Publically acknowledging the little people who helped you along
the way—especially in writing—is not a good idea. Yes, we know you
couldn’t have done it alone, but on the other hand, plenty of other people have
done it too and it’s not all that big a deal. Unless you’ve just been elected
Pope or somehow convinced Kim Jong-un to renounce his North Korean citizenship
and move to Peoria, or something equally remarkable, you don’t have to remark
on it. You did it. Fine. That’s enough for all of us.
But thanking the little people? That’s where the real trouble
starts. First of all, they probably do not see themselves as the little people,
as bit players in the more important narrative that is you, so their first
reaction to your acknowledgment will be genuine surprise. Then, for a moment,
they’ll appreciate the shout-out until they realize that not only was it an act
of self-aggrandizement, but also an act of them-degrandizement. (I know, degrandizement probably really isn’t a word, much less them-degrandizement, but it ought to be.) They
probably always thought up till now that you were a little full of yourself but they were
willing to put up with you for their own ends, i.e., for your role in the
playing out of their narratives. But
now that they realize that their narratives mean nothing to you, they will cast
you off like baby boomers cleaning the leisure suits out of their storage
closet (unless they can actually still squeeze into them, in which case they
will hold onto them on the odd chance that they will come back into style
someday because, well, doesn’t everything.)
If you really want to do something to thank the little people,
leave them alone. They’ll be all the happier for it, and, more importantly, you
won’t have to sink to their level and pretend you care about them. It’s a
win-win for everyone.
//
.
No comments:
Post a Comment