"Scandals-- whether in politics, academia, or other areas-- can be useful. They focus our attention on problems in ways that no speaker or reformer ever could."
Scandals are always focused on its adverse effectiveness of diminishing people's morale and harming people's spirit. Nevertheless, the speaker contends that in fact sandals are useful when they appeal people to pay attention on problems in ways that no speaker or reformer ever could. While I insist that scandals have a lot of disadvantages especially in today's information era, I agree that they play a important role in exposing social problems.
Scandals incite people's attention on some hidden problems that are generally hard to detect and help reform the situation dissented by them. We call some issues as scandals because we believe they are adversely beyond the normal imagination about the society and are significant enough to call almost all nation's attention. The most famous scandal in recent years in politics is Nixon's Water Gate, which reminded people of the importance of politicians' honesty. And some professors' fictions on statistics critical to their studies these years bring about the public discussion on academic ethics again. To normal people, politicians and scholars are originally deserved respect and trust, while their dishonest behavior besmirch the glory imposed on them, remind people of closer scrutiny about them and give them a opportunity to reflect their activities to avoid such things happen again. To regain people's trust and respect, those who are related in the scandals will perform more regularly and care more about the standard of people lest they are abused to commit crimes again.
However, by nature scandals are an unhealthy factor of the society that overload of them will cause calamity of the society as a whole. Politicians are striving not to behave or be exposed the illegal or irregular activities because they are aware of the worse result of it for themselves-- lose the power and be burdened with the awful reputation of dishonesty and so forth, as well as for the society-- fall into disorder and chaos which endanger the stability of the country and hinder the development of it. Once some scandal is exposed there will be a fall in stock correspondingly. Thus it's perilous to welcome sandals, the wiser attitude toward it is to abhor and try to diminish them.
Unfortunately, people are excited to be exposed others' scandals by nature especially of those celebrities, which leads to the overwhelming focus on scandals for media to cater to the interests of people. Today's media exerts every effort to find out the unique scandal exclusive from others. Although we concede that it will help people learn about the truth of politics and academia as mentioned above, too intensive intention to discover sandals of media is easily produce doubt about the society even nothing is exposed. Without trust in those who serve to enhance people's well-beings, the whole society will fail to work consistently and concertedly with effect.
To sum up, generally I agree with the speaker's claim that scandals have some merit in exposing problems that are hidden by ostensible peace. However, I contend that overrating scandals by today's media will deteriorate the entire welfare of the society. (45 min 510 words)