Come on! You know at least one fake person. It's someone who appears to be playing a character more than being themselves. They act and just feel inauthentic. You can sense it from them a mile away. Your conversations almost don't make sense because their words don't match what they're actually doing. It's infuriating because you feel like screaming, 'Just be your fucking self!' but you don't; instead you just nod and smile and inwardly roll your eyes.
Not to suggest that I'm holier than thou. When I was younger, there were many times when I attempted to 'fake it till I made it', but quite unsuccessfully, I must add. The point was to act cool and more interesting than I actually was, but that fell flat fast because, as it turns out, acting is exhausting. Also, people just don't believe you. Eventually, you recognize that it's pointless.
I saw that it was pointless, but I still witness people who continue to think they're fooling the world.
They aren't.
I'm not just talking about everyday people; I also mean politicians, influencers, and so-called reality stars. These people can flip as soon as they have an audience. That audience could be on the other side of the camera or the other side of the room; as long as they know that eyes are on them, they jump into their role.
Is this just the acceptable norm now, especially in an age where social media is 24/7? Is it perhaps simply narcissism? Do social pressures cause it to happen? Is this symbolic of mentally unhealthy people? What does this say about the world we live in? Do people feel unaccepted when they're themselves? Do we punish those who are too honest? Too real? It gives you something to think about.
As it turns out, characters aren't limited to fiction. And that's unfortunate.
