Ego Takes a Holiday

September 4, 2012 by Let's CUT the Crap! 55 Comments

Recently, I was involved in a situation, from which I’ve had to walk away. This is a brief overview.

I rarely have an inflated ego or fat head. My problem is I’m cautious, sometimes to the extreme. This does not mean I have no self-confidence; I have plenty, I promise.

The Carrot

A Mr. New York approached me recently with enough interesting buzz to snap me to attention. The link to my blog had been found, he said, on an extremely successful and popular site. I recognized it at once. He came across my work and liked it. Would I be interested in writing for his e-Zine? Half a dozen-mail exchanges later, he suggested an in-depth interview and discussion via Skype or by telephone.

I checked out the month-old e-Zine. It was slick, sharp, snappy. The magazine featured articles about movies, music, television, food, fashion, Hollywood etc.—geared more to twenty and thirty-somethings than to ladies with service stripes (like my gray ones).

I contacted the blog owner where my link had been found to ask whether she did indeed recognize Mr. N. Y.  I had been led to believe she and Mr. N.Y had had in-depth discussions, specifically about how she had achieved such success and was generating revenue. She had no idea who he was. This bothered me. Why was her name being brandished like a sword?

I’m certain any number of bloggers had also been contacted as I have. My initial question after the first e-mail was why me? Why not me? Still, I was not celebrating. Why? Something didn’t feel right.

The Interview

Skype audio only was used. He talked for a half-hour explaining the zine was in its infancy. Only exposure for articles contributed was on offer until they became a revenue generating entity, hopefully in six to eight months.

My fellow blogger’s site was brought up again but her name was used incorrectly. Once more I was bothered.

After the interview, I started to dig. I found Mr. N. Y. is in the entertainment, radio and movie business. Still I didn’t get weak in the knees. We are all people, right? Some of us are more clever, talented, luckier or more successful than others.  I come from the corporate world. This wasn’t such a big deal—yet.

Results

• Mr. New York is on three blacklists in the entertainment and music business
• It is also mentioned he’s ‘a career killer’
• He has his fingers in a lot of pies
• His personal blog gave me pause. At first glance everything looked fine but then I found subjects and terminology with pictures I do not wish to be associated with.

From his blog

‘… risqué, macabre … outside the boundaries … “normal society”‘

 Am I a prude? What IS a prude anyway? Do I need or wish to be connected in any way to this tangle?

No.