Celebrities may be narcissistic but politicians are worse

A recent research study showed that film stars wallow in self-love. Two Los Angeles psychologists (Mark Young and Drew Pinsky) measured traits like exhibitionism and vanity using a mathematical formula. Pinsky said: “Vanity is only part of it. They crave attention, are over-confident of their abilities, lack empathy and can behave erratically. But they are often admired and well liked, especially on a first meeting, and perform well in public.”
Well, all this reminded me of politicians. Sure, politicians may not be narcissistic in the true sense (vain about personal appearance) but they are certainly narcissistic in other ways. They often suffer from some kind of megalomania, which is several steps beyond narcissism! I decided to surf the net and get some quotes from India as well as the West which would reveal politicians’ delusive thinking and their self-obsession. What I got is by no means comprehensive. If anyone wants to add any interesting quote they are welcome.

I’ll start with what I heard Mulayam Singh Yadav, the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh say after the Nithari serial killings – live on television (CNN-IBN ):

Uttar Pradesh jungle hai to mai kya hoon?’ Chuckles. ‘ Jungle ka Raja!’ Translated this means: ‘If Uttar Pradesh is a jungle then who am I? The king of the jungle!

From a wordpress blog I got this:

Lalu Prasad Yadav, the railway minister of India’s favourite quote:

Jab tak rahega samosa me Aloo, tab tak rahega Bihar me Laloo, meaning without Laloo, there is no Bihar just as without Aloo (potato) there is no Samosa. (A samosa is a stuffed puff which is deep-fried).

Everyone knows that Indira Gandhi, India’s Prime Minister for 15 years was an arrogant woman. It was difficult to get quotes however. All I got was this quote from Brainy Quotes:

All my games were political games; I was, like Joan of Arc, perpetually being burned at the stake. Indira Gandhi.

The site had some quotes from an ex- PM of England.

In politics, if you want anything said, ask a man; if you want anything done, ask a woman.’ Margaret Thatcher. Thatcher also said, ‘I am extraordinarily patient, provided I get my own way in the end.’

A site called Famous Quotes gave me this:

If you wish to be a success in the world, promise everything, deliver nothing. Napoleon Bonaparte.

Adolf Hitler has a fair share of quotes which display not just his arrogance but also his twisted thinking:

‘The victor will never be asked if he told the truth.’ Hitler also said, ‘Woman’s world is her husband, her family, her children and her home. We do not find it right when she presses into the world of men.’

And a wringer from Sir Winston Churchill:

History will be kind to me for I intend to write it.

Lenin and Nixon have some really abnoxious ones to their credit.

A lie told often enough becomes the truth – Lenin.

This one is by Richard Nixon.

‘When the President does it, that means that it’s not illegal.’ Nixon also said, ‘I would have made a good Pope.’

Wondering why we haven’t got to George Bush yet? Well, here we are. Got some nice ones from Sify:

‘We dealt with the danger, and as a result the world is a better place and a more peaceful place, and the Iraqi people are free, and a free Iraq is in this nation’s national interest’ – George W. Bush reacting to a growing chorus calling for an independent probe into incorrect pre-war claims about Iraqi weapons.

A blogger has a large number of quotes by Sonia Gandhi, the Italian Indian woman who is the President of the ruling Gongress Party in India. These quotes not only show her arrogant attitude but also her obsession with her family and with Italy. I picked few:

Without the efforts of my madre-in-law, without my husband as the mainstay of his Indian subjects, without my son as the rising sun of our unhappy dark-brown people, continually starving since my family’s rule began, Italy can never achieve full domination over my adopted madre-land.

The source of this quote is given as ‘Signora Sonia’s Evil Struggle Against Heathen Aggression. By Arun Shourie. Page 284.’

Two quotes which show her obsession with her family:

We must have faith in the son (i.e. Rahul Gandhi) and we must have faith in the daughter (i.e. Priyanka Gandhi Vadhera). These are two cardinal principles. If we doubt these principles, we shall accomplish nothing.’ The source of this is given as: Looks Do Matter. Selected Works, Vol. IV, Page 422.
‘Our point of departure is to serve my two children whole-heartedly and never for a moment distance ourselves from the hopeful future of my grand children; also to proceed in all cases from the interests of the above-mentioned people and definitely not from one’s national interest; and to identify our responsibility to the people with our responsibility to the members of my family.’ The source for this is quoted as: Cast Away Fears, Prepare for Struggle. Selected Works, Vol. IV, Page 28.

Then this clincher: ‘All men must die, but death can vary in its significance. The great Italian writer Mario Puzo said, ‘When a giant tree falls, the earth below shakes’. To kill thousands of innocent people in retribution for the killing of a single member of my family is a loyal, honorable and a pardonable thing to do. But a failure in condemning the massacre of thousands of others, sliced in vendetta for the burning of those who were not my family members, is wrong and anti-secular.’ This is from an introduction to Management Guru C K Prahalad’s book Market Mantras. Page 5. (To be published)
And this: ‘We should eat pasta and cassata, guard against self-introspection and independent thought, and serve the Gandhi family heart and soul.’ This comment is quoted from Arundhati Roy’s Madagascar Peace Prize winning essay ‘The Merchants of Death in the Money Hungry World of Globalization and Renewed Empire-Building’ which was published in the Outlook Magazine. June 16, 2003. Page 54. I think this quote is the funniest and reveals her rather limited IQ.

Another wordpress blog gave me a nice one on George W. Bush:

Our enemies have made the mistake that America’s enemies always make. They saw liberty and thought they saw weakness. And now, they see defeat.

Now let’s see what the celebrities have to say. Are they really worse than the politicians or are the politicians worse?

From this site I got these:

‘I only take Viagra when I am with more than one woman’ Jack Nicholson.

‘The man for me is the cherry on the pie. But I’m the pie and my pie is good all by itself even if I don’t have a cherry.’ Halle Berry.

If it was something I really committed myself to I don’t think there’s anything that could stop me from becoming the President of the United States.’ Will Smith. He also said, ‘In my mind I have always been an A list Hollywood star. Y’all just don’t know it yet.’

Artquotes quotes:

Woody Allen: The first affirmation I need is really my own. I don’t look beyond that.

Our Indian stars can’t be too far behind. Hollywood or Bollywood, they are all the same. This site quotes Shah Rukh Khan as saying:

Awards that ignore me are losers.

Another site quotes the famous Rekha as saying:

If I have a baby, I won’t be able to focus on anything else. Then what happens to the babies all over the world with whom I’m connected?

Kareena’s World quotes her as saying:

Yeah, I’m getting my price. Producers are even willing to pay me more than what I ask. But unfortunately, I can’t do every film. So I have to turn down offers. (Laughs) Chalo, at least this way others get work.

Pretty mild when one compares these celebrities to hardened politicians huh? So now let’s wait for a study which reveals the dangerous narcissim of politicians!

The researcher Pinksy also mentions:

We have also found striking differences between the celebrities and their jobs —the more real-life skills they have, such as musicians, the less narcissistic they are – So I guess that explains why politicians and film-stars are so alike!