Geoff Botkin on Africa, Kony, and his hyperinflated resume

[Marian the Librarian]

There's a new post on Botkin's Western Conservatory blog. Apparently he was on the ground in Africa when the Kony video went viral.

The post links to his latest project, "Battle for Civilization," where we're told

Geoffrey Botkin is geo-strategist and a cultural analyst. He has studied the issues of culture, art, politics, education, history and war for forty years. He has communicated publicly primarily through the medium of the public affairs documentary. He is a senior advisor to The Western Conservatory of the Arts and Sciences and to the humanitarian agency Strategic Initiatives and Interdiction Group.

With all credit to to Albert Brooks in "Broadcast News:" A bunch of bloviating from pompous patriarchs, perched in perilous posts!

[Witsec1]

You missed;

"His works include some of the most controversial and widely watched public affairs films of the last twenty years, reaching viewers across the US, Russia, Europe, and Australasia."

Oh right. :roll:

[Witsec7]

You missed;

"His works include some of the most controversial and widely watched public affairs films of the last twenty years, reaching viewers across the US, Russia, Europe, and Australasia."

Oh right. :roll:

Its funny I can't seem to remember a single one... :lol:

[Marian the Librarian]

You missed;

"His works include some of the most controversial and widely watched public affairs films of the last twenty years, reaching viewers across the US, Russia, Europe, and Australasia."

Oh right. :roll:

You're right, I missed that! I must have been overcome with awe, reading about His Worship. :lol:

PS - Add me to the list of your avatar lovers. "Cold Comfort Farm" is on my top-10 list.

[Witsec1]

Marian, there is so much fail there it's hard to pick a representative sample. Glad to find another CCF fan, yeaaaa!

I am continually amazed that the Botkin can support a family on this dodgy media "empire". He's not a trust fund baby like Dougie.

[Olive Plant]

Insisting you're famous and well-educated doesn't make you famous and well-educated. It just makes you a desperate, self-important buffoon. Unfortunately, buffoons can sometimes fool people...

[terranova]

Yes but he can't manage to marry off his daughters so he's basically a failure.

[Shirley MacLaine]

You missed;

"His works include some of the most controversial and widely watched public affairs films of the last twenty years, reaching viewers across the US, Russia, Europe, and Australasia."

Oh right. :roll:

Wow. I can't even...

[flojo]

Its funny I can't seem to remember a single one... :lol:

I did see an advert for one called "return of the daughters" a few years back, on the virtue of being a SAHD.

There ARE fundies in the UK and Australasia - perhaps a couple of the 7 or so watchers of this documentary came from there?

Edit, as fundies was autocorrected to funnies

[Anise]

You missed;

"His works include some of the most controversial and widely watched public affairs films of the last twenty years, reaching viewers across the US, Russia, Europe, and Australasia."

Oh right. :roll:

I guess that means he takes his films with him when he travels to watch in his hotel room rather than evil television.

[YPestis]

Why do the Botkins inflate their resumes so much? They are decent writers and some of their kids appear talented. Why can't they be modest about their accomplishments and let their work speak for themselves? It's comical how self-important these people feel.

[Marian the Librarian]

Why do the Botkins inflate their resumes so much? They are decent writers and some of their kids appear talented. Why can't they be modest about their accomplishments and let their work speak for themselves? It's comical how self-important these people feel.

Short answer: Dad has a serious case of megalomania, and the rest of the family is complicit in supporting it.

Grandiose delusions (From Wikipedia)

Grandiose delusion or delusions of grandeur is principally a subtype of delusional disorder (GD) that can occur as a wide range of mental illness, including in two thirds of those in manic state of bipolar disorder, half those with schizophrenia and a substantial portion of those with substance abuse disorders. GDs are characterized by fantastical beliefs that one is famous, omnipotent, wealthy, or otherwise very powerful. The delusions are generally fantastic and typically have a supernatural, science-fictional, or religious theme. There is a relative lack of research into GD, in comparison to persecutory delusions and auditory hallucinations. About 10% of healthy people experience grandiose thoughts but do not meet full criteria for a diagnosis of GD.

Grandiose delusions are distinct from grandiosity, in that the sufferer does not have insight into his loss of touch with reality.

In colloquial usage, one who overestimates one's own abilities, talents, stature or situation is sometimes said to have 'delusions of grandeur'. This is generally due to excessive pride, rather than any actual delusions.

(Emphases mine.)

[Olive Plant]

I kind of have a theory about this, though. If you've got limited access to mainstream anything, and all you hear around you is the parroted-back ideas of your friends and the select group of people who like you, you're going to think you're hot stuff. Add to that the fact that we (and others) talk about how out of touch these people are, and you've got "controversy." You've got a few thousand people who have heard of you, and suddenly you're a Famous Visionary/Provocateur. The problem is, especially in this globalized world, there are A LOT of people who have several thousand (or tens of thousand) views on their YouTube account, or blog, or whatever. Consider FJ. How many views does it get in a day? I'm willing to bet it's way more than anything VF or Western Conservatory does. And yet we're not parading around saying "OMG, we are one of the most controversial and thought-provoking sources of information on the web."

I shudder to think that we're helping people like this aggrandize themselves with this modest little snark site.

[starfish]

Yes but he can't manage to marry off his daughters so he's basically a failure.

Yes, he's stuck with two ancient SAHD who have not one suitor even on the horizon. :violin: