The inimitable Lisa Carver discusses the Eliot Spitzer scandal, and what happened in her life that made examining other people’s dirty laundry a lot more personal:
Me, I would leave him because he embezzled, not because he left his shin-high black socks on with a professional. I used to follow scandals for details like that, for the same reason I watch Divorce Court: I'm curious about people. I don't care if it's the president or my balding neighbor. I want to know what the socks mean. Did he take his pants down to the ankles for a blowjob, then kick the pants off and dive in without remembering to remove socks? Do you do that when you're spending $30,000 in one night? Or does he think he has ugly feet, and left them on purposely? Normally I would raise these questions to various people, turning the "salacious details" into a springboard for discussion, for investigation into the human psyche.
But after certain experiences in my personal life, I have come to see these details as heartaches.
Read her entire essay (“NPR made fun of her. NPR! They don't make fun of anyone!) here.