The Price of Sensation

Scandal's human costs often disappeared in sensation. Dreyfus spent years in tropical prison for crimes he didn't commit. Lucie Dreyfus aged decades during her husband's ordeal. Children of scandal figures faced lifelong stigma. Suicides followed exposure. Lives destroyed provided public entertainment.

The focus on individual scandals obscured systemic problems. The Panama scandal blamed particular corrupt officials rather than questioning speculative capitalism. The Dreyfus Affair exposed military anti-Semitism without addressing widespread prejudice. Sexual scandals punished women while protecting male clients. Scandal served as safety valve preventing deeper reforms.

Yet scandals also advanced justice. The Dreyfus Affair ultimately strengthened republican values and rule of law. Financial scandals led to banking reforms. Sexual scandals gradually expanded discussion of women's rights. Progress came through sensation rather than rational reform.