The Cacophony of Rejection

I will admit that I watched the first installment of the second season of American Idol. I am amazed at the sincere belief so many people have that they are truly and deeply talented. Is their desire to be validated, to have commercial credibility, so overwhelming that they are blind to the miserable deficit of any performance gift in themselves?

First of all, what often passes for talent in the industry is often just marketability with a smidge of vocal styling and some canned dance moves thrown in. This from the woman who still holds that NSYNC, unlike the other groups they are often lumped with, possess actual talent. But that is another soap box.

Anyway, my heart hurt for most of these contest losers who will never be famous, except briefly, for sucking so badly at their audition that they should have done something, anything, that day, except audition. Who are their friends and why didn't they tell them how terrible they are in private so their humiliation didn't have to become public? Simon Cowell has developed a reputation for being a meanie, but he's said to these unmarketable and talentless scrubs what someone should have said to them a long time ago.

Then again, I live my life avoiding even a hint of embarrassment. Save for one social/romantic gaffe almost two years ago, I always remember my place, and don't think more highly of myself than I ought to. It's not about martyrdom or false modesty. It's just being aware of what's true.

What this all comes down to is that people desperately want to be loved, and they want to believe, even in the face of opposing facts, that they have something that is widely accepted and acknowledged as being lovable. Their efforts to demonstrate this, however, often sound like train wheels screeching on a track.