jesters and truth
by Boris Glebov
Published: May 15, 2008
I have recently been elected to serve as vice president of my university’s Graduate and Professional Council, our student government. A couple weeks after the election, I was at a swing dance – pinstripe starched shirt and flaming suspenders and all – which was also covered by our university’s daily paper. One of the photographers was on me and my friend for an entire dance. While it was fun to show off for a camera, an odd thought crossed my mind – is it appropriate for an elected official to show up in the morning paper, dressed up so flamboyantly, jumping and jiving? Though I was able to shake off this silly concern, it started a whole new train of thought…
Connection between public image and self-perception is common, and our culture’s emphasis on marketing over product only reinforces it. We buy unsafe, expensive cars because they make us look powerful. We starve ourselves to look like the impossible computer-enhanced magazine covers. We vote for people who wave flags and tell us they will get rid of monsters under our beds. This deceit goes a step further, however. When this endless media campaign touches upon us, we begin to believe that it is all real. We laugh at the suckers who drive station wagons. We starve ourselves to become beautiful. Maybe we even believe that if we wave enough flags, we really do love our country and know what is best for it.
In the end, we become akin to anorexic and bulimic teenage girls. In their minds, they are just one size away from perfection, just one starved day away from becoming the next beauty queen. In reality, they are empty, frightening husks. News media only adds fuel to this fire of self-destruction. Whether it is when they publish pictures of Faith Hill edited to make her appear thinner or when they parade meaningless stories about popularity rankings, flag pins and hand-picked lines from a single speech, it is all the same game – holding people up to an impossible standard and one that is not even any good. There is no real difference between a glam tabloid and a cable news channel – they are out to sell you a story, no matter how much fake glitz they have to slather on it.
Under such scrutiny, politicians must feel tremendous pressure to conform, to set aside who they really are so that they appear in the right light. I can hardly imagine the cognitive dissonance they must experience. So if polls suggest that the leader must be one of the people, those trying to be leaders will faithfully do their best to look like they are one of the people. That is how we end up with ridiculous stuff like Hillary Clinton pretending to take a shot of whiskey and McCain delivering a commencement speech at Liberty University.
Undoubtedly, it is important that our leaders have empathy with the people. However, I think it is much more important that they be honest. Ridding themselves of false and grandiose misconception will bring politicians much closer to the people, more than the best photo ops can. I do not want my leaders to be exactly like me. I want them to preserve their individuality, to remain who they are. When they do differ from me in some way, I want them to stand up and acknowledge it instead of hiding behind vague words and fake smiles. That is the real strength of character.
As it stands, we idolize those far above us, and by forcing this image on them, we destroy them. Once we force a life of personal lies on someone, is it that surprising when they eventually turn to pandering, self-serving and corruption?
The only way to keep yourself sane is to stand back and laugh at it all. This is why when the world becomes too much, I retreat to my religion – the Holy Trinity of Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert and The Onion. Their scathing craft makes me think that I am not alone, that someone else can see that the emperor and, in fact, the whole court are walking around naked. Per old adage, the jester speaks the truth.
There is a bit of cynical attitude toward die-hard fans of these three. “Oh, you are one of those people who gets all their news from the Daily Show - how sad and pedestrian!” I disagree. It is not the facts that we get there. It is our attitudes, our sense of what is real, our very sanity.
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