Long black coat, large sunglasses, face buried deeply down in the turned-up collar and hurried steps denying any attempt to stop them---no, don&apost be alarmed; this is not a criminal at large, but only a public figure escaping the voyeuristic eyes and cameras of omnipresent tabloid reporters.

　　Yet it is only one side of the coin. When you come back home, what greets you in newspapers, on TV or on the Internet, are a sargasso sea of so-called exclusive news telling tales about privacies of public figures. Not only tabloids are selling what they find by voyeurism, public figures, especially singers, movie stars and such alike in show businesses, are also themselves brandishing their underwear, so as to attract the eyes and attention of the public and to remain in the spotlight.

　　It is a human nature to have the propensity to pry into other people&aposs lives, especially the private lives of famous public figures, for their public lives are all so shining, so different from those of ours, that we cannot help but want to know what they are really like in real daily life and if they too have such sorrows and happiness as those common to us. By peeping into the private lives of public figures, our curiosity is satisfied, our distance from those "shining guys shortened", and our self-assurance secured by knowing that those "shining guys", too, are no more than ordinary humans.

　　Whereas those "shining guys", on the one hand, detest to be mixed up with ordinary human beings for they are naturally arrogant and supercilious--the inevitable by-products of fame and fortune--and strive to sustain their status and mystery, on the other hand, they have to please the public, for they know quite clearly that attention of the public is the very basis of their fame and fortune, whatever the causes of that attention. Thus, having a private life or not having a private life should not be a big bother to singers and movie stars. Actually, they sometimes are themselves selling their privacies in exchange for fame and fortune.

　　Yet for politicians, it is a different and a little bit complicated story. As leaders of our government, surely they have more significant responsibilities to shoulder and their behaviors matter more to the society and to every one of us. Considering the onerous tasks of politicians, should we, the public, and the mass media leave them alone and let them concentrate on their job, or thinking of the interests of the public, should the mass media act as a supervisor to those politicians and let the public be informed of their misdeeds?

　　As officials elected by the public and paid for by the public, politicians should undoubtedly under the supervision of the public and answer for the public. And the public, surely enough, have the right to ask for honest dealings of all kinds of issues of the government. When a politician&aposs private affairs, such as using what power he has to secure a higher position and a higher salary for his girl friend as the Director of the World Bank did, undermine the interests of the public, the public have the right to know such scandals and reconsider their faith been laid on the politician.

　　But what complicates the problem is that mass media, a commercial institution, is not always so just and serves only the interests of the public and the society--its shareholders&apos interests have the first and foremost priority. As a result, reporters all too often pry into the private lives of politicians, trying to dig out something provocative that could serve to stimulate the public&aposs appetite and skyrocket the sales of the newspaper.

　　Private life of a politician is also a vital card in the hands of his opponents. During the presidential election, private lives of presidential candidates have been snooped, exposed, exaggerated, distorted, fabricated and attacked. President Clinton&aposs affair with L. Monica almost costs him his presidency, while helps start his wife, Hilary Clinton&aposs political career.

　　All these cause pressure on politicians. Concededly, moderate pressure can help politicians remain high-spirited, discreet and prudent with their behaviors, too much pressure surely strains their nerves too much and thus undermines their energy and spirit, and therore their working ficiency.

　　However, a politician also takes advantage of his own private life to establish a wanted image of himself, to win him the critical vote, or to convey a particular political gesture. For instance, the former president of Argentina, Peron married 26-year old Evita, an actress who came from the lower rung of the social ladder, to indicate his determination to stand by the poor and fight for their rights, and this private affair won Peron hearts and faith of millions of peasants and, consequently, the presidency of Argentina.

　　Thus, private lives of public figures are a two-edged sword--proper use of it could bring magnificent benits for them, while abuse of it could leave them cut and injured, even fatally.

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