Et alors?

Sketch by Siegfried Woldhek

A sudden nuke explosion hit the news of the world a few days ago! Tabloid euphoria for sure. Something to fill entire frontpages for weeks to come. Another French President behaved more like a jumpy rabbit than the usual frog he's supposed to be. The French are of course used to such escapades. This is a type of national sport for those at the throne of Les Elysées. I guess many French men feel quite proud of their Presidents' manliness too. Typically, however, the chers citoyens and citoyennes wouldn't care less. That's his problem, when all's said and done. Whatever... Unless His Excellency uses taxpayer money to fund his private moments, like the other (Socialist) François (his predecessor) did 20 years ago.

Between you and I, whatever a man does privately is his entire and very own business. I am like the French on this. I don't mingle in other people's lives, and I want nobody to mingle in mine. Who are we to dare criticise the man, or anyone like him for that matter, except those tabloid reporters and paparazzis, or stand-up comedians, who make a living out of public figures? The famous 'Et alors' response to the Press by the late François Mitterrand, when asked about his affaire and love child, says it all. Should Mitterand have been a Yankee, then public apologies, humiliation, and a premature career termination in a pretentious and absurdly puritan US would have been the rule. But the French, good for them, respond more stoically and a lot more realistically to all this. "Et alors?" answered Mitterrand, and probably the thought crossed his mind, but he didn't utter: "None of your f**king business, dudes. Like, nobody among you, brothel-goers, has ever had an affair, right?" 

I only have two observations...

1. The President's job. If you are the President of such an important country with tens of millions of citizens struggling to get thru another day in the current economic crisis with millions of unemployed fighting for survival, you have already promised the heaven to scores of desperate voters, dying for a wee tiny glimpse of hope, and after a few years at the top job you have achieved almost close to nought, you have repeatedly proven, despite domestic failures, your imperialistic ambitions by entertaining foreign military 'cavalry style' invasions in former colonies for soit disant 'humanitarian' purposes, you've been literally waving the 'flag' of Western 'policing' states in their 'crying wolf' initiatives to punish Syria and Assad, and above all, you got the worst public approval polls as a President in the history of your Nation, then, fine, you have an affair, or maybe two... I don't mind, but... where the hell do you find the time ?!?! I'd honestly like to have been a tiny neuron cell in his brain to 'see' what fires the man's thinking... Really! 

2. This concerns women and Darwin's evolution theory. The eternal search for Alpha males. Women are naturally attracted to them to ensure their offsprings later become Alpha social animals too. Women do love power. More than men, for sure. Men actually love it in order to reach Alpha status and increase their attractiveness to women. But women seem to love power for the sake of it. They are the victims of evolution. Alpha males will 'save' the world! At his age, François Hollande doesn't necessarily need Dr. Kildare looks to seduce young actrices, does he ?! His Elysées throne is more than enough to provide him with a halo of virility. Law of nature. Can't beat it. 

Is there any conclusions to draw? The only one is that history repeats itself. We seen it over and over again. It's the law of evolution that human beings seem to obey everywhere they go and live. Evolutionary laws will drive human motivation in four fundamental ways, like one wise and beloved friend once mentioned to me: Power, Money and Sex. And the fear of Death...

UPDATE: A reader discovered an additional dynamic in the four motivational drivers: He said, Power, Money and the fear of Death actually all three lead to Sex. Would that be true? We just live for Sex then? It's a terrifying thought indeed.