In contemporary times, President Clinton and Monica Lewinsky’s scandal was a United States political sex scandal that involved 49-year-old President Bill Clinton and 22-year-old White House intern Monica Lewinsky. The sexual relationship took place between 1995 and 1997 and came to light in 1998. Clinton was nearly impeached because of his extra marital affair with Monica Lewinsky. Mike Tyson was convicted of rape in 1992 and went to jail for that. That eventually was the beginning of his end as the heavyweight boxing champion. Similarly, Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi of Italy was engulfed in a sex scandal that has him accused of paying for sex with a minor and that affected his him and reputation.
In Ghana, Dr. Richard Anane who served as the Transport Minister in President Kufuor’s government in 2005, got himself embroiled in an extra marital affair with an American lady; he was compelled to step aside, he was taken to the Commission of Human Rights & Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) and reappointed into office when there were no adverse findings against him at CHRAJ. These few examples have got men into trouble of varying degrees and consequences.
The deduction that can be made is that men are naturally promiscuous and the relationship between men and women would continue irrespective of these viral videos. The caution is that men must be careful when dealing with ladies who aren’t their wives and under no circumstance should men of substance allow their ladies to video them in situations that can compromise their integrity and reputation.
Caution to so-called ‘slay queens’
It is not a crime for a man to have an intimate affair with a woman. Women are not under any obligation to date men or better still married men. But when you decide to date any man of substance, whether for the fun of it or to benefit from his financial largesse, then ladies should try and play by the unwritten rules. For what reason would a lady record a video conversation of her ‘big man’ boyfriend and leak same? For what? To achieve what? The ladies must acknowledge that the image such men have struggled to build overtime and to destroy same by such ladies on the altar of leaked videos is highly unacceptable. Why would any lady who has been pampered financially decide to leak a private conversation between her and her ‘big man’ boyfriend? They should also note that most men in the high echelons of life have friends and such behaviours can affect them for the rest of their lives.
Motivation for such video
The motivation of such practices could be money. Men who are bent on bringing other men down are the same people who would go at length to bribe such ladies to secretly record their men for them. In the Kan-Dapaah’s case, it has been allegedly suggested some elements within the ruling NPP government might have contracted the lady to leak the videos. Others are also blaming the opposition party. Whichever way the blame goes, the faceless men behind is my greatest worry. There is an Akan adage that says, “if you cut your tongue and eat it, you haven’t eaten any meat”. So, if men intend on using ladies against other men, then we are turning our own selves into engendered species and that would not augur well for men.
Conclusion
Men would continue to have amorous relationships with women. Some married men would have concubines and the ladies who decide to date such men must be careful. Today, it is Kan-Dapaah and a chief whose videos have gone viral on social media, tomorrow it could be any man’s video or audio that may also go viral on social media. Men must stand up and speak against such things before it escalates to uncontrollable proportions. Men must not rejoice over these but must rather sympathise with one another, support another in times like these. To the ladies who have done these, I leave them with their conscience but they should also note that not all men are gentle and would allow you go scot-free when you ruin their image and reputation this way. Amorous relationships are built on mutual consent and one party can back out anytime he or she pleases, but to destroy somebody’s image in this manner is highly unacceptable.
The writer is a broadcast journalist
By D. C. Kwame Kwakye