“American Seduction” Sex, Money, Power — Essay by Miles Jaye

“AMERICAN SEDUCTION”

Sex, Money, Power

By Miles Jaye

The story of seduction is as old as mankind. The Bible offers many instances of and warnings against temptation and seduction. Genesis 3:6, says Eve found the forbidden tree “pleasant to the eyes” and “she took of it and ate.” She was seduced!

Ephesians 6:11 says: “Put on the full armor of God so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.” Powerful men, men in high places throughout history would have done well to have heeded these words of wisdom. When Ancient Greek play-write Euripides, author of “Medea,” wrote in his play “Orestes:” “When one with honeyed words but evil mind, persuades the mob, great woes befall the state.” he could have easily been speaking of modern-day America.

Typically, when one thinks of the term “seduction,” salacious notions of secret rendezvous in dark secluded places, naughty night-time escapades between forbidden lovers in dimly lit restaurants, or hotel rooms just outside of town come to mind. Someone has given in to temptation and answered the call of their base, primal instincts.

The most simplistic definition of the term “seduce” is to entice someone into a sexual encounter, but consider its other implications, to lure, attract or persuade, and it becomes easier to spot in action. A fragrance can seduce, a song can be seductive, salesmen and politicians often employ charisma and rhetoric to seduce and persuade.

Perhaps the reason the Bible is so cautionary when it comes to seduction is that it typically leads the seduced down a path of compromised principles and into a place of regret. Imagine the regret, embarrassment, and shame of the high ranking military officers and government officials who found themselves on the receiving end of soft, whispered promises, seduced by Mata Hari or Josephine Baker– just two of history’s most infamous female spies. Think of all the influential figures today who’ve lost their way, in intoxicated pursuits of wealth, power and privilege, and of course, sex.

Marilyn Monroe was mistress to both President Kennedy and his brother Attorney General Bobby Kennedy. Monica Lewinski was the more recent femme fatale, the Jessica Rabbit of Bill Clinton’s downfall. President Trump and Rudy Giuliani are both known for their high-profile philandering.

As of this writing, former Presidential campaign chief, Paul Manafort, was found guilty on 8 out of 18 charges against him, former Trump attorney, Michael Cohen, pled guilty on multiple Fraud and Conspiracy charges, naming Trump as non-indicted co-conspirator, West Virginia Supreme Court Justice, Allen Lowery has been arrested and indicted on 22 counts of Fraud and Corruption, Congressman Chris Collins was arrested by the FBI on Securities Fraud and Insider Trading charges and Congressman Duncan Hunter was indicted for campaign fund violations. Powerful men, lost in lust for sex, money, and power—seduced!

Josephine Baker, best remembered for her risqué stage performances, her contributions to the French Resistance and later to the American Civil Rights movement, reminds me that Omarosa is not the first Black female seductress to masterfully deploy her cunning, guile, sly smile and cleavage to win over her opponents and score her objectives, but it goes further than that. In reading Trump’s tweet assaults on African Americans from Maxine Waters and Don Lemon to LeBron James, it becomes clear that he assumes Blacks lack intellectual prowess, thus giving Omarosa a decided advantage. One need only observe the shock of not just the White House but also the media who find it difficult to believe this Black woman could be so smart, so cunning– conniving.

The story of modern American politics is a Shakespearian type drama of power, corruption, and seduction. Donald Trump constantly seduces his base, leaving them excited, titillated and aroused. Vladimir Putin has seduced Trump to do his bidding and in real-time, by light-of-day, before our very eyes, Donald Trump and Omarosa Manigault-Newman have been engaged in an intimate, slow dance of seduction for more than a decade. Consider their public displays of affection. He delivered her the White House, but she was unable to deliver Black votes and approval ratings. Fired, jilted and scorned, she now delivers tapes, interviews, and promises of testimony to Special Prosecutor Mueller. It’s ugly!

The problem with seduction is that it’s pretty poison. It has the power to bring out the worst in the best among us. Lawyers, judges, teachers, preachers, and politicians are all susceptible to the power of seduction. So, the next time you see two cars pull up side by side in a parking lot and one person emerges and quickly enters the other car and they take off leaving one car behind, it’s probably a rendezvous, someone’s been seduced and more than likely, it will not end well.