[CardinalSagehen]

On the morality question, a 47 year-old with a 22 year-old could be considered a gray area, but it's definitely inappropriate when one person is the dean and the other is an active student. That said, I think the public shame and the likely loss of her careers in politics and academia are quite severe punishments for Ms. Lythcott-Haims.

While the "public shame" should IMO indeed cost Ms. Lythcott-Haims her political career, it is not clear that will be the case at all. We have significant evidence that much of the electorate (I fear probably most) does not consider personal morality, integrity or character at all in their political choices. If you appear to back the "correct" set of causes and are endorsed by the "right" people you are just fine, no matter what else you have done. It would be nice if that were not the case, but here we are. This situation is not confined to one party or political persuasion. It is demonstrably ubiquitous.

I agree. I have a feeling, in Lythcott-Haims’ case, that her own shame will cause her to stay out of the arena going forward. I’m probably wrong.  

As for her continued involvement in the Youth Council, we’ll know next month. I wonder if one of the other parents will raise concerns to the program administrator if she continues? My guess is that she won’t let it come to that.

[CardinalSagehen]

On the morality question, a 47 year-old with a 22 year-old could be considered a gray area, but it's definitely inappropriate when one person is the dean and the other is an active student. That said, I think the public shame and the likely loss of her careers in politics and academia are quite severe punishments for Ms. Lythcott-Haims.

While the "public shame" should IMO indeed cost Ms. Lythcott-Haims her political career, it is not clear that will be the case at all. We have significant evidence that much of the electorate (I fear probably most) does not consider personal morality, integrity or character at all in their political choices. If you appear to back the "correct" set of causes and are endorsed by the "right" people you are just fine, no matter what else you have done. It would be nice if that were not the case, but here we are. This situation is not confined to one party or political persuasion. It is demonstrably ubiquitous.

I agree. I have a feeling, in Lythcott-Haims’ case, that her own shame will cause her to stay out of the arena going forward. I’m probably wrong.  

As for her continued involvement in the Youth Council, we’ll know next month. I wonder if one of the other parents will raise concerns to the program administrator if she continues? My guess is that she won’t let it come to that.