Over the July 4 weekend Gov. Chris Christie was spotted enjoying a sunny day at the beach.
Which would be fine, except that this beach had been closed due to a budget impasse that shut down New Jersey state offices.
Oh, that.
So despite the fact state parks and the like were closed to the public, Christie used his power as governor to enjoy the conveniently vacated stretch as a private retreat for him and his family.
His justification?
You want a private beach? Become governor.
That the governor is tone-deaf to the ensuing public outrage is not so unusual, psychologists say.
In this month’s Atlantic, an article explains why bigwigs can be obnoxious boors.
Seems all that power goes to their head and takes up space formerly used for such functions as empathy.
You know the kind. The higher they climb the corporate ladder the more removed they become in who they left behind. They forget how to ask how your day is going, what your plans are for the weekend, or how about those Royals?
Neurologists term the condition the “power paradox,” while psychologists call it the “hubris syndrome.” Either way, these people are a pain in the rear end and how we wish could be taken down a notch or two. (Voters can.)
But it’s not so easy.
Their power has inured them to criticism — or at least that which is constructive. They have become so focused on their success that they are unable to dwell on another’s plight or other such “distractions.”
The best antidote for those afflicted is to perform exercises in self-flagellation, perhaps by remembering when they were at the bottom of the totem pole and how it felt.
Sometimes a spouse can help.
Winston Churchill’s Clementine once wrote him, “you are not as kind as you used to be” and that his “contemptuous” behavior toward subordinates would not yield good results.
No matter the realm — from hovel to palace — we all need a dressing down from time to time. To save yourself the humiliation, practice it in front of a mirror.
— Susan Lynn
