Self-Promotion

Self-Promotion

“We are all Clapping Monkeys, but while some of us smile, others look around to see if anyone has noticed.” ― Fennel Hudson,

What Is Self-Promotion?  Self-promotion is an attempt to present yourself as someone who is a bit more than he or she actually is, to others. This is a natural tendency when we meet someone new. This is an attempt to earn respect from this new acquaintance.

There are quite a few occasions when a little self-promotion is a necessity and acceptable, especially when competing for scarce resources, such as while attending to an interview for a job or a promotion, not to mention the attempt to catch the eye of a pretty girl you have a fancy for. However, this leaves the self-promoter, in most cases with a liability, to fulfil expectations beyond their capacity to achieve. This often creates an embarrassment and loss of face.

Failure to measure up and the embarrassment that follows are reasons to abhor self-promotion. Failure to measure up and the embarrassment that follows are reasons enough to abhor self-promotion. However there are other areas, more important, where there is enough reasons why self-promotion needs to be kept at bay.

Today in an age of blatant self-promotion and creation of false images, we see people being betrayed by their own representatives and political leaders, in whom they have reposed a great deal of hope. It is not just their thick skin that save the politician. It is his ability to pass the buck and to incriminate opposing political parties for the failure that give them the ability to survive even after being exposed as a total failure. A politician can take refuge in blaming opposing parties for causing the failure, who in turn does just that when they face the same problem.

Self-promotion is a moral issue that goes beyond all other forms of corruption. When someone tries to portray himself or herself to be what they are not or as having capabilities beyond reality, they in fact are betraying the trust in a lot of people. These exhortations to greatness need to be understood as a major offenses, when this is in relation with trust at public levels. A politician who promises more than he can be fulfilled, should be prevented from even being allowed to run for public office or to address the public, pretending to be their face.

Self-promotion, can never be wiped off the face of the earth as long as people exist. However it can definitely be held at bay by the effort of those who are at the listening end. All they need to do is ignore such hogwash and when it is a question of public trust, every word has to be questioned and credentials presented for such claim. For example, if a politician claims to be able to remove an ill in the society, he needs to be asked to present credentials and records of having achieved at least a part of it, or else present a documented plan of action that will be achieved by a time schedule.

A little bit of self-promotion will happen, especially when trying to attract the attention of the opposite gender. However when it is used as a tool to achieved undeserved gains. It needs to be put in place.