Very English Scandals

In tutto il mondo succedono scandali sessuali, eppure ai britannici sembrano attirare particolarmente, soprattutto quando riguardano coloro che dovrebbero essere i paladini dei valori morali, come i politici o i membri della famiglia reale.

Bandera UK
Daniel Francis

Speaker (UK accent)

Aggiornato il giorno

420 Very English Scandals freeimage

Ascolta questo articolo

Stampare

The 1960s was the golden age of the sex scandal. Smaller, portable cameras helped the paparazzi take clandestine photographs. It was not only actors that interested them; in the US, politicians such as John F. Kennedy were associating with celebrities and becoming one themselves. While British political spheres were more conservative, public figures were increasingly of interest to the gossip press.

A NEW ERA

In 1960, the end of the ban on D.H. Lawrence’s novel Lady Chatterley’s Lover marked a new era of sexual freedomTabloid newspapers named and shamed prominent people in stories that were embellished and sometimes invented. The period saw notable public figures scandalised: John Profumo, the Secretary of State for War, and Liberal party leader Jeremy Thorpe among them. Royals, such as the Queen’s sister Princess Margaret, became subjects of speculation over their personal lives; in the 1970s, her affair with a young gardener made the front pages.

CHANGING TIMES

For those marginalised by social conventions, scandals could be devastating. In 1963, the famous record producer Joe Meek was caught  soliciting gay sex in a public lavatory in London. Meek killed himself in 1967, the year homosexuality was decriminalised in England. While such revelations can still end a career, attitudes have changed: when in 1998 the singer George Michael was fined for doing the same in Beverly Hills, he used the incident to publically embrace his sexuality.

NO LONGER IMMUNE

The British tabloids are still looking for scandal. But the sexism and homophobia that appear in such reports is increasingly condemned. In the age of #MeToo, the Queen’s son Prince Andrew is no longer protected by his position: his friendship with the sex offender Jerry Epstein and the accusations made by an American woman that she was trafficked as a teenager to have sex with the prince, are being taken very seriously.

 

Creationism: Was Darwin Wrong?
iStock

Culture

Creationism: Was Darwin Wrong?

E se Darwin si fosse sbagliato? E se l’universo fosse stato davvero creato da un atto divino (nel giro di sei giorni) non più di 10.000 anni fa? È quello che credono 4 americani su 10. La teoria del creazionismo sta prendendo sempre più piede e viene insegnata in parecchie scuole.

Talitha Linehan

A Short Story: Irish Courage
Istock

Fiction

A Short Story: Irish Courage

Un adolescente irlandese pensa di aver bisogno di alcol per trovare il coraggio di innamorarsi, ma scopre che gli serve solo la fiducia in se stesso.

Talitha Linehan

More in Explore

TODAY’S TOP STORIES

The Art of Yorkshire: Northern England

Places

The Art of Yorkshire: Northern England

Abbiamo visitato il famoso parco di sculture dello Yorkshire, nella contea più grande dell'Inghilterra. Questo vero e proprio museo all'aperto unisce opere di artisti locali, come Barbara Hepworth, ad altre figure di spicco dell'arte mondiale.

Julian Earwaker