A penchant for reality television is not an entirely useless habit. Aside from whiling away the shiny hours it provides a fascinating look at the vagaries and conceits of modern behaviour.
Take Idols, in which wannabe-singers from across the land take part in a protracted televised knockout competition to determine ‘The next South African Idol!’ as the show’s catchphrase goes. The most striking aspect of these auditions is not the nuggets of talent that the Idols‘ judges unearth, but the prevalence and astonishing persistence of mediocrity.
True talent is a rare commodity; it is mostly dross that surrounds us. But this being the age of the individual, the apogee of selfishness and self-involvement, a distressing number of the talentless nitwits who enter Idols truly believe that they have great potential.
How could it be otherwise? Not only have they been encouraged in this delusion by soft-hearted and softheaded family and acquaintances, but this is also the century of entitlement.
Every kid is imbued with the fallacious belief that all are born equal in talent, that wealth and celebrity are a birthright, and all that is necessary to obtain this bonanza is to peel the blinkers from a recalcitrant world.
On Idols this means that there are literally thousands of contestants who — after warbling, screeching and without a shred of embarrassment revealing to the nation that they are total plonkers — just cannot accept the judges’ verdict that they have failed.
‘Gimme another chance,’ they beg. ‘I am passionate about singing and I just know that I have what it takes to be the next SA idol,’ they parrot.
It’s ugly stuff but, as befits a reality show, it is a slice of what happens in real life. Workplaces are full of people with ambitions beyond their ability.
There is, of course, nothing wrong with ambition, but it has to be anchored in a sense of what is realistically achievable. As importantly, to be socially useful it implies a willingness to prepare and to learn.
Success is not, as many imagine, a new category of human birthright, rather than the sometimes fortuitous result of a lot of effort, of slogging away determinedly even when undervalued. And entitlement is not an attitude that afflicts only celebrity-seeking kids.
Many African National Congress politicians and deployed cadres have succumbed to a particularly virulent strain of this kind of entitle-itis. And although the disease is rarely fatal to the carrier, it can ravage the society in which it takes root.
Pan Macmillan’s publication of former trade unionist Jay Naidoo’s autobiography, Fighting for Justice, is a reminder of a briefly different ANC. This was a liberation movement suddenly turned political party that was determined to change South Africa for the better by pulling it up by its bootstraps, by involving the brightest and best.
Unlike the useless drones that now overwhelmingly make up the ANC benches in the House, that first Parliament was blessed with an array of committed, capable people, who genuinely believed that they were there to serve the people.
How things have changed. Though Naidoo did not abandon his ideals — he remains deeply involved in independent social activism — he tested and found wanting an institution increasingly dominated by political manoeuvring and corruption. Like many other disillusioned parliamentarians, he left to make his fortune in business.
The kind of entitle-itis and lack of personal awareness that one sees on Idols is hilarious, albeit sometimes cringingly embarrassing. It is a different matter when it infects government, the civil service, and increasingly the business world. The antidote is a rare and strong medicine: critical introspection and the courage to recognise that one is not the centre of the universe.
Ever heard of the Dunning-Kruger Effect William? Those who are least competent lack the insight to realize their own incompetence and in fact think they are way above average.
Little Jay and big Jay made a fortune in business as genius’s, genuine intellect and aptitude unleashed? Or was it a case of “You won’t catch me because I’m part of the union.” What country does Saunderson Meyer actually live in? Amazingly idiosyncratic view of individuals,the world and its history. Too long perched on a sand dune overlooking the Durban Bay turns you into an idle —you just go completely intellectually vrot.Entitlement to a part of an old sand dune in the suburbs of sleepy Durban just ruins one completely especially watching and critiquing Idols and dreaming of the young Jay Naidoo .What have you been smoking?
I have not watched TV at all since 2007 and I don’t miss it in the least.
The victors of the Polokwane Palace Coup are well aware that their exciting new “Frankenstein” is now out of their control.
There are options open to them. 1.) Seek skills and capacity and plug the dyke, or 2.) Muzzle the press, further curtail the Judiciary, and move on down the well worn post-colonial path.
The former (1) cannot happen because of the implicit “mea culpa” required by the elite, AND the source of the available skilled resource required to reverse the delivery curve, (which are among our non-blacks and afro-expats which could support the existing (disappearing) capable core).
The latter (2) is preferred because history will likely treat this as “just another failure”, and there is some anonimity and relief in the ‘crowd’. Count the failures! Also at hand, are the plethora of proven ready excuses for the ensuing debacle (imperialists, capitalists, apartheid, whites, communists, lies, trade unionists, colonists and coconuts, private fifth column press, racist 3rd force Justice system, bloody agents, and the likes)
Worse, in favour of (2), very large wads of wonga can ease the pain of treason and one never has to deal with the socio-economic fallout or personnal insecurities, bargain!
So even though the realisation is there, it is sort of a Lady Macbeth situation….it is as easy to go across the river as it is to turn back.
HOWEVER, on either bank, a reckoning awaits ultimately.
Turn it around Mr. President! Be the man who stopped the rot and changed the face of a continent!
History only remembers one name in any occurrence. Jacob Zuma, you can be Amin or Obama, Mabuto sese Seko or Nelson Mandela.
C’mon Sir, your country needs you now!
Please.
“Every kid is imbued with the fallacious belief that all are born equal in talent,…”
“Workplaces are full of people with ambitions beyond their ability.”
“…the courage to recognise that one is not the centre of the universe”
For all its flaws, the reason why these shows are instant hits is because it inspires millions to believe in themselves in spite of the negativity from losers, who despite being born into privilege, achieve almost NOTHING in their lifetime.
As the wisdom of the East predicts – someone like you will only understand what it is to be on the receiving end of being born without any privilege in your NEXT lifetime.
The rot started under Mandela. Once in power, personal greed took over. The old guard needed a decent “pension fund” eg Modise, Maharaj. They also required money to keep the ANC machine going. So favours were traded for “Patriotic contributions”. All that has happened in the past 15 years is that the Mandela charm has been exchanged for the crass, short sighted and uneducated Zuma/Malema style of doing things.
Naidoo didn’t abandon his socialist ideals, he simply left to make a fortune in business!
Socialists make the best capitalists.
This backs you up…
“Incompetent people tend to grossly overestimate their skills.
People who laugh loudly at their bad jokes may appear to simply have poor taste, but scientists have found they actually don’t have a clue that they are not funny. The same is true of bad drivers who rate themselves as Michael Schumachers behind the wheel, and out-of-tune singers who are the first to grab the microphone at a karaoke evening. For psychologists have found it is a sad fact of life that incompetent people are so, well, incompetent that they don’t realise they are not very good at what they are doing – whether it is at school or work.
In four studies they found that it is the most useless individuals who regard themselves as funnier, more intelligent and talented than those who are actually all those things. More than 400 participants were given tests which measured their levels of humour, logical reasoning and English grammar. They were then asked to assess how well they would do in the tests. In each case, the bottom quarter of the group scored around 10 per cent in all the tests. But when questioned about the results, they thought they had scored better than average at around 60 per cent. But people who achieved the highest scores of around 80 or 90 per cent thought they would perform worse than they actually did, proving that high achievers underestimate their abilities…
Well said William.
@Dave Harris, I might desperately want to be an eagle, and I could “believe in myself” all I liked, but I’d still end up as a splat on the tarmac if I tried to fly.
It’s not that it’s wrong to back yourself and have confidence, but one should try to start from a sane estimate of one’s own abilities. And part of becoming excellent is taking criticism (hopefully more constructive than that dished out by the Idols judges, who are staggeringly mediocre themselves), and letting it spur one on to improve.
The “reality” culture elevates fame for its own sake, a useless concept, thinly veiled in some or other “talent” (like competitive eating, for example); all for the marketing and media moguls to make money from the public’s voyeuristic need to see mediocrity praised, and in that way feel better about their own prospects without having to consider the hard work and perseverance that lead to true achievement.
@Dave Harris. I take it you didn’t get through in the Idols Audition?
Bluewater Paul,
You’ve given this more than a moment’s thought haven’t you? Bravo, couldn’t agree more.
A fine and apt comparison! I love watching Idols – it’s my absolute best “comedy” show and provides me with a lot of belly laughs. Who cares who wins when such a great percentage of the applicants are so screamingly awful?
@D
” I might desperately want to be an eagle,…”
Therein lies the problem. Wanting to be an eagle is plain delusion but wanting to be LIKE an eagle may inspire one to take up handling or become a pilot etc…Whats wrong with that?
Understandably, these reality shows have their flaws, but it may also serve to empower and inspire people who battle the odds on a daily basis – like the majority of blacks in our country.
To understand so called “failures” in life then take a look at this ~1min clip http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vi1ZF8yG3v4
You see if they listened to a loser like William, they would never have made their contributions to our world.
I meant hang-gliding not “handling”
@Julian Frost
@Graham Johnson
Thanks guys, fascinating and new to me.
Whatever Mr. David Harris meant, please stop harassing the poor guy. Not only is he one of our top political and financial analysts, but he has ventured into past and future life prediction. By time we had a guru — and what better than one so steeped in the mire befitting an idols contestant. With the guru out there, I truly pity the likes of Saunderson-Meyer.
I hate reality shows and really don’t watch much t.v.at all, except in the Winter months when I catch up on movies. Life is enough of a reality show, for crying out loud …!
WSM, you’re not through to the next round; you’ve in the finals! Your article was not only entertaining, but seriously thought-provoking.
However, you stopped short: ANC contestents don’t only suffer from Entitle-itis. They appoint their own judges (if the judges don’t vote them through, they’re kicked out and replaced with ‘loyal’ members of the ANC.) IDLES contestents are all awarded huge money prizes. If they are caught cheating, so what! They make the rules, don’t they? – and change them whenever they want – as long as it suits the lining of their fat-cat pockets.
Where does the money come from to pay all the prizewinners? Aah, now that’s where the ratepayers and taxpayers come in.
And IDLES will continue until voters make a big Song-and Dance regarding our rights as citizens, the freedom of the press, our democracy, our constitution, ANC corruption and plundering of our future.
I can see how having one’s noble ideals dashed by not so noble comrades in arms could just make one go off in a huff to make millions.
What happened at M&G? Did someone spike the aircon? The latest posts read like the mad hatter’s tea party. Yours almost makes sense. Good comparison between idols and ANC, and…