Sex Scandal America: Politics & the Ritual of Public Shaming

Author: David Rosen
ISBN: 978-0-9782526-8-7

Synopsis

Sex Scandal America is a comprehensive history of sexual scandals in America from colonial times (including Pocahontas and the Puritans) to today (few know about this part of George W. Bush's dubious past). The book exposes the scandals of national political figures (presidents, congress-folk, governors) and those of celebrities (e.g., entertainers and tycoons). It ties these scandals to the deeper changes in sexual culture occurring during the various phases of the country's social evolution. Most importantly, it assesses the role of (political) scandals as a form of public shaming. The book shows how, over the last four centuries, scandals have changed as a ritualized spectacle, evolving from a morality tale to an entertainment distraction.  www.SexScandalAmerica.com

About the Author

David Rosen is a culture and media critic who lives in New York City. David is author of the groundbreaking book, Off-Hollywood: The Making & Marketing of Independent Films (Grove, 1990), originally commissioned by the Sundance Institute and the Independent Feature Project. It is considered a “bible” of American independent filmmaking David regularly contributes to publications and blogs about sexuality, pop-culture and the media. He has written for Counterpunch, Sexuality and Culture, Z-Magazine, Filmmaker Magazine, Mediachannel, The Hollywood Reporter and San Francisco Focus. He earned a B.A. in Philosophy from City College and an M.A. in American Labor Studies from Rutgers University.

Customer Reviews:

"Politicians are human and have all of the same human flaws. "Sex Scandal America: Politics & the Ritual of Public Shaming" goes over the history of
the United States and its flawed politicians from even before the United States existed, with the not-so-pure Puritans. Over the years, sex scandales
have changed from cause to hang someone to merely fodder for the likes of Jay Leno. "Sex Scandal America" is a spicy look about how scandals and
American culture have changed over the years." -Midwest Book Review, Septem 09 issue. "David Rosen writes about sex in America—the comedy,
the tragedy and the hypocrisy—with incisive brilliance and inspirational compassion. He is one of the foremostrnwriters on sex and society today,
stripping away the masks and getting down to the naked flesh of human sexual politics and morality, for the benefit and delight of his
readers." —Dr. Susan Block, founder of Institute for the Erotic Arts & Sciences (Los Angeles), is the author of Advertising for Love (Morrow),
Being A Woman (Random House) and The 10 Commandments of Pleasure (St. Martin’s). "In “Sex Scandal America: Politics & the Ritual of Public
Shaming”, David Rosen gives us remarkable insight into the past quarter century’s culture wars, perhaps subsiding now, but always ready to rise
like a vampire at a future moment of insecurity and uncertainty. Tearing away the veils, pulling up the sheets, and opening the closet doors, Rosen
examines sexual hyprocrisy and the exploding culture of consensual kink in historical context. Rarely is a writer as adept at moving from past to
present, insidernto outside, behind closed doors to the public arena, to reveal the gnarly reality of our sexually confused culture." —Chris
Carlsson, author of Nowtopia (AK Press). Director of Shaping San Francisco (foundsf.org).