Spies, lies and Gmail
There was some speculation at Boing Boing over whether this letter to The Ethicist in the New York Times was related to the affair that led to the ouster of CIA chief David Petraeus. The NYT says it isn’t.
MY WIFE’S LOVER
My wife is having an affair with a government executive. His role is to manage a project whose progress is seen worldwide as a demonstration of American leadership. (This might seem hyperbolic, but it is not an exaggeration.) I have met with him on several occasions, and he has been gracious. (I doubt if he is aware of my knowledge.) I have watched the affair intensify over the last year, and I have also benefited from his generosity. He is engaged in work that I am passionate about and is absolutely the right person for the job. I strongly feel that exposing the affair will create a major distraction that would adversely impact the success of an important effort. My issue: Should I acknowledge this affair and finally force closure? Should I suffer in silence for the next year or two for a project I feel must succeed? Should I be “true to my heart” and walk away from the entire miserable situation and put the episode behind me? NAME WITHHELD
Read the reply from The Ethicist at NYT Magazine.
Outed by Gmail: CIA Director David Petraeus Resigns Over Extramarital Affair (WSJ)
Meanwhile, NYT’s top emailed article is How to Devise Passwords That Drive Hackers Away.
The letter-writer is
A. Very civilized.
B. A masochist.
C. Something else.
P.S. Petraeus = Peaches.
November 11th, 2012 at 16:38
i agree with the ethicist:
“I halfway suspect you’re writing this letter because you want specific people to read this column and deduce who is involved and what’s really going on behind closed doors (without actually addressing the conflict in person). That’s not ethical, either.”
November 12th, 2012 at 09:59
Should’ve added a few details, and sent it to Penthouse Letters instead.
Clearly, this is Something Else.
November 12th, 2012 at 13:26
Perhaps he secretly wants to watch.
November 13th, 2012 at 10:25
didnt know chuck klosterman is now an ethicist,
but i guess he handled superbly these ethical questions, singling out even a possible ulterior (and un-ethical) motive.
btw, what happened to auntie janey?
November 13th, 2012 at 10:44
Re advice column: We became increasingly uncomfortable with the letter-writers over-sharing (ick ick ick) and the readers passing judgment on strangers who could probably not articulate themselves as well as they should. More than that, our annoyance at readers who thought we were Auntie Janey never abated. We advised Auntie Janey to start his own blog.