Shame On Charlotte

Our family receives the city's publication, simply titled Charlotte. My youngest was perusing it as I checked over her math this afternoon, and asked me if I had any idea how much the purse displayed on pg. 23 cost. I didn't even look up, knowing that handbags go for ridiculous amounts of money. I guessed $130.

"No!" she replied, happy to shock me, "it's four-hundred-and-fifty-dollars!" This led us to a discussion on how out of touch media is with the reality most of us live in. At first, she defended the bag, a little caught up in the fact that it might even be "genuine leather." I couldn't allow my little one (she's 12) to be taken in by such foolishness, so I asked her how much the entire outfit would run somebody. Quick to take the challenge, she added up the cost for a shirt, an extremely skimpy denim skirt, a pair of sunglasses, and the afore-mentioned leather bag. Then we rounded tax up to 10% for simplicity's sake. The grand total was a whopping $1,000. Sick! (and by that I mean the literal use of the word.) I decided to write a letter to the advertising department outlining our little conversation, asking politely for Charlotte Magazine to take a big swig of a dose of reality. That's a monthly mortgage or rent payment ballpark!

All of this led me to take a closer look at this gazette. I must admit, most magazines have gone the way of soap operas for me and there are few that I find make the priority list of time expenditures anymore. As I perused the table of contents, I was delightfully surprised to see a friend of mine had an article within its pages on the bonding a family vacation can bring. ;D And I always enjoy reading restaurant reviews and recommendations. However, most of the material was on the subject level of what I politely call "fluff."

One article, however, filled me with deep distress. Titled Cheater, Cheater page 17 was littered with the description of an online dating service which is designed to cater to those in "committed relationships, particularly marriages." Yes, you heard me right. A dating service for married folk. This organization panders to the unfaithful in heart and intent. "It's for people who are looking to pursue something on the side without their partner's knowledge," says owner Noel Biderman, unapologetically. Here are some of its stats:

- Almost 9,000 members to date

- Usage has grown 63% from April 2009 to April 2010

- One third are women

- Newly married women using the site has increased 192% within the same time period

One anonymous stay-at-home mother of three confessed to having dated three men, but has finally found the one to leave her husband for. Our ingenuity at self-deception has reached new lows of creativity. Reflectively, this mother mused that women are looking elsewhere than their mates for a stronger emotional connection, but most men are simply looking for sex. Big surprise.

The article gives the reasoning that with the growing celebrity of infidelity it is becoming more accepted, even in "a traditionally conservative town like Charlotte." Rationalize, excuse, explain, find something to which we can point to try to figure out why we are doing what we are doing. In the end, it is all smoke and mirrors. We are no different than those in the garden or the Israelites during the time of the Judges when their situation of not having a king led to the life style where "Everyone did what was right in their own eyes." (Judges 21:25)

The Father of Lies is laughing big time over this one.