Why Scandals Still Scandalize

From the WSJ:

The scandals are as much about hypocrisy as sex, of course, but I would submit that the activities of these men are, if anything, more of a shock to the public’s sensibilities than they would have been 50 years ago. Take Mr. Vitter, for instance. Before the sexual revolution, a man with the congressman’s desires might well have had to resort to cavorting with women of ill repute. Prostitution was widespread and, as the recent book "Sin in the Second City" by Karen Abbott demonstrates, brothels were hardly hidden from public view. "The line of brothels and dives on State Street, from Van Buren to 22nd, was known as Satan’s mile," Ms. Abbott writes. There was even a "guide to neighborhood brothels titled ‘The Sporting and Club House Directory.’ " But it wasn’t just Chicago. Historic walking tours of cities from Charleston, S.C., to New York will inevitably include reference to the location of the old whorehouses. Everyone knew about them. And the politicians were frequent customers.

Today, most respectable citizens of New York and Chicago would be hard-pressed to tell a visitor where they could find such businesses. Why? In part, the demand for their wares has dwindled. Mr. Vitter and the rest of us live in an era where sex outside of marriage is pretty common, and sex before marriage is becoming universal. Sure, many people still frown on extramarital affairs, but one imagines that if Mr. Vitter had a Capitol Hill fling rather than purchased his companionship, his constituents might not be so disgusted. And, to be honest, in an era where sex is so widely available, Mr. Vitter also looks a little pathetic having to pay for his.