Letterman is More than a Pig and Why Moms Should Care

There is nothing like a 62 year old married male boss getting sex from his twenty something intern to turn me all “Fox News”. Although normally I am pretty much be and let be as far as sex, but this is NOT about sex. I cannot imagine what maze of rationalizations Letterman had to wind his mind through to even THINK it was okay to get his groove on with someone who works FOR him. Not with him, but for him.

I work at an Ivy League school and not that long ago a male professor dating a female student was considered normal and now it is completely taboo--as it should be. “OH…you are too busy to date me—perhaps a “F” on your lab paper will change your mind?” Please…how long did it take the old white men at the university to realize that the party was OVER. I will tell you--It took a LONG time.

A mom friend, who does not even own a TV because she is so organic and back to nature, stopped our conversation short to talk about David Letterman, At first I thought—David Letterman is such an asshole on his show to begin with why should I even care about his personal life. However, as she talked…I realized—it was not his personal life that disgusted me—it was his professional life. Yet Ms. All-Natural seemed mostly upset about his infidelity, not about his morally pathetic actions of screwing someone who worked under him, who he had some degree of power over.

I am SO in my Fox Mood Moment I just have to say what REALLY bothers me are the conversations about Letterman. What I have heard and read have been about his poor wife or the blackmail or why are all men pigs NOT about the abuse of power over a young woman...which I think what moms should care about. It is, what my favorite sex-ed teacher calls—a teachable moment. Bring it up with your daughters—there are men in the world who will use their position of power to get you into bed. It is not love, it is not even passion—is just power.