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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsPeter Dowling, Australian Parliament Member, Resigns After Sexting Photo Of Penis In Glass Of Wine
Peter Dowling, Australian Parliament Member, Resigns After Sexting Photo Of Penis In Glass Of Wine
Another day, another sexting scandal.
Australian politician Peter Dowling handed in his resignation after a woman claiming to be his mistress sent a letter to parliament detailing their two-year affair and accusing the MP of using government funds during their trysts. Furthermore, the Courier-Mail reports that it has seen "several explicit text messages sent from Mr. Dowling's mobile phone to the woman, including a picture of his penis in a glass of red wine, a self-shot image of his crotch while wearing boxer shorts, and a full frontal picture of his genitalia."
News of the affair was met with shock and surprise by those who worked closely with Dowling, who served as the chair of parliament's ethics committee.
"It has me stumped; Peter is a good bloke, a family man, a Catholic and smart," a senior government official told The Australian. "But taking a picture of your penis in a glass of red isn't the smartest thing you could do -- and I won't be accepting any invitation from him in the future to go for a drink."
-snip-
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/07/peter-dowling_n_3721171.html
loli phabay
(5,580 posts)This crap should be private between dude and his wife at least until he is up for erection and then put it out there and let the voters decide if they want him.
MADem
(135,425 posts)loli phabay
(5,580 posts)MADem
(135,425 posts)I love autocorrect faux pas...
I don't have one of those phones but I still appreciate the humor.
Bonobo
(29,257 posts)Maybe it's not all that big a deal.
MAYBE humans are sexual creatures.
MAYBE it is like an adult form of play.
MAYBE people can separate their sexual sides and their professional sides (cigar anyone?)
MAYBE it is the Puritanical finger-wagging (and finger pointing) side of us that is getting hung up.
MAYBE it's just not a big deal.
MADem
(135,425 posts)This is the era of TMI! And extraordinary ego and hubris!
The "selfie" is just being taken too far!
Violet_Crumble
(35,954 posts)The affair's gone sour when she realised after two years that he wasn't going to leave his wife and kids for her, and instead of walking away, she's gone down the public humiliation and attempt to destroy his life route. If those claims of misappropriation of government funds are true, he's in the shit as while there's nothing wrong with MP's having affairs, there is with fraud, but I suspect that claim's an empty one and part of the revenge thing that's being played out so publicly.
Who I feel bad for, and who she didn't give a moment's thought to before she did the equivalent of posting explicit pics of an ex on porn websites to humiliate them, is his family. Him and his wine soaked penis, and his bitter and vengeful ex are both wankers, but his family is another matter, and I feel really sorry for them...
Warren DeMontague
(80,708 posts)However this appears to be a standard case of bad judgment and extramarital, yet consensual, flim-flam.
I think some people are hung up over "sexting" sort of the way 20 years ago Charles and CPB's "phone sex" was a big deal. Ooooh! "Phone sex, like with a PHONE!"
It was only a big deal because it was tacky, and icky. The technology is beside the point.
MADem
(135,425 posts)I think people aren't so much "hung up" by it, it's more of a judgment thing.
I mean, really--if this guy was just fooling around, well, ya fool around and that's that. The texting or emails are "another level" where more lasting evidence is produced, and pictures---well, there's no denying those! Phone sex may be words...but a picture is worth a THOUSAND words!!! Nothing to the imagination!!
I do tend to think your tacky/icky assessment applies to this adventure as well. Plus, the novelty of that member, not in a box a la SNL...but in a wine glass full of wine. That is kinda "Man Bites Dog" in the news world!
Warren DeMontague
(80,708 posts)and ...whoops.
No, it's not a mental image that sounds real appealing. (Then again, 20 years out or so I'm still trying to scrub that shit with Prince Charles from my brain, and that was only a transcript) I guess the only rational explanation I can come up with is that humans are still primates, and maybe sometimes that beauty just shines through a little more.
Violet_Crumble
(35,954 posts)While this story was in the Courier Mail (a Queensland paper), it doesn't seem to have made an appearance in the national media from what I could see when I read The Age, The Canberra Times, and the google news feed today. Which suggests that while it'd be a big deal in the US, where people tend to think their politicians sex lives should be out there for the public to judge, it's not a big deal here. It will be a big deal if he's committed fraud, though, but that's a whole different thing than some guy having an affair...
MADem
(135,425 posts)Age: Old enough to know better.
Appearance: Top half: the model of authoritative respectability. Bottom half: a close-up of a penis plonked in a glass of wine.
Really? Another politician has been caught taking pictures of his junk? Yes. This time it's an Australian one and the chair of the Queensland parliament's ethics committee to boot.
He actually took a picture of his penis dunked in a glass of wine? On what planet is that considered even vaguely sexy? This is a debate for another time. There's a bigger issue at hand.
http://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/shortcuts/2013/aug/06/peter-dowling-australia-sexting-penis-wine
Warren DeMontague
(80,708 posts)Okay, sorry, that was unnecessary.
Renew Deal
(81,802 posts)MADem
(135,425 posts)On the bright side, alcohol has an antiseptic effect...at least the thing was clean!
riqster
(13,986 posts)Skidmore
(37,364 posts)He plonked himself?
A DUer must have written that.
Nye Bevan
(25,406 posts)branford
(4,462 posts)msongs
(67,199 posts)PoliticAverse
(26,366 posts)My version of the headline.
SwissTony
(2,560 posts)OMG.
But the last line in the OP is just classic, dry Aussie humour. Probably a bit like the red.
brooklynite
(93,873 posts)I'd hate to think he wasn't supporting the local economy.
Monk06
(7,675 posts)Orrex
(63,086 posts)hobbit709
(41,694 posts)If they had a dumb phone, they wouldn't be able to do this even if they wanted to.
no_hypocrisy
(45,774 posts)Renew Deal
(81,802 posts):lol:
Skittles
(152,966 posts)guys, most gals don't want to see pictures of your junk, not even if you try to purty it up in a wine glass