FREE ESSAY ON LEWINSKY VS. CLINTON

LEWINSKY VS. CLINTON

Perhaps the biggest presidential scandal since the Nixon administration came to light in
January 1998. This is when the now infamous Monica Lewinsky first appeared on our
television sets. The American population did not know Ms. Lewinsky until the scandal
broke. After the media was informed of the activities between President Clinton and
Monica Lewinsky the little known woman was instantaneously the topic of conversation all
over the world. The intention of this paper is not to figure out who was right or wrong
in the scandal, the reasoning behind it is to show how the mass media shapes and
implements our own ideas and opinions about people. Every opinion we have is somehow
related to who and what we see around us. The way that these things are portrayed on
television or in magazines influences our overall attitude towards them. In many
situations we have only the media to rely on when learning about certain events.
Sometimes you can check more than one source to get a different opinion, but more times
than not the overall image generated by all media platforms of a person or event is very
similar. In this sense it is very hard sometimes to get a fair perspective of the
occurrences. The views that the American public has towards Bill Clinton and Monica
Lewinsky have been directly affected by how the mass media portrayed each individual. 
Susan Douglas' book Where The Girls Are is a reflection of just how controlling the mass
media is over the opinions and ideas of the people that it reaches. Douglas talks about
the ways in which the mass media forms an individual's character. She focuses on the
effects that the media has on women as they grow-up in America. If this is true then
perhaps Monica Lewinsky was shaped in such a way that she felt obligated to give in to
the president's wishes of having a relationship. After the scandal broke the media then
proceeded to shape the publics opinion of Ms. Lewinsky. It is very easy for our opinions
to be swayed if we know nothing about the subject or individual.
One place that is near impossible to hide from the public and media is the White House.
Bill Clinton has been plagued by scandal since entering the White House in 1992. As the
Lewinsky scandal began President Clinton was just recovering from the Whitewater scandal.
Before Lewinsky, Clinton was accused of having a sexual relationship with Gennifer
Flowers while he was the governor of Arkansas. Clinton denied these reports during his
1992 campaign. However, in a deposition a few years later the president admitted to
having an affair with Flowers. Paula Jones who worked for him while he was governor also
sued Clinton. Jones disputed that Clinton treated her unfairly after she refused to have
a sexual relationship with him. Despite these repeated scandals Mr. Clinton has
maintained a fairly supportive reaction from the mainstream media. I strongly feel that
Clinton's lack of accountability is due to the fact that most of the scandals that he has
been involved in pertain to sexual relationships with women. The male dominated media
portrays this in a lighthearted way. On the other hand, the females involved in all of
these scandals have been made out to be unjust sluts looking for a big payday. 
Contradictory to Clinton's past is that of Monica Lewinsky. Monica grew up in Beverly
Hills California. Her father owned a chain of cancer treatment clinics. When researching
the depictions that those close to Ms. Lewinsky have, a very different person is
revealed. Monica is very, very energetic and very charismatic and has tremendous ideas
and no matter what task you give her, she gets involved and goes to it, said her dad, Dr.
Bernard Lewinsky. Richard Makoff, Lewinsky's former headmaster, said, I remember her
being a nice kid and pretty normal young lady. The only extra-curricular activity she was
involved in was chorus. Monica graduated from Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon
in May 1995. The following summer, Monica arrived at the White House as an intern
(Aiken). The media has shown Monica Lewinsky in a totally different light than her father
and friends remember her.
On January 21, 1998 this woman who was unknown to the public was instantaneously thrust
onto every possible form of media in the country. On this date several news organizations
began reporting of an alleged scandal between a White House intern and President Clinton.
When asked about the rumors in a previously arranged interview with PBS and National
Public Radio President Clinton denied having a sexual or inappropriate relationship with
the intern (Blitzer et al). Along with Lewinsky, Linda Tripp soon surfaced in connection
with the alleged scandal. Apparently Tripp set the scandal in motion by taking taped
conversations between her and Monica to Kenneth Starr. Starr was the special prosecutor
in the Whitewater scandal. He had already been investigating rumors of the scandal. Starr
claimed to only be interested in whether the president committed obstruction of justice
or perjury (Blitzer et al). Even after just one day of being in the media, the scandal
was the talk of all daytime and late night talk shows. 
As the scandal progressed rumors of whether the president should resign began to surface.
Clinton responded firmly that he owed it to the American people to remain in the White
House. At this point President Clinton remained fairly safe from media attacks.
Conversely, Monica Lewinsky was being mobbed by uncountable amounts of reporters. Her
family's privacy was also being invaded. FBI agents questioned Lewinsky's younger brother
Michael about his sister's involvement with the president (King and Franken). In defense
of Monica Lewinsky a non-profit group that studies women in the workplace contributed
$10,000 to aid with her legal funds (O'Connor).
Throughout the hearings the media continued to hound Monica. She was mobbed everywhere
she went. For twenty years she had led a private life. Now every time she opened her door
she was photographed and questioned by hundreds of reporters. Monica's name was mentioned
on almost every possible television show in the country. From Jay Leno to David Lettermen
the sex jokes about her seemed to be a nightly ritual. All across America households were
talking about the sexual scandal in the White House. 
As the scandal neared a conclusion the average person's opinion of Monica Lewinsky
continued to be influenced by the way she was being portrayed by the mass media. Most
people thought of her as an overweight gold-digger. These ideas about Monica were placed
at the front of people's minds by every TV show and magazine article voicing an opinion
about her. On the other hand, President Clinton's image seemed only slightly tarnished.
After all the coverage, trials, and testimonies President Clinton received little more
than a slap on the wrist. Most public opinion polls across the country actually showed a
gain in support for the President as the hearings came to an end. 
Since the 1950's television has had a major influence on the viewing audience. As
technology continues to grow, so does the amount of influence the mass media has on the
opinions of those reached by it. In a matter of minutes information about an unknown
person can suddenly be transmitted into nearly every household in the country. Being the
only source of information about certain issues, the mass media is free to influence our
opinions in one way or another. The fact that Monica Lewinsky's character has forever
been changed in the minds of people across the world by the media is unfair. Her name is
nothing more than the butt of jokes told at bars and dinner tables throughout America.
The opinions we have of her now are very different than that of the ones held by the
people that knew her as she was growing up. Conversely, Bill Clinton's persona has been
modified by the media's representation of his involvement. He seems to be a sort of hero
to many men across America. The vast difference in the opinions of the two seems to root
itself in the traditional depiction of men and women by the media. Throughout time the
media has depicted women more as objects and possessions of men, rather than equal to
those men (Douglas). In this sense the public accepts President Clinton's actions because
he is a man. Monica's life is not completely ruined by this media circus. In fact, Monica
Lewinsky has made millions selling her story to the very same individuals that invaded
her privacy and smeared her name. What is the final price of all this fame and fortune, a
tarnished reputation and perhaps bad knees? 
Bibliography
Aiken, Jonathan. "Who Is Monica Lewinsky?" All Politics: CNN 6 Aug. 1998. 30 March 2000
http://207.25.71.29/ ALLPOLITICS/1998/08/06/lewinsky.profile/
Blitzer, Wolf., et al., eds. "Clinton Denies Affair With Intern, Cover-up Attempt." All
Politics: CNN 21 Jan. 1998. 30 March 2000 http://207.25.71.29/ALLPOLITICS
/1998/01/21/clinton.starr.am/
Douglas, Susan J. Where The Girls Are. New York: Times Books, 1995.
O'Connor, Eileen. "Clinton Aide Appears Before Grand Jury." All Politics: CNN 26 Feb.
1998. 29 March 2000 http:// 207. 25.71.29/ALLPOLITICS/1998/02/26/lewinsky.scandal/