By Fe Bongolan
Taking a look at the full scope of, for lack of a better name, the “Strauss-Kahn scandal,” one can’t help but acknowledge what a strange legal, social, cultural and political minefield the entire situation is. The accused is a rich, powerful and afflicted man from Europe, while the victim is a poor African immigrant widow with a child. The American legal system through which Strauss-Kahn is being charged has a history of vilifying the rape victim. Then there are the conflicting values and attitudes of French and American societies towards what is regarded as consensual sex. Finally there is the atmosphere where men of power like Strauss-Kahn are forgiven their “indiscretions” because their worldly achievements far exceed their human faults.
Under those circumstances, men of power like Strauss-Kahn are perceived like Michael Jackson was here in America — as ‘sacred monsters’ — terrible, yet inviolate because of their importance on the world stage. On websites and editorials from various European news agencies and political blogs, the events leading up to Strauss-Kahn’s arrest are frequently described using the words “set-up” and “sting operation.”
Since the news broke, Europe’s leftists and Socialists (there is actually a Socialist party, of which Strauss-Kahn is part) have been up in arms. Strauss-Kahn was the first head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) whose leadership had actually helped stabilize vulnerable member nations of the IMF during the global financial meltdown that started in September 2008, specifically countries in the eurozone: Greece, Portugal and Ireland. As a potential candidate for the Socialist Party of France, he looked like the serious contender to unseat current President Nikolas Sarkozy, a member of France’s Conservative Party and product of the Neocon movement.