Booming Egos
May 26, 2009, by Carine Fabius
Carine Fabius reflects on boomers, overinflated egos and signs of the times.
In what might have been George Carlin’s last stand-up gig, he aimed his razor-sharp verbal AK-47 on baby boomers, and I’m still trying to recover from all those small, bleeding slits he left on my body. Okay, so he came off just a teeny bit angry, as in The Angriest Dog in the World; but boy, did he hit the bull’s eye on our generation’s outsized egos.
Just the other night, I, the one who turned off the TV set at age 15, happened onto an Anderson Cooper special that made me remember why I hit the power button and chucked the boob tube all those years ago (no offense to all the TV lovers out there; I’m sure there’s a ton of great stuff I’ve missed out on). In this perfect demonstration of 24-hour cable presenting crap and calling it something else, like “Special,” financial guru Suze Orman was interviewed, and here’s what she said about herself: “I am the personal financial expert to the world!”
In a choreographed moment, my husband, my brother-in-law and I turned toward one other, raised our eyebrows and smiled in shock. But there was more to come. She then said, “There is nothing I don’t know about money!” The woman interviewing her did not say, “Don’t you feel ridiculous making such silly statements?” No. Although she couldn’t hide her disbelief, she smiled, and said NOTHING. That in itself deserves analysis, but that’s for another day.
On the heels of this genuflection before our own reflection (for which Suze Orman was rewarded with a cover story in the New York Times Sunday Magazine), a few days later, President Obama announced his plan to rewrite the tax code so that those very corporations outsourcing American jobs would no longer be allowed to duck paying taxes by ferreting their money out to other countries—along with those jobs.
Now, my own unscientific survey tells me that everybody hates paying taxes. However, as has been stated by others before, this country is experiencing an economic 9/11, a time when Americans are supposed to come together to fight our way out of this mess in order to bring back the good times. And what happened when Obama made this announcement? The business community roared their fury at the nerve of this guy trying to get them to pay their fair share! They didn’t quietly mumble to each other their disgust; they did not surreptitiously try to lobby against the new rules. No, they said it loud: I’m crap and I’m proud! Reminded me of the Nazis who righteously declared Jews to be sub-human; of the Taliban, who defy the world to say they’re wrong about the status of women; of the Bush administration insisting to one and all that torture is good! Really, really good!
Ever since embarking on a spiritual path at age 20, I have focused on trying to recognize the early signs of my ego making like it’s on steroids. So, when I see ego on the loose, in its full, unrestrained ugliness, I have to bow my head and say to the late, great George Carlin, you were right.
May 26th, 2009 at 7:44 am
You are sooo right on in this piece, Carine. I’ve been amazed for years at my generation of women who deferred having children till their forties (rightfully so, there was much to be done), and then treated their babies as though they were the new baby Jesus. And cell phones–Please we all act like mini-CEO’s taking meetings in our Volvos. JEEZ! When did we all get so important?
Being self assured and confident is your ego working in harmony with others. One step over the line and it’s all ME ME ME. Thank you, frikkin’ Bernie Madoff and the other ego maniacs that have held power for the last umptyump years….JEEZ!
May 26th, 2009 at 12:19 pm
Suze Orman lost me when she said there is a correlation between the amount of money in a woman’s wallet and her weight. Huh? What a complete, freakin’ idiot. And, can we talk about that voice? Ay yi yi, fingernails on a chalkboard. She’s just another “Secrets” scam artist selling a non-existent commoditiy (her “wisdom”) so as to underwrite her three-house lifestyle. Sorry Suze, no sale.
May 26th, 2009 at 3:05 pm
When someone like Suze Orman surrounds herself with yes people and is so driven that she can’t hear or see reality, the ego gets so blown up it seems like it will burst at any moment. Celebrity is a weird state. Some people actually just hear but don’t listen to what she’s saying, except for the advice, and it works for them.
What about those children of boomers who have the “me me me” complex to the second degree? Self-esteem boosters (parents) have made them feel that they are so special that they are entitled to money, fame and good fortune without having to work for it. Oh my.
May 26th, 2009 at 6:06 pm
Hmmm… sounds like Suze’s hitting a nerve.
But really, what difference does it make if Suze thinks of herself as “the financial expert to the world”? So what? Wouldn’t a truly spiritual and evolved person look at her and say, “Oh, that Suze! Well, her heart is in the right place and she’s probably helped millions of people get their shit together, so God bless her!”
BTW, I fancy myself as being spiritual, but I’m evolved enough to know I’m an a-hole.
May 26th, 2009 at 10:51 pm
I think I was just called an asshole… I don’t begrudge Suze Ormond her success, and I’m happy for those she’s be able to help. But I know a big ego when I see one, and even though I may have been an unwilling asshole plenty of times, I still wouldn’t want to wallow in her ego. God bless her!
May 27th, 2009 at 9:02 am
In just about every spiritual text there is a teaching which goes something like this…”Those who think they know, know nothing”, and then another line which speaks to the reverse concept ” When someone proclaims themselves King of something
(Muhammad Ali, James Cameron), or Queen Expert on something(the aforementioned), what they are really looking for is a reaction. Its theatre and media. It sells books and encourages media buys. By participating, writing, commenting, we in essence drink their Kool Aid and feed the beast.
May 27th, 2009 at 12:16 pm
Gotta tell ya’, girlfriend, you made some very good points! We boomers may have cornered the market on ego. Somehow our well meaning parents left us with a legacy of scary self-significance and we embraced it! Maybe all the mirrors will crack.
May 27th, 2009 at 5:34 pm
It seems that Suze Orman has helped tons of people and good for her for doing it. However, I totally agree that a little humility would go a long way and shouldn’t others be saying how smart, good and wise she is? If we’ve got the big egos, then what would you call the next generation (or two)behind us? Narcissists?
May 27th, 2009 at 11:29 pm
Carine–
I totally did not call you an asshole; I don’t know you well enough! (Yet.) Nope, I truly mean I’m an asshole–see? It’s not always about you. (And you think Suze has the ego…)
XOXO (really)
Linda
May 28th, 2009 at 7:00 am
As a recovering publicist, I can only cite the age-old wisdom of my (former) industry: “Clients always believe what is written about them in their press releases.”