Resist the Narcissists!
Posted at 5:35 AM on September 14, 2009
by Dale Connelly
(24 Comments)
Thanks to the people who came out to Radio Heartland's night at the 416 Club at the Cedar Cultural Center last night. David Stoddard and Six Mile Grove put on a terrific show! It was a pleasure to hear them at the Cedar, where neither had played before.
On news pages and call in programs, there's suddenly a lot of talk about narcissists. Apparently, if someone is a narcissist, we must point it out to everyone else so these self-involved charlatans don't fool the rest of us into thinking they're just an ordinary person. Some commentators who are critics of the president claim he is a narcissist, although I don't see how that's possible. Why would someone who is chosen from among all the citizens of the United States to hold the top leadership and policy making job in our government think very highly of himself? Especially with so many learned analysts hovering around, anxious to point out faults and flaws?
President of the United States has got to be one of the most humbling jobs on the planet. Almost as humbling as the job of News Commentator.
Or Disc Jockey. Or Poet.
It's very wise to keep a list
of who might be a narcissist.
If one is near, you must beware.
They may not know that you are there.They're so wrapped up in self, you see.
They're unaware of you or me.
They'll run you over. There's no doubt.
That's why we have to call them out.The President is number one.
Non-narcissistic folk don't run.
And all performers. Every kind
must have themselves foremost in mind.All athletes in every sport
are self-absorbed. They're just that sort.
The doctors and the scientists?
The lawyers? Teachers? Narcissists!The people on the TV set
and in the radio? You bet!
The judges and the bureaucrats.
Chefs and plumbers. Diplomats.The commentators, left and right
each kiss themselves to sleep at night.
Opinion givers great and small
are narcissistic one and all.It's true because I say it's so.
They are the stars of their own show.
While selfless folks like us are rare,
these narcissists - they're everywhere!
I think that's pretty good. But enough about me.
How much do YOU like my poem?
Comments (24)
hi there, Dale - thanks for the great, funny poem but i think neither you (nor president Obama) qualify as narcissists. i checked Mayo Clinic definition of the personality disorder:
"Narcissistic personality disorder is a mental disorder in which people have an inflated sense of their own importance and a deep need for admiration. They believe that they're superior to others and have little regard for other people's feelings. But behind this mask of ultra-confidence lies a fragile self-esteem, vulnerable to the slightest criticism........ In particular, narcissistic personality disorder is characterized by dramatic, emotional behavior, in the same category as histrionic, antisocial and borderline personality disorders....."
Rush Limbaugh? yes. congressmen who jeer the President during important speeches? yes. Dale Connelly? no.
Goats? no. (because they do not have fragile self-esteem nor are they vulnerable to my criticism)
Well Dale, based on the number of times you use some iteration of the pronouns 'they' and 'you', I can tell that you often project onto other people. Perhaps this is reflection of a tendency toward blaming others? Maybe what you need is to take a long, hard look in the mirror, remove the dust from your own eye and all of that. But I do appreciate the shout-out to teachers. We're actually a pretty big deal.
But seriously, the line about commentators kissing themselves to sleep is priceless. I lol'ed.
Thanks Barb and Lora.
I agree that goats are immune to fragile self-esteem and teachers ARE a pretty big deal.
But I don't think a long hard look in the mirror would help my case. I already do too much of that - hours at a time. Is that so wrong?
Hahahahaha... the title alone made me laugh.
Well, it's Monday. Have a great day all.
I know this is an overused word, but that is an AWESOME poem. However, it didn't become overused until all the ordinary, run-of -the-mill, rif raf sort of people started using it. I very much also appreciate the educational aspect of the poem, and Barb's post went even further - thank you Professor Bleat! Here I just thought I was conceited and self-centered. Yippee! I have a new word to add to my many match-making site profiles!
Dale, I spend hours looking at myself in the glass also. Is it so wrong that mine usually contains suds?
One more thing - why in the name of justice, can't Obama be the unpretentious leader that his predecessor was?
I'm confused......I thought narcissus-ists came out in the spring not in September.Could their emergence be a sign of global warming? Would that mean that Rush Limbaugh and Sarah Palin are actually the result of the climate change that they don't believe in?
Warm wishes to all in the Heartland!
...oh, were you saying something? I was busy admiring myself in the reflection of my cereal bowl...
Thanks for the very funny poem! Maybe all this narcissism is the self-esteem boosting stuff that's been pushed for the last 20 years coming home to roost (all those "good job!" and "great play!" shouts to our kids when what they have done is anything but just that).
Happy Monday all - hope everyone had a lovely weekend.
Wow, thanks Dale for the Jaymes' Summertime in the last hour! Reminds me of choral music, and our chorus starts up Tuesday. See how I managed to turn a thank YOU into something about ME? It happens so easily... a closet narcissist?
Wish me (see, here I go again) luck, I have a job interview this afternoon. Have a great day, everyone.
Greetings! Sorry, I don't have time for a long post -- too busy thinking about me, myself and I, dontcha know ... ;~)
Loved the poem, Dale! And just for the record, there's a big difference between being narcissistic and having a strong, healthy self esteem.
Barbara, my chorus starts up TONIGHT! So now it's all about ME! Oh my gosh I am as excited as if it were the first day of school. I am such a choral nerd.
Enough about me, what about me?
Happy Monday, All!
thanks for doing my venting for me dale. the column in the sunday opex section got to me too. it is good to see that the right is so off in lala land that this is their response to a man who is trying to right ship that has all but capsized. obama speaks to us because that is what leaders do (if they have the ability). i got the feeling she gets to read nick colemans column before we do and she writes something to counter the observations he makes. she is a perfect representative of the silent majority and why they should remain silent. when they speak out loud the flawed logic shows. great poem. keep it up.
Thanks for the Bruce Cockburn, Dale! Great start to Monday after getting the tired, squabbling kids off to school!
Donna, i LOVE my new moniker - professor bleat - thanks! it helps support my overblown image of myself. but i don't know what the rest of you are talking about because i only read the messages that have my name in them. Barbara - you may have to change your name because it is too close to mine and often your name in a message will trick me into almost reading it.
Good morning Dale, Thanks for all the great tunes, here's a poem for you:
It seems to me that narcissism
Reveals the very healthy schism
Between the dark of communism
And light that exits from a prism.
What if we make a reality tv show entirely composed of narcissists and watch what they do? Do you think anyone would sign up for that ;) Have a great morning.
I also find the name "Professor Bleat" to be a delightful moniker. Anyone would be proud to have it, Barb. Living up to it though - that's a challenge!
i just wonder, Dale (and Mike, too) - how do you rest if you are up at the Cedar til what i imagine would be a late hour and then write a poem to please us and get in to RH by some ungodly early hour? maybe you ARE the best.....
My apologies to all the riffraff for the previous misspelling of who they are. I didn't know how to spell it because I've never been a member of their class. Professor Bleat, maybe.
Thanks for the note of concern, Barb.
The event at the Cedar was a pleasure, and because it was a relaxed Sunday-like atmosphere it ended at a reasonable time. And the poem?
Sometimes a little fatigue is just what you need to finish a project on time. Too many functioning brain cells can just get in the way.
Donna, i'm more a hoi polloi gal myself :-) (had to look that up for spelling)
think with this new title i'll start a mailorder degree business - what would you like? we offer doctorates in: feeding goats, milking goats, goats' milk soap, cajeta, composting goat poop, goat health care, buck handling, goat perinatal care, or elective goat studies.
now i gotta quit fooling around and get out there to take them to pasture or they'll fire me
love, pb
"You are either with us or against us" is a fairly narcissistic statement, it seems to me.
Just sayin'...
I wonder if you could measure narcissism by the amount a person twitters? I would expect a strong positive correlation between one's degree of narcissim and the number and/or amount of time spent twittering. I suppose you could also do a content analysis of the twitters to determine if they were self or other oriented.
Uh-oh... I wonder if you could measure narcissism by the amount a person blogs. :o
Barbara - nah, we're too private to be narcissists. anyway, i want to keep my statuesque beauty to myself.
and Beth-Ann i have been giggling all day about your narcissus-ists.
you all - all of you - just tickle me. so clever. thanks
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