There are four sane responses, it seems to me, to the below video by Gary Vaynerchuk, who is described by himself as “one of the leading global minds on what’s next in culture, relevance and the internet,” and who has 4,952,952 followers on LinkedIn.
- Outrage, at the self-involved imbecility of this guy, and anyone in your own life who he even vaguely reminds you of.
- Gratitude, that you don’t work for him (or, one hopes, anyone like him).
- Filthy joy, at watching it over and over again until you stop laughing and begin to solemnly revere the purity of this inanity.
4. Or despair, for the sorts of people who watch this stuff and think it is deep. People like one of the many commenters on this video:
“It is so amazing and refreshing to hear someone at a really high level of success talk about kindness in the face of winning. The reality of life is, there is plenty of pie for everyone. If you brutally take everyone off the court, you’re running around by yourself doing lay ups. We need other people to play the game. We need competitors to push against. We can all win BIG, and still be really good humans.”
That paragraph casts doubt on the integrity of the alphabet, for participating in its unholy construction.
“Lean into that purple,” Vaynerchuk advises.
Lean away from LinkedIn philosophers, Murray replies.
Are you trying to be an influencer-influencer? That way lies madness. Or clicks. Same thing.
If a person finds themselves thinking it’s “amazing and refreshing to hear someone at a really high level of success talk about kindness in the face of winning” then maybe it’s time for them to go back and review most of the world’s great religious texts. And even a few political speeches of note.
To wit: “On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord. On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn-out dogmas that for far too long have strangled our politics. We remain a young nation. But in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.”
But maybe the guy who said that wasn’t an “influencer.” What do I know.