I was in Manhattan a few days ago, walking down Lexington Avenue, when I spotted one of Elon Musk’s new Cybertrucks stopped at an intersection. It looks even stupider and more bombastic in the real world than it does in the promotional images, which is really saying something. I was tempted to take out my phone and snap a picture, but the driver looked like he was really desperate for attention, and I just couldn’t get into gratifying that. He had a look on his face that seemed to yell “Yes, bitches, I really am cool enough and wealthy enough to be driving this bad boy!” Perhaps there’s some Tesla marketing material that promises ownership of this gimmicky toy will add crucial inches to your manhood. Anyway, it seemed to me he was looking pretty smug and pleased with himself and his status as an alpha male finance bro, or something along those lines. Then he got jammed in the intersection, and a cab driver behind him leaned on the horn and yelled “Move it, you dopey fuck!” Sometimes it’s the little pleasures in life that elevate your day.
It got me thinking, though, about how important it is to each of us as human beings to proclaim our individualism and sense of identity. Most of us do it all the time, in one way or another. Through the styles of clothing we wear, for example. The books we read, the skills and interests we cultivate, the music we listen to, the experiences we seek out, the circle of friends we identify with, and so on.
So, I wondered if I was being overly judgemental about the dude with the trendy, overpriced wheels. After all, I am not a car person. My threshold for a decent vehicle is something that is able to generate a certain amount of forward movement, and that can stop when required. Perhaps driving a Cybertruck is his way of telling the world who he is, in essence no different from wearing a Velvet Underground t-shirt or name dropping nouvelle vague film directors.
But then, seconds later, I came to my senses and decided that, nah, the guy’s a douche nozzle.
True, who doesn’t want to express some essential aspect of themselves to the world? Who doesn’t want to be seen to be cool and smart and gifted, even when, or perhaps especially when, we don’t feel it ourselves. We are forever being told that we are unique, that we are special, that we are capable of doing anything and having it all.
I suppose, in a way, this is good. Especially for those of us who have struggled to believe in our own worth. For others, though, it’s just fuel for their arrogance and egocentrism. As a wise lady once told me, it’s a wonderful thing to find your voice, but you don’t need to scream in people’s faces. Sometimes speaking softly and with humility makes the most memorable statement of all.
