(Bad Word Alert! Though it’s part of a quoted sentence…therefore even my mother would forgive its use in this case).
During my time on Facebook, a comment on a friend’s wall appeared in my feed to which I responded. In the post, some of my friend’s friends–were singing the praises of the football coach at their alma mater, the University of South Carolina.
I believe I was the only interloper in the conversation, when I offered an unfavorable opinion about the coach.
What followed were several replies like this: “Of course you do. People hate Steve Spurrier just because he wins!”
Hmmmm. It’s not like that at all.
My response was this, “When he became the head coach at my school it had never won a conference championship in its history though his teams won six during his tenure, as well as a national championship. He also won the Heisman Trophy when he was a student many years before. I don’t care how many games, awards, or championships he wins. I can’t stand Steve Spurrier because he’s an asshole.”
(OK, I quoted myself….sorry, Mom).
Over the years, I have had similar exchanges with friends, acquaintances, and relative strangers (and strange relatives) if I express a negative (or even a tepid) opinion about a politician, a CEO, an athlete, or a comedian they are fond of.
People often conclude–prematurely and incorrectly– that my disdain for any public figure must be rooted in my jealousy of: championship rings, company’s market capitalization, an election victory.
Not at all, my disdain is most likely because that public figure is a total asshole, or even a fractional asshole.