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The Era of Great Pretenders

Through social media, an academy that no longer cares about facts, and a media that no longer cares about truth, we now have a deluge of various types pretending to be something they’re not.
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February 5, 2025
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When I first moved to New York City in 2000, I was stuck by an amusing phenomenon: wherever you went—doctor, accountant, banker—you were soon informed: “You know, I’m really an actor.” Some did go on to act in theater or film, but most eventually found contentment in the work they were meant to do.

Today, we have a somewhat different phenomenon that has captivated many in the West. Through social media, an academy that no longer cares about facts, and a media that no longer cares about truth, we now have a deluge of various types pretending to be something they’re not.

Take leftist ideologues like Ibram X. Kendi. Best known for coining the logically challenged term anti-racist and for writing Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You, which is riddled with lies and historical inaccuracies, Kendi had to shut down his heralded Center for Antiracist Research at Boston University. The center is closing because its dual worship of race and victimhood became useless and irrelevant. Evidently, much of our country still prefers Martin Luther King’s vision of a colorblind society to Kendi’s vision of a race-obsessed one.

Many leftists in general—as professors, writers, politicians—will eventually be faced with the fact that they’ve not only pretended to be professors and writers, but that they actually lack the skills and/or education necessary to do so. Ask Kamala Harris.

And because merit and excellence have been redefined as “white” or “privileged,” you can call yourself an artist or musician—even if you have no skills or talent.

Then there’s the hypocrisy inherent in leftist ideology. No, you don’t care about the rights of women, gays, and blacks if you support racist, homophobic barbarians like Hamas or “gender” policies that essentially erase women. 

All of this set the stage for Islamic terrorists to be able to redefine themselves as freedom fighters—”the resistance”—when they are merely following centuries of Islamic colonization. And of course for Arabs who identify as “Palestinian” to claim a slew of lies about Israel. 

Meanwhile, we see much of the right making the most of social media’s obsession with cartoonishly filtered photos—enabling women who otherwise would be forced to educate themselves to pretend to be whatever they want. From Instagram to galas, women who literally have nothing of note to say pretend to be analysts or “influencers”—while young women who are actually brilliant analysts are nowhere to be found.

Not surprisingly, many men have responded with equally disingenuous behavior, from “love bombing” to grooming.

Hyper-conformity is crucial to this new era of pretenders.

In some high schools, young girls dress exactly like each other, down to nail length. At the same time, young women and men who are trying to shout through their pink hair, keffiyehs, and fishnets that they are anti-West all tend to dress exactly alike as well.

The ultimate goal for both male and female pretenders is, of course, fame. In the old days, people who were obsessed with fame or branding were relentlessly mocked. Sure, people still craved fame in the past, but the idea was not to show it, lest you be seen as a craven attention-seeker. Today, blatantly seeking and grabbing attention is a badge of accomplishment.  

Sure, people still craved fame in the past, but the idea was not to show it, lest you be seen as a craven attention-seeker. Today, blatantly seeking and grabbing attention is a badge of accomplishment. 

This golden era of pretenders is based on one key factor: external validation. Developing one’s self-esteem through hard work and achieving goals—that is no longer in vogue. People wake up each morning and ask themselves: how can I be more famous than I was yesterday? And if they see their fame decreasing—fewer “followers,” likes, etc.—a frantic need to get in front of a phone takes over.

What’s missing in all of this is what used to be called character—dignity, restraint, respect, responsibility. The “content of my character” that MLK spoke about has largely been erased by this combination of leftism and Instaporn. Sadly, the song itself, “The Great Pretender,” has gone through a similar metamorphosis.

Gorgeously sung by The Platters in 1959, it ended up being a vehicle for the black musicians to break race barriers. Later versions nearly erased all of the beauty of the original song until we were left with a Japanese anime version that can only be described as anti-beauty. But in its dystopian violence and rancid sexualization it does sadly reflect the reality of today. 

Inauthenticity breeds self-contempt. Today’s pretense is tomorrow’s suicide. Are we still brave enough to call out the frauds for who they are? It hasn’t happened yet.


Karen Lehrman Bloch is editor in chief of White Rose Magazine.

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