Shame versus Sex

I've defined for myself why the Scott/Jessica sham made many fans gag. Although the photos purported to show private moments, the atmosphere and wardrobe styling were full on walk of shame.

The walk of shame refers to a situation in which a person must walk past strangers or peers alone for an embarrassing reason before reaching a place of privacy.
    wikipedia

Scott's sham experience in a nutshell.

Scott and Jessica often were in a place of privacy while simultaneously under the gaze of all of us strangers. It was difficult to process this apparently shame-based (public) yet private (but not private) experience and know why, if it was so icky for everyone, they insisted on parading private stuff for us.

Scott sported the general mien worn by John Meyer when Meyer had to take Jessica Simpson out:

John Meyer and Jessica Simpson

Scott Moir and Jessica Dube

Meyer was obliged because he was banging Simpson. As a celebrity and media ho, she needs to show she's wanted, and backdoor stuff isn't going to fly with her, not if the guy wants to keep his privileges.

Scott didn't HAVE to "let" "Jessica" constantly parade who he was fucking if he was so mortified, so since he obviously was mortified, why did he? That's why all the Meyer-like theories sprang up.

Sham, Inc. imagined it was delivering something along these lines:

Plausible, innocuous placeholder.

But it was this:

"I felt suffocated, miserable and gross.
I should never have gone down that route."
Ben Affleck

We could tell, Ben.

If what you're doing makes you feel as Scott felt when with Jessica:

I love my girlfriend so much I can't look at her.
("Dad - wtf?"
Scott: Go ask your mother.)

or sitting next to the woman he loves, lying about who they are to each other:

 Not humiliating at all.

You shouldn't be doing it. Nobody should push you to do it, and if you're pushed, no matter how  you love them - no.* All different kinds of integrity took a beating in this mess - the relationship of a partially publicly supported institution and the public is one; Scott's core self, his instincts and values as a man is another. It's not really trivial, even if the latter isn't particularly anyone's business. Still, it was in our face. How could we not notice. It sucked.

The people who love you shouldn't convince you squelch every instinct you own when those instincts have been dead on in the rest of your life. The person you're protecting should figure if you're able to protect what needs protecting in other areas of your shared lives, you're capable of protecting your combined privacy without becoming the face of a desperate-looking and humiliating years-long charade. As fantastic as their professional and private lives have been, that all this is on the record is heartbreaking because it wasn't necessary. It's 100% on them. It's hard to imagine a human being less suited for a sham relationship than Scott Moir, even before you start thinking Jessica Dube is a good idea for him. So naturally, Skate Canada thought it was fab and they glowed with self-congratulation.

While it's not really blog-topic oriented as far as the sham goes (if not as far as how many people who love and know them view Scott) I don't think it's any secret that a lot of people feel this wouldn't be Scott's chosen way of managing things, but he was outgunned. He's the youngest child in his family, the most tempermental, the moodiest, the most hotheaded, the one David Pelletier said should stay quiet and let Tessa do the talking (yes, bot-speak is always better, David), the supposed eternal child, the most aggressive and for sure, the most impatient. Surely all of that should be squashed and he should be squeezed into an ill-fitting sham suit for five years because cooler, wiser heads prevailed. Let the smart, sophisticated people be in charge:

Have everyone you know comment how happy all this looks. Let's have it last forever!

Actually I'm still confused about why, if they actually wanted people to buy the sham, some of these photos were posted. As well as wondering what marketing theory advises that when something is unconvincing, the best defense is overkill.

In public public, Scott was an intense, hyper, goofy, charming guy with a habit of evasion when it came to his romantic life, a guy who clearly had at least a major crush on his gorgeous, charming, talented, intelligent partner and who treated her with undisguised adoration. On facebook it was so bad that even the biggest proponents of the sham couldn't pretend it looked good. They had to make up personal experience of having been in Scott and Jessica's company where, seen in 3D, they were cute, sweet and adorable. It just wasn't photogenic.

I don't think Scott was or is a victim - he's a lucky guy with major wonderful things in his life and was an adult when he agreed to this, and he's a full on grown-up and then some now, and still agreeing. However, I don't believe anyone on the planet, including those around Scott and Tessa but not hands on in the sham, believe he's  the one who put on the breaks about coming clean, who shut every window of opportunity each time one opened. The wise heads, the adults, the parents, in Tessa's life and Scott's life apparently all agreed this was a great idea. Skate Canada is a big fan and driving force. The number of people it took to agree, cooperate and engineer this thing is disturbing when you look at the ratio of adult involvement to level of weird and degree of insanity and how Scott and Tessa enable it due to lack of God knows what - looks like lack of courage to me.
___________________________
*I wonder if there was ever something like: "You don't have to do it - I will if you're too uncomfortable." Considering the size of the posse - Moirs and Virtues AND Scott - when Tessa shammed with Ryan Semple, I'd guess for Scott that alternative would be easier on us, tougher on him. Such a shame there were no third options.