Tuesday, December 2, 2008

The Importance of Being Earnest

With all due respect to Oscar Wilde, this post has nothing to do with his story of the same name. Rather, it is about disingenuous people who pretend to be sincere, all while knowingly deceiving others.

On the surface, we expect people to be relatively honest. Or at the very least, honest about the big, important things. Life's experiences, though, often teach us otherwise. People often lure us into their web of deceit, feigning earnestness. We, eager, trusting and all to willing to believe follow, fixated. Sometimes, our eyes are opened early on. Other times, we are led down the winding garden path for all too long, before we realize that the gilded pedestal we've put someone on is crumbling and only made of clay.

Such is the case of a certain low level celebrity. A person who posts on their own message board and recently launched a site of their own for "philanthropic" purposes. A person who can bloviate until the cows come home and who will never, ever admit they are wrong. A person with a not so hidden agenda who enjoys accusing fans of having them themselves. A person who wants to be worshipped as a god while stepping on those considered to be beneath them, focusing instead on fangirls a decade older than they, who lap at their feet while they grovel and beg for attention. A person who sits back and basks in the adulation, turning pitbull on anyone who dares question the Great and Powerful Oz.

A philanthropic website is one thing. Creating a message board where your 'fans' can 'discuss' and 'contribute ideas' to your unstated mission is another. It proves that the site is little more than a vanity project, something to have the old ego stroked over. Somewhere that you bring your pets in to run but SHHH!! Don't let anyone know, otherwise tempers will flare and someone may lose favor with companies willing to pay big bucks to hire them to speak. When the truth rears it's ugly head, it's greeted with jeers and nasty missives from so called moderators who's very existence is jeopardized by the truth. The truth is shut down, opting instead to live a lie...a lie that was green lighted by the very person who personally stated that they would lead their efforts with honesty...a line obviously meant to deceive.

I can no longer support this person, or the idea of what their mission was, because one deceit casts doubt on all other efforts, showing that you place no importance on earnestness.

4 comments:

newsjunkie said...

Wow. Yikes. I hope it's not who I think it is, but unfortunately I'm pretty sure it is.

Lisa said...

Oh, it certainly is...sad, isn't it? He's a legend in his own mind I guess.

He can only hope to attain a fraction of the greatness of Bob Dole in his lifetime ;)

newsjunkie said...

That's too bad. :(

Veterans certainly won't be clamoring for pictures with him anytime soon...

newsjunkie said...

I saw one of his commercials this morning and I cursed him out for you. :)