Illustration by Leona Novio
By: Alexandra Schultz
“Life is short, have an affair.” This is the slogan for everyone’s favorite scummy infidelity site, Ashley Madison.
If you have been living under a rock the last two months then you might be wondering what the hell Ashley Madison even is. Sounds like the name of some blonde who peaked in high school if you ask me. Sorry to disappoint folks, but Ashley Madison is an online dating site with a sick twist — it caters to individuals who are looking to be unfaithful to their spouses.
Ashley Madison’s website boasts having over 40 million anonymous members and claims they are the “world’s leading married dating service for discreet encounters.” Oh how ironic, Miss Madison.
In recent months, Ashley Madison received a serious bitch-slap. Hackers broke into the site and released the information (including names, email and location) of over 37 million members. Not so discreet anymore are you Ashley?
These exposed members deserved every little bit of embarrassment that came their way. I think we can all agree using a website to keep one foot in your marriage is pretty low and I take my hat off to the hackers for exposing millions of slimy betrayals.
But what astonishes me above all, is the absolute laziness our generation displays. The amount of those spouses who probably use the site just because of how accessible it is is just pathetic. A certain percentage of these people may not even engage in affairs if they did not receive the opportunity to initiate it via internet.
This scandal displays an obvious generational shift. People rely so heavily on technology. This sense of convenience facilitates infidelities on a whole new level. Now people do not even need face to face contact in order to initiate an affair. They can hide behind a computer screen, which makes having an affair so much easier.
Many people may reconsider having an affair if it meant they had to leave their house in order to carry on with their actions. But when infidelity can be arranged from the comfort of your own home, without fear of rejection or public shame, it’s no wonder that affairs skyrocket. This alone probably makes affairs skyrocket.
Even societies elitists took part in this horrible trend.
Among the exposed were celebrities, big-time CEOs and even the molester 19 Kids and Counting Duggar star. Some people look for forgiveness by prayer or moral mending; you, Josh Duggar, on the other hand have outdone yourself. After repenting for your multiple molestation charges, let me know how many mistresses it takes to find absolution, buddy.
Business tycoons such as Sony entertainment chairman Michael Lynton and Sony pictures chairwoman Amy Pascal both had their emails exposed. The sheer mess even cost Pascal her job. They are not alone, many more of America’s millionaires’ emails were also found on the list.
However, of all the exposed, the biggest loser of them all is ex-CEO of the company, Noel Biderman. Noel Biderman, “The King of Infidelity” himself, resigned in the dawn of the scandal. No one likes a quitter, Noel. Biderman’s emails were among the many leaked, despite efforts to ensure the public the married father of two children “never felt the need to cheat on his wife.” Are you really shocked Mrs. Biderman?
Above all, this is just beyond unfortunate to me that we are at that point where our technology is actively promoting moral wrongdoings such as marital affairs. I commend the hackers for exposing these people.
I think what we can take away from this specific instance is pretty blatant. We live in a time where the answers to most all our problems are just a mere Google search away. Technology is such a powerful resource and it can be both a blessing and a curse. Just because things such as Ashley Madison are so easily accessible does not mean we should take advantage of these opportunities for moral wrongdoings.
Our generation has a special responsibility in this technologically-advanced age — to distinguish how we should and should not use technology. We must use the opportune resources around us for the positive.
Ali Schultz studies journalism. She can be reached on twitter at @AliSchultzzz or alexandraschultz@unr.edu
