EY Y01 L05 Scandal

Tell me about a family member, colleague, friend, friend of a friend or neighbour who you think gossips too much. Please don't use their real name (e.g. "I have a colleague, let's call him 'Dave'").
Have you ever bought or read a "shukanshi" (weekly gossip) magazine or tabloid newspaper? If yes, what did you think? If no, why not?
Do you ever watch gossip ("wide show") programs on TV? Why or Why not?
The media often exposes affairs involving pop stars, actors, actresses, politicians or sports personalities. Tell me about an affair that shocked Japan - who was it between? What happened? Were you shocked? Why?
Often politicians, leaders and personalities have to make public apologies for things they have done wrong. Please think of a public apology that you have seen on TV. Who was apologising? What had they done? Do you think they were forgiven? Why or why not?
Tell me about a famous personality who you think has been treated unfairly by the media in your country.

Question 1

It might sound like I am lying, but I honestly don't think that I know any overly-gossipy people. The first year that I was a Summer Camp Director in Canada, a few of the younger camp leaders liked to engage in gossip. That created some unhappy situations at the camp, so after my first year I always tried to avoid hiring gossipy people. I think that, in general, I prefer to stay away from that sort of person.

Question 2

I have never bought such a magazine. However, I once lived and worked in London for four months and those kinds of magazines were often available to read in the employee lounge where I worked. I was unfamiliar with most famous British celebrities at that time - because I had been living and working in the Czech Republic for several years - and so the celebrity gossip in those magazines was wildly uninteresting, from my point of view.

Question 3

I never ever watch such shows, because I am larely uninterested in the private lives of famous people.

Question 4

In the 1970s, Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau and his lovely, much younger, wife Margaret were the most famous couple in Canada. In 1977, Margaret Trudeau created a huge scandal in the Canadian media when she spent her sixth wedding anniversary partying with the rock group The Rolling Stones. Here is some gossip related to that: There is a rumour that Canada's current Prime Minister, Pierre and Margaret's son Justin Trudeau, is in fact the love child of Margaret Trudeau and Fidel Castro!

Question 5

The Clinton–Lewinsky scandal was a political sex scandal that involved 49-year-old President Bill Clinton and 22-year-old White House intern Monica Lewinsky. They had an affair in the late 1990s. Mr. Clinton has publicly apologized for the affair and for lying about it, but he has apparently never privately apologized to Miss Lewinsky. I don't think that people completely forgave him at the time but Mr. Clinton and his wife Hillary are still both active in American political life.

Question 6

I felt that it was a little unfair that when Naomi Osaka won the US Open her victory was overshadowed by the argument between Serena Williams and the umpire. In general, I think that almost all celebrities are treated unfairly by the media in the sense that their right to privacy is very rarely respected. On the other hand, perhaps that is the price of fame...

Tough Vocabulary

- English -	- Japanese -
Czech Republic	チェコ