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Self-Appointed Czars and Other Hazards



True confession: after reading the reports from Reservoir High School yesterday I actually did double check that the bottle of Barium sulfate waiting in my refrigerator would not render me radioactive. Yes, I should know better but it’s still early in the morning. 

Mysterious ‘uranium’ vial at Howard County high school prompts evacuation, Cody Boteler, The Baltimore Banner 

In case you can’t read that, the upshot is that the school took every precaution and there is no real danger. My apologies to anyone who thought they might get the rest of the week off due to hazardous materials. 


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My next topic is inspired by local goings-on but I suspect it’s more a function of human nature and can be found everywhere in one form or another. My current examples are from the world of social media. If you operate more in the real world than I do these days I think you’ll concur that it’s visible anywhere human beings assemble.

My pet peeve this morning is with people who are self-appointed czars. Sometimes they pick one topic and run with it. Or they manage to connect a bunch of things under one umbrella and grandstand about all of them. It becomes their brand. 

They are constant. They are loud. They will use any technique to grab attention. They will brook no disagreement. 

Now it’s possible that I have crossed this line myself in the past - - a particular board of education race comes to mind, and advocacy for music education - - but since I can indulge my passions on the blog I am less likely to put each individual Facebook group on blast in order to get my point across. It can be a very fine line between caring deeply about something and wanting to rule the world. 

I get that. And some days you feel as though no one will listen to you unless you shout. 

But today I am tired of contending with the self-appointed czars largely because the current state of the world is exhausting enough already. And because what they are doing actually makes solving community issues harder. There’s no nuance, no give and take, no problem solving. It’s a one-way street.

Also included in this category are the people you have never heard of who suddenly burst on the scene as experts in something and you soon realize that they are not merely concerned citizens. No, they are people with intense and focused aspirations for higher office. It doesn’t take long to realize that they are running for something. Every social media interaction becomes a place for them to whisk out their own personal soapbox and stand on it.

This behavior is not a crime. And some people are really attracted to it. I’ve seen it work over and over again. For me, personally? I would cross the road and walk on the other side of the street to get away from it. 

Engage me thoughtfully. Don’t shout at me. Present evidence without twisting it or leaving things out. Is this too much to ask?

Given the state of American politics, maybe it is.


Village Green/Town² Comments


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Today in Local HoCo: check out this shopping guide from Visit Howard County.

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