisons which too often lead them into severe difficulties. And, of
course, these sexual liaisons may lead to political corruption. However, as
Sigmund Freud noted over a century ago, a variety of sexual and aggressive
fantasies persist in everyone’s unconscious and conscious life.
Fortunately, most of us are able to limit our actions in order to live
cooperatively with our fellow humans.
Our fascination with the sexual lives of our public figures stems, not from
the fact that we wish to root out those who are corrupt, but from the fact
that by reading about their liaisons we gratify our unconscious impulses
without ourselves performing the forbidden acts. At the same time we feel
virtuous by excoriating those who have not been able to control themselves.
It is for this reason that Governor Patterson’s admission of his sexual
affairs have led to greater explorations of the subject rather than putting
the sexual issue to rest. It is the persistence of our own unconscious
fantasies that motivate us to devour as much information as possible about
the actions of those who lose control of their fantasies. The press
dutifully fulfills its role by providing us more and more intimate details
about our leaders’ private lives.
There is no difference between the public’s desire to read about the sexual
dalliances of our public figures and the advertising industry’s knowledge
that “sex sells.” Sex sells perfume, fancy cars, as well as newspapers and
TV News programs.