The Poison of Hype

While the precise origin of the word hype is unclear, it’s likely tied to the outdated slang word “hyper,” meaning a cheater or a swindler. More innocently, “hype” can also be a next door homonym for “hope.” Your friend hypes a new Netflix series. You hope it lives up to the hype; often it does not.

Hype in the sense of swindle has been much in the news lately. Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes was just sentenced to eleven years in prison, and we await the consequences for Samuel Bankman-Fried after the spectacular and awful revelation that his cryptocurrency empire was “all hat and no cattle.”  

Holmes and Bankman-Fried were both skilled practitioners of self-promotion, a trait encouraged by life coaches, self-help books, most parents, and Talmudic sage Rabbi Hillel ­–––“If I am not for myself, who will be…”

At some point, however, self-promotion can turn into self-hype, i.e., exaggerations and lies, a loss of perspective, leading to outright fraud.  For Holmes and Bankman-Fried, I think this pernicious transition was all about an uninterrupted feedback loop of endorsement and adulation. When everyone around you believes you can do no wrong, it’s a rare person who will disagree.

Both Holmes and Bankman-Fried were also young and so, without excusing what they did, I’d point out that their youth was seen by their older establishment investors and public intellectuals as a virtue. Perhaps elderly buy-in to the hype was motivated in part by a desire to stay current and relevant, and not let the new world of the young pass them by.

Holmes, especially, but Bankman-Fried as well, call to mind my favorite song from the musical “Evita” –––“High Flying, Adored.” The character of Che, the skeptical revolutionary narrator, sings about Eva Peron at her height of popularity. Its sentiment is captured by the lyric,

“So famous, so easily, so soon, is not the wisest thing to be.”

At the bottom of this post is the original cast recording of the song in the beautiful voice of Mandy Patinkin.

It’s often said that low expectations crush the ambitions of children. I think that’s true. It’s also true that expectations which are unrealistically lofty can lead people astray unless they possess the self-knowledge and strength of personality to resist the adulation. In this battle against the hype-loop, it’s helpful, maybe crucial, to have people around you who love you enough to be your devils’ advocate instead of just another enabler.

(I should note that the closest I’ve ever come to receiving complete, unalloyed adulation was the gift of a talking toy head called “the yes man.” When turned on, the toy responded to my voice with obsequious phrases like “I couldn’t agree with you more.” and “You’re absolutely right.”)

In Rome, when a general returned from a great military victory, he was honored with a great Triumph, in the form of an elaborate parade and festival to celebrate his exploits. However, as the general rode past the crowds in his chariot, showered with cheers and floral petals, a slave was assigned to stand above him and whisper repeatedly in the his ear, “Sic transit gloria mundi.” Translation: thus passes the glory of the world.”

Financial scammers like Holmes and Bankman-Fried can and have done a lot of damage. But the real danger of hype and unfettered adulation lies in the realm of political leadership. Show me a cult of personality, and I’ll show you an episode of history featuring the very worst “register of the crimes, follies, and misfortunes of mankind.”

The Founders of America studied, among other things, the collapse of the Roman Republic into first dictatorship and then a series of deified Emperors. Accordingly, they were most worried about creating a viable national government without creating a backdoor to dictatorship. The entire architecture of our Constitution is aimed at this dual goal. The Founders did not place their faith in Latin phrases urging humility, but in systems, not only of checks and balances but of accountability.  

In large part due to our freedom of speech and freedom of the press, American politics has never been as accountable as it is today. That hasn’t stopped some of our political leaders from vainglorious and outrageous behavior leading to corruption, both moral and financial. But it has made it impossible for our political leaders to behave badly without ultimately suffering appropriate consequences.

Think of New York’s past two governors, Elliot Spitzer and Andrew Cuomo, and what their legacy and future could have been and what they are now.

Once again I summon the example of Lincoln, because at so many turns, he seems to be a politician worthy of emulation.  The tale of how he selected his cabinet,  his Team of Rivals, whether told by Doris Kearns Goodwin’s history book or Gore Vidal’s earlier historical novel, is an impressive example of living with the knowledge of intellectual humility. Lincoln knew that hearing contrary and diverse views was both good politics and a path to success. Even from people who once held him in contempt.

And, in truth, humility is to wisdom as breath is to life.