Regan-Kerik affair / In defense of Judith Regan

ME/ various other articles | 1/4/05 | David Webb

[highwyre]

I really like Judith Regan, and I am a liberal democrat. I like her because she is a very passionate and deep woman. She has keen insight on human nature, but she is nevertheless an idealist who is very hurt by the tragic nature of reality. She is a great essay writer and has great understanding of the poetic nature of things. I think as person she has a lot to offer us if she is able to maintain a positive and constructive outlook of life. She strikes me as a person that may be given to distress and depression, but subscribes to the axiom "we have an obligation to be happy." That does not necessarily make someone genuinely happy.

Understanding that sex sells, inventing, like an apollonian genius, the shape a zeitgeist of bookselling methods (the face and personalities on the cover), has caused some dissonance within herself. I think that she may be using the defense mechanism called "reaction formation". This is to say while actually attracted to men of bad character (even the perception of others being sexually attracted to these images) she is very angry because sex overrides her idealistic conceptions of how the opposite sex should be. This means that through this reaction formation, she actually does the opposite of what she feels, which leads to destructive tendencies. Of course, Judith is victim and that is her defense mechanism.

However, let’s not throw stones at her. Let's try to understand what motivates her destructive tendencies (if this tryst be indeed true)... and let's try to uplift her positive qualities. I have seen some good things in her. Instead of gossip and hatred of her success as a publisher, why not try to lend a hand to heal the inner turmoil by recognizing her positive attributes (not just her attractiveness).

She really is a woman who needs a commitment and a long term relationship full of unconditional love. And I hope that one day she gets it, because when she does she will shine more brilliantly. I can't see how she has not attained this in life.

I guess I'll be the first to say, if this relationship did exist, I forgive her. We are after all, only human. And a life without forgiveness is an encumbersome and hard life. Lesson to be learned by us all, including Judith.

Peace,

DW

[elli1]

If she hadn't chosen to screw around with a married man there wouldn't be a story.

That's a fair approximation of what I said. :)

[iopscusa]

Is this "breaking" news? Regen is not bad looking but maybe this should be in the Juvenile Romance blog.