Project PANDORA
None of my moral principles are borrowed from Dan Rydell, a fictional character (played by Josh Charles) on the long lost television series Sports Night, but show creator and head writer Aaron Sorkin's skills as a wordsmith are indisputable and many of his best words, especially those that espouse* moral principles with which I hold, often end up coming out of Danny's mouth. The issue before us today is the ethics of stealing another chap's girl, and a good starting point is the following line, said by Dan to his almost-girlfriend Rebecca Wells (played by Teri Polo) in the episode "Ordnance Tactics":

I will absolutely not stand in the way of another man's marriage.

Matrimony is a bond, sacred and inviolable. Such is its gravity that marriage is one of the seven sacraments of the Catholic Church. As Mrs. Skeeter, Esq. recently articulated to my complete agreement, to accord similar status to any other type of relationship is to cheapen the bond of marriage. The raison d'être of marriage is to be substantively and demonstrably different from all other romantic entanglements. So, outside of marriage, boys and girls, all's fair in love and war.

That's an indefensible oversimplification, but very nearly all's fair, and there's not a thing wrong with being rather ruthless and cold-blooded about the whole business. Cheating on your girlfriend? That's wrong, and only a cur would behave in such a reproachable fashion. Unceremoniously dumping her and immediately moving on to the next girl? That's fair and right, because it's not like you were married. Care should be taken whenever possible to spare the feelings of others, and there's no reason for cruelty, but the fact remains that those not in a marriage are bound by neither oath nor obligation; if a lass feels that she should move on to other relationships, that she might find greater happiness with a different lad, it is probably best for all concerned that she does so. Participating in a girl cheating on her boyfriend? That's not strictly wrong, not on your part, but you're playing with fire, old son. I have long contended that if you can break up a couple, those two persons shouldn't have been together in the first place, or would certainly have no business staying together after such an imbroglio. But don't forget that you're playing with fire, and could very well face Benedict Arnold's problem: after he turned traitor, his redcoat colleagues never trusted him, their thinking proceeding along the lines of "once a turncoat, always a turncoat." If the gal was willing to cheat on her fella with you, how could you possibly trust her not to cheat on you with another fella?

Steal not from kith & kin, but everyone else is fair game. You don't steal a girl from a friend because to do so is to announce in no uncertain terms that you are friends no more. Uncertain, no, but, most unambiguously underhanded, yes. Then, not only do you have to wrestle with the certitude that you're a faithless knave, but you've also got to keep your new girl happy whilst defending yourself against the righteous vendetta of your erstwhile friend/her erstwhile paramour. It's not only wrong, it's messy, and ultimately unsatisfying. But stealing a girl from some dude, some guy you don't like, dislike, or don't know from Adam? Well, good on you, keep up the good work. After all, it's Hobbes's bellum omnium contra omnes out there, "the war of all against all." You and your boon companions are bound by the social contract of fellowship; you and some dude are bound only by the more limited social contract of citizenship. If you want her, and you can steal her from him, do so. The fact that you can shows that she thinks she shouldn't be with him, that she's willing to take the chance on being happier with you. What some dude wants doesn't even enter into consideration.

The some dude with whom we are concerned, or rather unconcerned, is Love/Hate's ex-boyfriend. He is to me just some dude I've never even met, someone to whom I have not the least obligation, someone whose girlflesh I am at liberty to pilfer. Or, he was. I learnt on Saturday that Love/Hate's relationship with him was kaput; I know no more about the particulars of the end of the affair. So, if I am not to pursue Love/Hate, I need not bother about the ethics of stealing another chap's girl. Still and all, it's good to review things like this every now and again, to double check that one's conduct is upstanding and forthright, that one comports oneself with dignity and honor.

We close with a further excerpt from Dan's conversation with Rebecca, with whom Dan is smitten, but whom Dan has learned is in fact only separated from her sleazebag husband, not divorced as she had previously claimed:

Dan: "…but I reaffirm my position that I'm here for you. It would be wrong for us to date, but it should be noted that I'm here for you."
Rebecca: "Where?"
Dan: "Here."
Rebecca: "So, your strategy for this is to be wonderful."

*Like the pun?

This Week in Motorsport
To the delight of some of The Secret Base's readers, I am dreadfully far behind. I've two F1 grands prix and an A.L.M.S. "sprint race" about which to opine, with further rounds of the Formula One World Championship and the American Le Mans Series to be contested this upcoming weekend. To the dread of some of The Secret Base's readers, I should be delighted to catch up sooner rather than later.

The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day
Los Fabulosos Cadillacs, "El Matador" via iTunes (T.L.A.M.)