Posted by Leonard Steinberg on December 1st, 2012

So the one half of the $ 588 million (that’s over 11,500 $ 50k/year jobs) POWERBALL winners were identified, making  a couple from Michigan instantly super-wealthy and very powerful……I did not hear anybody complaining about the fact that these new-super-rich folks earned their money (overnight and through sheer luck) on the backs of hard-working Americans who probably could barely afford to buy their lottery tickets. Hmmmm. The pursuit of all-or-nothing power seems to be the driving force these days: In New York, real estate developers are talking more about generators than Sub Zero’s. During Sandy we learned that without power we were virtually powerless. Solyndra is a bigger subject that Solar to some. And while the USA is approaching self sufficiency in its oil supply, we choose to remain a part of OPEC, an organization that exerts power over the power of the planet, while supporting regimes that cost our country billions….and fuel those with political power.  For some, power is measured (and achieved)by the volume of exposure they have to the planet.

Jessica Simpson’s power in the media has given her power as a fashion designer. She is barely a singer, but now she is a fashion designer? The Kartrashians are  now international arbiters of taste and style even though their taste and style is rather vile…..but their exposure on television and everywhere else, has empowered them well beyond those who are significantly more qualified. Clients around the country now ask about ‘those brokers on TV’ implying they are the authority on the subject of real estate: unreality, semi-scripted, BS-style television has empowered them. So many people have sacrificed so much of themselves in a desperate attempt for publicity (think Linday Lohan)….and ultimately power. Power now seems to be measured by exposure. Oprah is the ultimate example, the leader of a name whose power elevates regardless of her credentials on the subject matter.

The irony of it all is rather hilarious, although its a painful reminder of how superficial our world has become. The pursuit of power is nothing new, but it seems to have hit an entirely new chord of late.