Fallen Gods

I saw yesterday where Tiger Woods' swing coach dropped him as a client.  Seems he had a problem with Tiger's - appetite.

Tiger has joined the ranks of Fallen God's.  This group is made up of those we have held in high esteem only to find they are mere mortals with good publicists.

We, as in "we the people" not the we of you and me, tend to hold those basking in the light of fame as something greater than ourselves.  It's as if fame imbues them with godlike powers.

I can see you saying, "No Jim. While you are right on nearly everything, you are not right on this one."

Perhaps.

But, how can we explain why people start to rent from National once they find out John McEnroe endorses them?  Why do we buy, vote or dress like the famous tell us to if we didn't somehow think their opinion matters more than say, the guy next door?

I had a company approach me as say that William Shatner was interested in doing a commercial for my company.  Imagine that!  Captain James T. Kirk was surfing the web and came across me.  He then did some research and was sold.  I am his man.

Turns out, he does this standard promotional thing and they basically insert the name of your company and it looks like he is endorsing it.  He does it once and then some underlings try to sell the fake endorsement.

So, it's fake.  Does this mean everything is fake?  Well, if the Captain of the Starship Enterprise is willing to sell his name for a buck, to endorse something he knows nothing about, then I say, "Yep, it's all fake."

This brings me to our elected officials.  Bush was a C student with a powerful dad.  Cheney worked for oil and "all things Halliburton."  Were they truly Gods amongst us or were they mere mortals, subject to the temptations and failings we non-famous endure?  Sarah Palin is another C student (albeit a very hot one).  She is barely qualified to be a spokesperson for dishwashing soap and yet, she is famous and therefore, qualified to run for president.

There are no gods among us.  We are all frail and faulted.  We are all perfectly human.

We want gods.  We want to believe that Tiger Woods is perfect or that our elected officials are honest and not self-serving.  That is just not the case - not with any of them.

I can say this because I walk amongst the non-gods.  I am one of the masses.  And when I come across a large stone to climb upon, I do so only to see that there are no heads higher than mine.  I want there to be but alas, we, you and I, are as good as it gets.

What's the moral of this story?  Don't vote for the most familiar face.  Don't listen to the one that talks the loudest.  Listen for the truth.  You will know it when you hear it.

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j