Have you ever wondered why the world forgives rich and famous people for cheating? Believe it or not, it happens all the time. Here’s one example that I wrote about back in 2009.
As soon as I got into work one morning, my female colleague blurted out, “OH MY GAWD! GUESS WHAT?! “
“What? Hrmmm,” I replied as I was still groggy eyed after last night’s client dinner.
“I was on the same plane as Gavin Newsom (Mayor of San Francisco) and he sat in economy with me! He is SOO cute and yummy! So tall and handsome, he’s going to do great things for California and our country!” she gushed.
The funny thing is, she was complaining just earlier this year how bad the “Care Not Cash” legislation turned out. And how he was contributing to the big overspend problem we have here in California (we’re broke).
I can still clearly remember how mad she and her friends were when the story broke that Gavin cheated on his wife with his campaign manager’s wife! YOWZA! Gavin was the next Bill Clinton!
Phrases such as: “Men are pigs!” “Men only think with their smaller head!” “You guys disgust me so no, you can’t have some of my salad!”, were bantered around the office for weeks. My friend was a hater for life! Even the guys on our floor, who usually joke about stuff like this were shocked at the news.
So what really happened between now and then, to make my colleague fall head over heels in love with Gavin Newsom? Furthermore, how is it that after violating a key “MAN CODE” (don’t sleep with your friends girlfriend/wife) does he get re-elected soundly, and has a popularity rating higher than ever? The world forgives rich and famous people for cheating.
5 REASONS WHY GAVIN GETS AWAY:
1) Presence. Admittedly, Gavin is pretty damn good looking, speaks eloquently, and has a lot of confidence.
2) Fame. Gavin is famous, and I’m pretty sure he will become the Governor of California one day and perhaps more. (Update – he was elected lieutenant governor of California in 2010, re-elected in 2014, and elected Governor in 2019)
3) Money. Gavin is a multi-millionaire, thanks to his own initiatives, and his friendship with the billionaire Getty family.
4) Care. It’s pretty evident Gavin cares for the people of San Francisco and wants to help the poor. His “Care Not Cash” may not be the most efficient use of resources, but his intentions are good.
5) Memory. People have short memories. Even the most heinous of acts seem to lose it’s intensity after time. I mean, when our pet rabbit peed on the Persian carpet I was pissed! But, I forgave him and still fed him hay and treats. Pet the bunny.
CONCLUSION – Gavin
CONCLUSION – GavinSo there you have it folks. If you screw up in life, don’t worry because you aren’t alone! All you have to do is be handsome or pretty, speak eloquently, own a lot of small businesses that bring in millions, have powerful friends, and be famous! People forgive rich and famous people for cheating all the time.
Seriously though, what matters most is being repentive and showing those you’ve hurt you’re doing everything you can to correct your wrong doings.
Gavin went to alcohol abuse class and apologized to everyone profusely. He then committed himself further to the public and fought for equal rights by campaigning against Proposition 8. It certainly helps to have money and power, but the most important thing is having genuinely good intentions. With the right intentions and with enough time, all will be forgiven!
Further Reading
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- Federal Government 2-Year Pay Freeze Is A Miracle
- Does My Vote Matter? The Electoral College Is Not A Good System
- Why Is Everybody Leaving Obama For Someone Else?
- Small Business Owners Encouraged To Fire Employees Before Tax Hikes
Readers, why do you think rich and powerful people tend to stray so often? Or, is it because they are under so much media scrutiny, it just seems like they do?
Do you think those who are in power or are famous should be held to a different standard? Is it fair that they seem to get away with everything?
Why doesn’t the media highlight women who cheat? Is there no such thing? After all, doesn’t it take a woman for a man to cheat, generally?
If you were rich and famous, don’t you think temptations would be greater given the greater opportunities?
Related: The Wide Implications Of The College Bribery Scandal
Update 2021: Gavin is now the Governor of California! He has been supported by very wealthy and powerful friends all this time.
Keigu,
Financial Samurai – “Slicing Through Money’s Mysteries”
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Heh, it is quite possible that the temptation would be great for me to stray, although I still hope I’d be able to stay true to Sondra. And actually, we’ve been engaged for more than a year now, although I didn’t formally propose. She said, ‘you know, it takes a lot of preparation to plan a marriage’ and I said ‘yes, yes it does.’ She gave me a pointed look, and at that point, we were engaged. (I bought an engagement ring, which she helped picked out, shortly after wards.)
.-= Roger´s last blog ..Book Review: Rich Dad, Poor Dad =-.
Wow, a lot of questions, and so many of them are good. Alright, let’s go: I think that the rich, famous, and powerful do have more opportunities to stray than say, the average good-looking guy, and those that chose to exercise that option thus will tend to stray much more often. Add in the echo chamber of modern media, and it seems like almost every guy with a little bit of fame and fortune is going through groupies like they’re going out of style, whether he’s married or not. The difference being, the single guys are treated like heroes, while the married ones are pariahs (at least, when the womenfolk are around).
I don’t think that the rich and famous should be held to a different standard. (Unless their fame or wealth is directly tied to claiming a higher standard for themselves (for example, famous preachers), in which case, castigate them like the hypocrites they are.) They tend to ‘get away with it’ because well, fortune and fame can buy your way out of a lot of trouble (in a marriage or otherwise).
I do think that famous women cheat, although probably less than famous men. I think part of the reason you don’t hear more about it is that few men (particularly famous men who tend to marry such famous women) want to be known as ‘that guy who got cuckolded by [famous woman]’. Add in the fact that serial marriages and relationships is practically the norm for famous women (and men, for that matter), and there’s probably plenty of opportunities to cure that wanderlust within a ‘sanctioned’ relationship. As mentioned by several others already, it doesn’t take a famous woman (or for that matter, even a women who is cheating) for a famous man to cheat; most of the affairs coming to light lately involve hugely famous men cheating with women who only have ‘participant in famous affair’ to list on their resume of fame.
If I were rich and famous? *Drifts off into a fantasy of fame and fortune* I think the temptations would probably be greater; I, like many men, assume that being rich and famous is akin to living at the Playboy mansion: constantly surrounded by young, nubile women who desire me for reasons that have nothing to do with my popularity or vast wealth, I’m sure. Would I act on them? I certainly hope not (or at least, not in the seemingly obvious and sure to be caught ways most of these celebrities do so).
Honestly, I have no idea what Elin should do. From the other commentators, I’m assuming that’s the name of Newsome’s wife, in which case, I just have to say that she’ll look less like she’s only in the relationship for the money if she splits now, rather than waiting until she can collect even more money in a few years.
Now, onto the institution of marriage itself, since it came up in the comments. I think we’re coming to a point as a society where technological advances and social welfare make marriage seem less necessary. In the past, a major reason for men to be married is to ensure (as much as possible) that the children his wife(ves) bear were his, and that he wasn’t raising strangers’ kids; now, a quick DNA is all it takes to confirm paternity. For women, marriage provided a source of support, particularly in male-dominated societies where unwed women had almost no means to earn a living; with modern welfare systems and broader social networks, single mothers can do alright.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not quite as cynical about the future of marriage as say, Monevator there, and I do believe that as long as we humans are jealous creatures, the tendency to pair off is going to win out over our desire to sleep with half the neighborhood (and a number of celebs, as well ;) ). But the future seems to hold more divorce, fewer marrying couples, and what could be called a ‘break down of the nuclear family’, and for better or worse, I doubt we can go back.
.-= Roger´s last blog ..The Amateur Financier Millionaire To-Do List =-.
Rog – Dang, I want you to continue to DISAGREE with me! lol. I think if you were famous with a huge fortune, the temptation would be so great, you may have to kiss Sonja good-bye.
Speaking of which, when you going to propose? Hold that though, a new article is coming out in January on this topic!
If I were Elin, I’d wait the 2 years and more than double my ‘severance payment’. After all, what could possibly get worse for her?