Scandals are useful because they focus our attention on problems in ways that no speaker or reformer ever could.

A scandal is an immoral, illegal and derogatory act, primarily involving people in seats of power, in multiple fields including politics, sports, business and other areas, which when exposed to the general citizens, creates a sense of disappointment and draws severe criticism from every tier of the civilized community. Thus, scandals have the ability to hog the limelight, to force the attention of multitudes from all spheres of society highlighting the wrongdoings that are being practiced in lieu of good faith, but I feel the statement that they can be utilized to correct such problems is questionable.

We are all familiar with the cliché that we can only learn from our mistakes and as such, the statement is indisputable. Only by analyzing our failures, can we determine what mistakes we have made so that we can take the necessary steps for correcting ourselves. The experience that we undergo when we fail remains embossed in our brains forever, and we strive, to never again, make the same the same mistake twice. Thus failure simply relates to a learning curve, an experience, from which we always take something useful away, which only seeks to renew our hunger to perform better.

But we must ask ourselves the question whether a scandal is necessary to make us realize our mistakes. This is because a scandal is morally wrong and a violation of the very rules, that we vowed to abide by in the civilized society. Consider the case of a renowned sports athlete caught in a doping scandal, or the case of a corrupt politician who is taken into custody for accepting bribes. Such events are rife in our everyday life, and always tend to capture the headlines of major newspapers. Granted, they grab our attention instantaneously, but we shouldn’t consider condoning such events, simply because of this. Such events invoke a strong sense of negative publicity, and thus steps should be taken and stringent rules and guidelines must be proposed so as to prevent their recurrence.

The statement suggests that scandals can capture our attention more effectively than a speaker or a reformer. This, I feel, is highly debatable. Reformers and speakers carry out numerous events ranging from demonstrations, plays, and conferences. They are responsible for inducting strong moral beliefs in ourselves, and try their utmost to prevent us from committing mistakes.

It may therefore, be concluded that intentionally condoning scandalous acts, simply for the sake of drawing widespread attention to themselves, is unethical, as is debasing the role that reformists and speakers play, to do the same. Instead we should strive to be more vigilant and focus on ensuring that scandals do not happen, for they bring nothing but shame to the society.