Last night I saw the episode of The Office where Dwight Schrute needs to decide which adorable little kid visiting his hay-themed amusement park should become Hay King. Instead he chooses himself.
It’s one of those embarrassing moments when someone’s narcissism is so overt and unchecked that you want to look away but cannot. The sort of thing that would never actually happen in real life.
Except that it just did.
By coincidence, on the very same day the current inhabitant of the White House was also crowning himself Hay King. In particular, he was offended that he had been criticized some previous award winners at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
So he responded in the most ridiculous way possible: He declared that he would fire the current Kennedy Center board Chair and install himself as Chairman.
Now I can’t get the picture out of my head: This ridiculous figure, sitting on the nearest hay bale, proudly wearing his crown of straw. And never understanding that finding dumb ways to make people fear you is not the same as commanding respect.