What must happen is that some manager decides he must inspire his troops by having some ex-champion come in to give a rousing speech.
The inspirational tale usually goes something like this: the athlete got injured a year and a half before the Games, and thought his dreams of Olympic glory were dead, but he kept at it and managed to work around his injury and train. And then, he went to the Olympics, no longer the favorite, but still managed to win a gold medal. The message, visible from a mile away: don't give up hope, keep trying and you will achieve your dreams.
You have to wonder what goes through the mind of the average employee forced to endure such a speech. His thoughts must run something like this:
"I sorta remember this guy from twenty years ago....Geez, he's so tall he's sorta of freakish. He hasn't aged any better than the rest of us though.....Listen to the guy go on and on, like I give half a shit......He sounds so pleased with himself. Now how am I supposed to relate to this? How does this story help me with my asshole of a boss, and his impossible demands? How does it help me pay my mortgage, or deal with my harridan, spendthrift wife? How does it help me sell our product? How's this going to help me get my son off drugs, or help my aging parents? I only wish my life were as simple as this guy's back when he was a teenager, when all he had to worry about was getting in shape.....I wonder how much they paid him to come here and tell that useless story? What a goddamn waste of money."
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Yeah... this whole motivational speaker racket, where the identity of the speaker is the main point, is silly. Does no one in the audience think, so you made it, good for you. What about the other 10,000 people who dreamed of Olympic glory and didn't get it, because they didn't make the high school team, or the college team, or the regional team, or the national team, or came in second or below in the event in question? It reminds me of John Derbyshire's observation that thinking statistically is fundamentally alien to us. And that you're not supposed to write history only from the perspective of the winners.
Gilbert -- Good point. And the other part of the equation is that the reason this guy achieved Olympic glory is probably that he was a physiological freak, not because he tried harder. It's a little like Michael PHelps saying, "The higher you dream, the more you'll achieve." Well gee....I dreamt pretty high at one point, but I didn't grow up to be 6' 3" with an abnormally long torso for my height, have size 14 feet with extremely flexible ankles, or have an unnaturally slow level of lactate accumulation. Did Shaquille O'Neal achieve success in the NBA because he was more dedicated in high school than most of the kids who played basketball.....or were there other factors involved?
C'mon kids, all you have to do is dream big and you can success like mine.
wow, 'harridan'. That's a new one!
Bruce Jenner made his living as a motivational speaker. When the Kardashian show first aired (several years ago), they did a show where
Bruce took his step-daughters with him to a speaking gig. I wonder if he still gives motivational talks, paid of course.
-birdie
Birdie --
Jenner was famous as an athlete, so it's not surprising he did that. For a guy who won one gold medal, he milked that medal far better than most. I doubt people hire him any more for that purpose, he seems tone pretty rich now so doesn't really need the money, and at the moment he's being paid for his reality show, though I head viewership has dropped off drastically since the pilot.
Yes, I was aware that his ratings had dropped. I can't imagine that most people would want to spend their time watching Bruce transition into a "woman," seeing all of the highs and lows that come with the changes (in his life).
-birdie
Birdie --
Neither can I. Plus it's my vague impression -- without ever having watched the show -- that Bruce/Caitlyn seems to have acquired a certain amount of bitchiness, or petulance, to go with his newfound femininiity.
I have wondered if the hormones that he takes causes him to be more emotional. What he's putting his body through is not good, on many levels.
-birdie
Birdie --
Yes, "Don't mess with Mother Nature" is almost always good advice.
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