Public Office And Private Lives Social Policy Essay

Public Office And individual(a) Lives fond Policy EssayThe development of the media and high speed information exchange brings mystic lives of human beings officials to public discussion. Transgress moral boundaries may damage public officials c areer, especially elected bingles, severely. The growing attention to one-on-one lives among the population makes the topic more important for the social sciences. On one bowl over politicians use trustworthy aspects of their ideal esoteric lives in their election campaigns in order to gain popularity, on the other hand they require the right for privacy in the things that will affect their lives negatively. Interestingly, the level of public pas time in private life varies in modern democracies. maculation regular army citizens are interested in each aspects of public officials ( nighly elected ones), and try to find relationship between officials commercial enterprise performance with his private life, classic people seems to be less caring about private lives and prefer to focus on officials job performance further. The purpose of this paper is to explain level of public interest for private lives of politicians, its reasons, affect on politics the Greece and the ground forces comparatively. In the first section I will focus on the USA case, in the second on the Greece, in the third section I will happen analogy of these two countries. The final sectionPrivacy in USAIn past three decades borders between private and public life of public figures in USA became more invisible their private lives are brought to public discussion more often. Privacy in general considered as freedom from unlicenced violation state of being let alone and able to keep certain esp. individualised matters to oneself.( Merriam-Websters). Freedom from unauthorized intrusion may include media, police, and government and so on. Although to define hat is public is non that easy. fit to Frederick Schauer in public issue individ ual preferences is non indulged, including a preference that information not to be disclosed(Frederick Schauer 2000, 294 ). In this case electors right to whether decision making public official is suitable for the job, and how his/her policies affect their lives. Having universal childhood, family, and friends seems indicator of good personality as rise up. Through the history there are several cases cover that public leaders having abused childhood, leaders who treated their families in abusive ways used same policies in their job. For example Hitlers abused childhood caused disaster for the world as Alise Millen said Hitler did not ferret out fascism he found it, like so m all of his contemporaries, prefigured in the totalitarian regime of his family (The Natural youngster Project). Or another dictator, Joseph Stalin, excessively had abusive childhood, problems with his family. Stalins wife Nadejda Alilulayeva wife committed suicide in 1982 after he spoke her mind about C ommunist Party purges and the famine and was met by a floodlight of vulgar abuse from Stalin (Nyu York Times, April 14, 1988) and another member of his family, his son Joseph committed suicide in 1943. Today family images of politicians race genuinely important in their career path and their successful marriages brings moral and softer image to them. mayhap its not coincidence that British Prime government minister Gordon Browns workaholic, lonely man changed before becoming prime minister. He is not mentioned as lonely man but family man who loves his family.In USA situation is not that often different than nigh of the world, even politicians private lives are more exposed than other countries. While most of the politicians complain about insufficiency of privacy in their private lives, they use their private lives as a means of advertisement. Since USA presidential election of 1992 politicians started to publicize their private lives more and more. Public interest for privat e life increasing, people prefer more entertaining programs, the American electorate are regarded as ply up with chapiter politicians, voter want people who arent political ( Newman, in Schauer 2003, 301,). Candidates private life scandals seemed very interesting topic for news programs. Perhaps Bill Clintons extramarital relationship with Monica Lewinsky was one of the biggest scandals in USA history which was on headlines of newspapers for geezerhood. Although Clinton was elected for postal service for the second time after the scandal, nearly of higher stratified officials, had to resign after scandals,Randall L. Tobias, Deputy Secretary of State, resigned a day after confirming his usage of Washington escort services. Although April 27, 2007 dated press release of the state department said that he was leaving for personal reasons.New York governor Eliot Spitzer who besides accused having extramarital affair with prostitute resigned from his post after scandal. ahead his resignation he made a brief public appearance during which he apologized for his behavior, and described it as a private matter. (New York Times, March 10, 2008).There might be several reasons for this increase, but probably the most important two reasons which is decrease of interest to real politics as mentioned above peoples being supply up with Washington politicians (Schauer 2003, 301) and media which always tries to meet popular demand. In the pop off elections in USA scene Barack Obamas race, family, religion was discussed and much as his election platform. Today media is considered as one of most profit convey areas in the world. In the competitive market companies are working to maximize their profits at any price. American media is called as freest and most commercial media in the world by Heather Savigny (2004, 225).Privacy in GreeceDiscussions about privacy and public life are not something new for Greece. In ancient Greece private lives and public were separated fr om each others, private life was called oikos and public life was called as dimos. In Platos majority rule Plato and Socrates discuss privacy issue. After reviewing classical newspapers headlines in last 25 years one might thing that Greeks might seem not to be interested in oikos of politicians after over than 2000 years from Socrates times or Greeks are not interested in politics at all or having politicians who has very ideal life without any scandals, so that there are only two well known publicized high ranked public officials scandals. Both of these scandals rescue very similar feature. In the first caseAndreas Papandreou, while receiving hospital treatment in London, was accompanied by a source air hostess, Ms. Dimitra Liani rather than with his wife, even friendly press gave the fact widespread publicity. Later, he was constantly seen with Ms. Liani, most notable on his return to Greece from London, In Autumn 1988 and at the EC Summit in Rhodes in December of that year. (Georgia Chondreleou 2004,5,)However this case was not revealed by journa add ups or someone else but Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou himself let rumors to be spread. Greek prime ministers confident action withal indicates that he is not that much concerned about look backs and media pressure. Indeed this case was not discussed in the media that much, so that his health and later on corruption scandals overshadowed this case.In the Second caseChristos Zachopoulos, the former secretary general of the Greek Culture Ministry and president of the Central Archaeological Council, jumped off the balcony of his fourth-floor home here December 20, 2007after allegations that he was being blackmailed by his former office assistant, with whom he had had an affair. Mr. Zachopoulos, 54, survived the fall. (New York Times December 20, 2007)This scandals also mentioned as The juiciest sex scandal in modern Greek memory (Times Online January 9, 2008)Comparatively with the first case in the sec ond case General Secretary of the Greek culture allow more attention from the media. Perhaps, the thing that forced General Secretary to resign and get for the suicide was not only related publication of his love affair in the media, but also his being accused for corruption.An Athens prosecutor was also examining at least 10 of an estimated 200 cases in which Mr. Zachopoulos, in his capacity as the head of the Central Archaeological Council, decreed that places could be removed from the list of protected archaeological sites. (New York Times, January 19, 2008).Having only two politician private life scandal in Greece also doesnt means that Greek people are not interested in politics. Politics is still one of the most famous topics in Greek Coffee Shops. But its also known that population get information what media gives.Although there was freedom of speech in media, since the beginning of the 1980s ruling parties always had come to on TVs, so that most the TVs and big newspapers either belonged to the government or survived with the subsidies from the government. Even today from time to time Greek governments subsidize media. Perhaps it is not coincidence that there is not that much critique in media against government and high ranked officials except the cases which officials exposed them or the cases which is already related with some ethical issues.ComparisonEven if this two countries seems very similar in some points there differences in public attention to their life. However political scandals take place only in liberal democracies because only there is the separation of public from private spheres fundamental to the political system (Markovitsa nd Silverstei in Betty a. Dobratz and Whitfield, Stephanie 1992, 168). Perhaps the level of the liberalization and Greeks being under dictatorship was also one of the factors that affect level of scandals.Platos nation abolishes the foundation of any private life for the guardians who the ideal state-eliminat ing the family and private property in order to bring to pass unity in the state. Socrates considers the objection that guardians will not be happy if they have to give up pleasures of the private life. Such happiness he replies is senseless and childish the guardians, after all, will enthral a better and more honorable life than other citizens. Anyhow, the aim should be to make whole company good, not to make one section of it happy, he also argues that even if guardians will have to give up their private lives, they will still enjoy a better honorable life.(Platos Republic in Thompson 1987, 124).If we compare USA and Greece with Plato and Socrates philosophy, Platos model private and public life is very suitable USA move up of privacy so that politicians seems to be ok giving up their privacy in order to enjoy a better honorable life. However Greece politicians still can manage to keep their private lives from public.The main difference in the cases of two countries is that U SA population will get moreHowever media also played significant role in publicizing the cases. Free and commercialized USA media seems is more apt(predicate) to meet entertain popular demand of population that the media and press which is subsidized by government.ConclusionIts self-explanatory that there are still will be a lot of debates about public and private lives. As much country will get liberalized, achieve free media,ReferencesFrederics Schauer 2000, Can Public Figures have private lives? Social Philosophy and Policy, 17299-306Dennis F. Tomphson 1987, Political Etics and Public Office. Cabridge Mass. Harvard University PressGeorgia Chondroleou 2004, Public Images and Private Lives the Greek Experience parliamentary Affairs Vol. 57 No. 1, 53-66Heather Savigny 2004, The Media and the Personal Lives of Politicians in the Unites States, Parliamentary Affairs Vol. 57 No. 1, 223-235Betty A. Dobratz and Whitfield, Stephanie Sep., 1992, Does Scandal Influence Voters Party Prefer ence? 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