Brilliant Narcissism

Sarah and I went to see the movie Social Network a few weeks ago. It's about the college kid that created the multi billion dollar Facebook site. Great movie. Great acting. It was disturbing however, to see the portrayal of the young genius who was behind the actual hands on creation of the web pages. He was not simply a nerd, but a truly obnoxious, egotistical ass. Unable to make friends, he poured his life into the cold hard plastic of computers. In a dialog with a girl who tried to see beyond his freakish personality, it was painful to watch him slice and dice her verbally with little or no thought to his cruel words. She finally said she didn't want to be his friend anymore because having a relationship with him was like having a relationship with a StairMaster. It was apparent to everyone that his brilliance caused him to view the rest of us as less than human, substandard beings not worthy of his time or attention. He's the youngest billionaire on the planet and he's an absolute jerk.

As I think about this young mans life and career I can't help but parallel it with the gifted basketball player Labron James. A similar genius, gifted in a different genre but equally unable to blend his special abilities with a normal personality. He carries his title of King James around looking down on the rest of the world as if we were all less than equals. And now that he's acted like an ass and turned his back on his friends and supporters from his home town who helped him become who he is, he pulls the race card. Instead of admitting he's been an arrogant jerk, he claims people don't like what he's done because he's black.

Both of these young men turned their backs on the only real friends they had in search of power, fame and money. Neither takes responsibility for the terrible shortcoming of their own personalities. Their mean spirited, back stabbing, ruthless drive to win overshadows any personal commitments they might have. While I can appreciate true genius, I cannot tolerate narcissism or cruelty. Whether you are Mensa material or simple minded, physically gifted or handicapped, black or white, an asshole is still an asshole in my book.