Chasing the Attention

 

(Found online, Designed by: Alexia Teo)

I really want to go off about people who suck up and are clout chasers.

But I'm trying not to.

You know the type. Perhaps you've even been the type. I'm sure I've had my moments.

Those who do it habitually are simply the worst. They're not always the same thing but they tend to run together.

Maybe a big-name person made a mistake and you write some kind of pandering comment to grovel for attention. You're hoping that big name will see what you wrote and pat you on the head or even give you a job or some such far-fetched idea.

Or, simply, you like the same thing on social media.

One chased clout. The other did the brown-nosing.

And, perhaps just as nefariously, is the clout chaser of social issues.

Just because I firmly believe that love is love doesn't mean everyone shares that belief. It also doesn't mean everyone buys into, say, sports teams having Pride events or honoring Juneteenth.

I saw a high school student post on Twitter his disappointment in the Dodgers for acknowledging Juneteenth. Keep in mind, of course, that Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier with the Dodgers in 1947.

Yet the only reason I saw it was that some stranger (Mets fan) retweet it with a critical comment of her own about the high school student. 

Still, how did I see it? Someone I know -- clout chasing as always -- retweeted it.

So, if you're scoring at home, instead of asking the high school student what they had against the Dodgers honoring Juneteenth, instead shame and point scoring (especially in the Mets world) was the rule of the day.

And, sometimes, we're simply allowed to have a different opinion. Further, when it comes to sports, some simply want the game to go on without anything other than balls, strikes, and the score.

Yet, let's be honest, that cat is long out of the bag.

I work for an organization in the Renegades that has a Pride Night. It also has various COPA nights, honoring different Hispanic/Latino countries. Those games are harmless and the crowd seems to enjoy it. 

The Dodgers had further issues when they recently held a Pride ceremony that involved bringing in a charitable group that has been seen as mocking Catholics.

Los Angeles has a large Catholic population. Thus the Pride ceremony got far more attention.

Regardless of what side you were on it was a clout chasers delight!

In the end, Catholics and other Christians protested outside of Dodger Stadium while the ceremony went on. The offending group -- the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence -- received an award from the Dodgers on the field in front of a mostly empty stadium. Eventually, over 49,000 spectators made their way into the building on Vin Scully Ave and life went on.

Imagine that?

Oh, the question of "What would Vin Do?" was brought up. How would our Mr. Scully handle the situation as a faithful Catholic, which he most certainly was?

Of course, we'll never know, but it says here that Vinny would have shown up and broadcast the game. He would have done his job. Perhaps, if asked about it, he might have expressed disdain, but he was also a man of great faith and charity. Further, he was a man who didn't like attention beyond being that of a great sports broadcaster.

So, again, much ado about nothing.

The game went on. So does life.

In the end, when I addressed this with a friend and why nobody goes after the clout chaser and suck-up, my friend said the following: "Nobody cares enough about (them) to do it."

Indeed.

And thus I've addressed suck-ups and clout chasing in a manner that I can sleep well.