Why Must Personal Be Made Public?

There's so much in the news about the private lives--rather, what should be the private lives--of politicians and celebrities.  I just don't understand why it's news.

It began when I was in school, watching the Congress attempt to impeach then-President Clinton over events stemming from his affair with a White House intern.  I wasn't much aware of politics at the time, but even then I didn't understand why his bedroom behavior was on the news every minute of the day and why the Congress was getting involved.

Over the following years, numerous politicians at local, state, and national levels were found to be cheating on their wives...some with other women, and one or two with men.  Each time this was discovered, it filled the headlines and "top stories" for weeks.  And still I thought, "who cares?"

Some people say that it matters because a man who's dishonest with his wife will be dishonest in politics as well.  However, I already know fully well that all politicians are dishonest sometimes, intentionally or not, regardless of how faithful they are in marriage.  It's a simple fact of politics that I assumed everyone knew.

Then, a couple of years ago, Tom Cruise went a little nuts on Oprah's couch and people all got pissed off about his asinine behavior and some people talked about how they weren't his fans anymore.  Now, I realize I may be a different type of "fan" than many other people are, but if I like a celebrity it's for one of 2 reasons: 1. I think they are attractive (something not changed by good/bad behavior) or 2. I enjoy watching them act/sing/perform.  I'm not anyone's fan because they're sane, or because they're outlandish, or because they're normal.  Celebrities are not normal.

Now, I've never been a huge Tom Cruise fan.  He's not my type.

Charlie Sheen, however, is someone I like to watch.  I admit I'm one of the people who enjoys Two and a Half Men.  Is Charlie Sheen a womanizer?  Yep.  Drug addict?  Yep again.  Alcoholic?  Totally.  Batshit crazy?  Uh-huh.  Messier than a beef train crashing into a loaded school bus?  Absolutely.  A complete degenerate?  No doubt about it.

Does any of this matter to me?  Nope.

Today I saw on the news this whole bit about The Governator having fathered a child ten years ago with a member of his household staff.  Does it matter to me?  Nope.  I wasn't much his fan before, and so I'm not concerned with this new info.  Hey, he's been doing better than most the men who have fathered children during an adulterous affair: he's supporting the kid!  Even my son's father doesn't do that!

But why why why why is this a TOP NEWS STORY?!  He's retired from politics!

Bottom line, if politicians are going to be in the news, let's talk about their politics, please, and what they are (or aren't) doing to improve the economy right now.  And let's just keep celebrities out of the news altogether and on the big screen/radio where they belong.  And, more importantly than that, let's let them keep their private lives private.