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Man of the Month
MAYOR RUDY GIULLIANI... You Spot It, You Got It It may not be statistically true, but at least anecdotally it seems that a certain type of male Republican politician is highly susceptible to the psychological process of narcissistic projection. This type of politician observes in others or attributes to them what surely exists but is denied—consciously as in lying, or more likely unconsciously—in himself. The law-and-order, family-values type I’m talking about condemns his Democratic counterparts for personal vices and misconduct which turn out to be well-represented in his own behavioral portfolio. There’s a long and distinguished list of such Republicans. From Ronald Reagan whose own family life was far from the ideals of personal responsibility; through John Tower and his drinking problem; Clarence Thomas and his Long Dong Silver; Henry Hide and his "youthful indiscretion," and Congressman Bob Livingston who had to resign because of his own indiscretions while chairing the Clinton impeachment. And of course, there is George W. Bush with his own arrest, alcohol and drug history. This is not to say that Democrats are any better behaved or have more personal integrity. No, it’s just that they don’t preach what they don’t practice. And while Democrats enjoy pointing out that Republicans are hypocritical, my point is quite different. I’m not saying, "those who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones." I’m saying, "you spot it, you got it." I’m saying this is a typical male defense—which is why more men than women are Republicans. Men, more so than women, tend to support a tough, law-and-order orientation towards anything different or "deviant" as a way of warding off their own, often unconscious, deviant desires. This is an important tenet of American masculinity. It is the essence of homophobia and all kinds of scapegoating. As comedian Yakov Shmirnov once put it, no sooner than he was sworn in as an American citizen he looked around at the crowd naturalized with him and said to himself, "God damn all these immigrants!" New York’s Mayor Rudy Giuliani is the latest addition to the "you spot it you got it" Republican list. Though he’s been socially liberal in some areas, Giuliani has promoted personal responsibility and self-discipline as the answer to many of New York’s problems. And from his early days as a relentless prosecutor to his more recent crusades against "deviant" art, he had assumed the self-righteousness of the moral high grounder. But now, his (and his wife’s) difficulties in being responsible and self-disciplined where it really matters—in relation to his kids—are all over the front page. So here’s a mainstream, white Republican man—not exactly an inner city, welfare dependent single black teenage mother—whose personal irresponsibility requires state intervention. It’s the state’s family court which will decide what’s in the best interest of his children. PS Like all men, Giuliani also has a softer, gentler side. Indeed, he showed that side last year when diagnosed with cancer. Unfortunately, this too is not atypical of a certain type of man, who would only become emotionally vulnerable when confronted with the prospect of his ultimate demise. For many men, even that prospect will not do the trick. These men would rather escape into an affair with a younger woman than meet the normal existential depression of middle age. |
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