Of course, the position of public figures at the end of the American century is much more complex then Nike and Barkley would have us believe. On the one hand, the behavior of those in the glare of modern media carries an increasing significance today, in an age when much of our information is filtered through our televisions. On the other, athletes, public servants and celebrities seem to be caught misbehaving with increasing frequency. Those in the spotlight may or may not be behaving worse than before, but most will agree that the scrutiny on public figures is more intense than ever. Scandals seem to unfold almost daily, revealing the sordid stories of the rich and famous.
Scandal is nothing new.
And American history is replete with dirty dealings in high places, from Teapot Dome to Watergate. But scandals today, according to UCLA's Thomas G. Plate, seem to be far more frequent, persistent and visible. Those who behave badly now receive, for better or worse, much more attention than those who don't. That is an element in the human condition and the human sensibility that hasn't changed. What has changed, at least it seems to me, is the omnipresence of the technological mass media.