Everywhere we turn these days, it seems to me that we’re hearing about taking care of ourselves first, making time for ourselves, or doing something on “my schedule”. Historians may well look back on this period, calling it the “era of the selfie”. We can date the period of extreme self-centeredness with the advent of taking self-portraits instantly, when the slogan “America First” won presidential elections and took hold as a governing principle. Where our own interests become our consuming personal philosophy.
Continue reading “Are We Becoming Self-Centered?”Month: April 2026
True “Influencers”
In the comics today, Blondie’s daughter and her boyfriend talk about being “influencers”. By way of explanation, she wants to “influence” other people to “make her an influencer”. I’ve recently been curious about the growing careers of online “influencers”, particularly by young people. I’m not sure really what they do, except to post their views, their tastes, and their perspectives on a social media platform and see who responds. And apparently, millions do. A few years back, during the college acceptance bribery scandal, an actress’s daughter, admitted to a California university on a sports scholarship for a sport in which she didn’t participate, the daughter, interestingly, posted that she really didn’t need the scholarship because she already had a career as an “influencer”. And at age 19 at the time, she would bring a rich variety of life experiences and insights to that. Oh, dear Lord. I should point out to that my blogs and occasional newspaper commentaries don’t qualify me to be an influencer, because I’m not. I am merely an observer, writing about things going on around me. Commenting on oast experiences that have shaped my life, but certainly not blazing a path for others to follow.
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I'm Thinking...No! 