Angela Poe Russell: The problem plaguing American culture — “it鈥檚 all about me” disease
Jul 24, 2024, 6:15 AM
A photo showing a movie theater patron on their cell phone in the auditorum, distrubing others around them. (Photo: Mike Kemp, Getty Images)
(Photo: Mike Kemp, Getty Images)
After years of trying, I finally was able to see Grammy-award-winning artist John Legend in concert at the iconic . It is the perfect pairing. The atmosphere was gorgeous and John was a maestro.
But I must admit the experience was tainted by some people in attendance.
At first, I thought of my experience as mid-range annoyances, but I realized there鈥檚 a deeper issue at play. I鈥檓 going to call it the “it鈥檚 all about me” disease. It impacts good people of all backgrounds. It relies on a hyper-focus on one’s own needs and nobody else’s. The impact is a culture in which we don鈥檛 look out for each other, leaving us even more isolated.
Sadly, because of this, John Legend鈥檚 performance took a backseat to the sideshow in the audience.
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People who were already fortunate to have front seats chose to stand and block the view of others. Even the police couldn鈥檛 get them to sit down. It got so heated that one person came from the back and stood in front of her just to prove a point. The audience erupted in applause. Legend was in the middle of a song so I had to imagine he must have been pretty confused.
Then later, as the sun set, the moon emerged and temperatures settled into that just-right feel, people thought “Oh wait, I need to leave and beat traffic!”
And just like that, as John Legend is singing his most famous songs and fans are connecting to him and his music, scores of people start streaming out of the venue. Many even walked right in front of the stage as he was performing. It was awkward and rude, and became a perfect example of the rampant “it鈥檚 all about me” mindset plaguing this country.
Keep in mind, this is an intimate outdoor venue — not an arena. People have coolers, chairs, blankets.
Most can鈥檛 simply get out of their seat and discreetly leave. The process of packing up and schlepping your stuff out is disruptive. And in that moment, it was clear no one cared to think about their impact.
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In the large scheme of things, this isn鈥檛 a huge deal — especially in the context of everything going on in the world. It鈥檚 a concert. But what鈥檚 driving it is a huge problem. And that is the lack of regard for the feelings and experiences of others. We desperately need more empathy.
It鈥檚 so lacking right now, shows it is currently the most important leadership skill.
It’s the skill that will separate you from the pack. But this shouldn鈥檛 be a skill reserved for leaders, but one we need for life. Period. Because the “it鈥檚 all about me” mindset only leads to the destruction of us.
Angela Poe Russell is a local media personality and a fill-in host on 成人X站 Newsradio. You can read more of聽her stories here.
