Beware! They may be laughing at you, not with you.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florence_Foster_Jenkins

Florence Foster Jenkins (1868-1944)

"People say I can't sing, but they can't say I didn't sing!"

Sometimes fame and fortune goes to our head. We think people around us who appear happy laughing away actually laugh with us. We believe we have such an aura that draws us to our wit and charisma. We think we have that innate charm to seduce people to yearn to be in our presence. We believe that they are having such a good time, laughing with us at our jokes. The truth, however, may be far from that. They may actually be laughing AT us!

I heard a podcast recently of a lady in the early twentieth century who refused to accept her inadequacies of being an operatic singer.

Since she was young, she had been interested in being a singer. Seeing her lack of aptitude, her father denied her of her wish. Luck came to Ms Jenkins in the form of a handsome inheritance after her parents separated and her mother subsequently passed away.

With her newfound wealth (she earlier struggled to make ends meet with her meagre income as a music teacher), she enrolled the best teachers and trained in Europe. Many were disheartened with the ability of the student but admired her courage.

After that, it was a party and singing to a group of people who 'enjoyed' her work. She would criticise her detractors as being jealous of her ability. She managed to avoid big public performances till the age of 76, when she bowed to the pressures of her fans. She performed to a packed Carnegie Hall, which had never seen such a turnout since its inception.

The reviews in newspapers were scathing, to say the least. They crucified her performance and ridiculed her every note - even though the audience had a whaling good time. Even one of the songs was aptly named 'The Laughing Song'.

This final outing turned out to be the coup de grâce for Ms. Florence Foster Jenkins. She died of a massive heart attack a week after her Carnegie Hall performance!

If you have it, don't flaunt it!

Ever since Mel Brooks used the line “That’s it baby, when you got it, flaunt it! Flaunt it!” in the 1968 not so famous film 'The Producers' and Braniff Airways ad slogan screamed “When you got it – flaunt it.” (1968 to the mid-1970s), that became the mantra of the then new generation (The late baby boomers and early Gen-X).
We are living in an era where showing off and smoasting is an accepted way of life. What is construed as boasting by one may be accepted as self confidence by another.

If you have the assets, then may as well flaunt it, the dream of capitalism being met, an ambition realized, down the drain to moderation and middle path, pride and joy to the clan!

1967 Slogan of the year

The assets here may denote physical attributes or the age old desire of man- materialism. In the feudalistic era, kings were worshipped as demi-gods due to their ability to make dreams of mammoth proportions possible. Builder of Taj Mahal, Ruler of Ayuththya, Pharaohs are some of the figurines that fit this bit. The subjects (illiterate simple minded contended peasants) would just be mesmerized by the awe, worship the dust that he walks upon and sing hymns of praise of their conduct without questioning for a part of the lion's share. Those were the days....
Now, you have a gargantuan majestic epic proportion wedding procession with elephants and the royal regatta or feed a feast of a few hundred thousands mouths, people are bound to talk and query the emergence of such affluence. The masses have awoken. They have and will show their discontent in the ballot paper or even in the playing fields of politicians and members of Scientology sect- the courts.
When you talk about the flaunting of physical assets of the erotic kind, the society, as it matures respects individual expressions and freedom. It is well and fine. In the ground, however, people of stature still condone travesty of this individual spaces. Repeatedly, we have heard of police officers, religious leaders and conservative portion of the society stressing that those who are flaunting it are actually 'asking for it'.