Scandal - an excuse for a cuppa?

Scandal: it's everywhere right now.

Sure, as of yet no British paper has actually published the topless photos of our beloved Catherine Middleton, but with all the discussion, front-page spreads and prime-spots on news programmes, we're not exactly giving her gracious privacy. It's a scandal because it brings into question, for the umpteenth time this year, privacy and the nature of the press. It also brings the monarchy back into the spotlight, and raises questions on how we expect them to behave and how they can expect to be treated.

Sure, we don't actually live in or have a say in the governing of America, but with comments such as Republican senate candidate Todd Akin's 'Legimate Rape' and his no-exceptions stance on abortion, the Brits are quick as ever to express horror and disbelief and stir up a scandal from across the Atlantic. With American views on healthcare, prison services and welfare systems differing vastly from the vague consensus in England, almost any political statement rapidly becomes a scandal. This was seen recently in Romney's controversial and famous, secretly filmed '47%' speech in which he accused 47% of the country of making themselves victims and expecting the government to provide healthcare, food and accommodation when they cannot do so for themselves. While the scandal in America lies in the 'writing-off' of 47% of voters, for me at least it is found in the assumption that it is in any way wrong to assume the government will provide basic necessities for its citizens in their time of need. That is a scandal. Are these not human rights?

Sure, no-one really believed for a second the Libdems would actually be in power any time in the forseeable future, let alone scrap tuition fees if they were, but the fact that Nick Clegg was photographed publicly signing a comedy-sized pledge instantly brought the party's integrity into question and was something he should have known he'd regret forever. It somehow manages to be a scandal again now, years on, because Clegg has finally come out and apologised, in typical political fashion, not for breaking the promise but for making a promise it was impossible to keep. Great. Throw a satirical auto-tune youtube video into the mix and let the deputy prime-minister allow it to be released as a charity single, and suddenly the public is oh-so confused as to quite how the Libdems have come out of this particular scandal.

In typical British fashion, scandals become crude cartoons and excuses for gossip over a good old cuppa. They fill our newpapers and newsrooms, they are humanized through comedy programmes and radio shows and now, with the growth of the media-generation, they spread like wild-fire via facebook and twitter. But what makes a piece of news truly scandal worthy? Why do we care quite so much what comes out of an American politician's mouth? What about Kate's topless shots make the story deserving of headline news for weeks after the event when wars are going on? What about Cleggy's video is making thousands, if not millions, of teenagers spread the word regardless of their blossoming political loyalties?

Is it that these scandals bring something light-hearted to our big scary world? Is it that we enjoy have a giggle while internally philosophising about the underlying issues? Is it just a human hunger for naked pictures and politicians making fools of themselves? Perhaps it's all of the above. Perhaps it's that we're psychologically proven (see the TED video of Sophie Scott somewhere on this very blog) to be united in laughter. Or perhaps it's just that in an anything but clear cut political world, where no-one keeps their promises and no-one is held accountable, we crave a scandal so we can actually feel we have an opinion that matters, a say in the future, and a real understanding of our complicated hierarchical society.