Indeed - he wrote a stupid thing that reflects a serious lack of respect, and his apology was half-hearted (as if he didn't understand what all the fuss was about).
But if TB is a "narcissist" for using social media to foist his (unnecessary, unhelpful, and unsolicited) opinions onto the world, then sad to say so are you and me, Brad, and just every golf writer out there and most of the posters here on gca.com, and the hundreds of thousands of bloggers and the millions upon millions all across America who are addicted to facebook and twitter (with their posts about what they had for breakfast or about hearing a firetruck going by). If what has been labelled "narcissism" has always been an element of the human personality, never has it been more of a reality or more on display than it is today.
I believe that narcissism personality disorder is a controversial syndrome in psychiatry and behavioral sciences, in that it isn't (I don't think) a fully accepted personality disorder. Yet, IMHO, it is a syndrome like a virus being spread like wildfire throughout the cyber-world via the environmental carrier and transmission vehicle of Facebook and Twiiter and the like. Cyber space and its social media constructs are the inevitable and ubiquitous modes of interaction and connection that has made it possible for a new manner of "stream of consciousnes writing" where all of foibles and prejudices and personality flaws become on display instantaneously, and when done incessantly as these social media gizmos allow, make it an inevitability that we will succeed in making asses out of ourselves and will end up contributing a net zero or less to any intellectual advancement of our species.
I think as Peter observes that this applies to all of us. Brad Klien's article was illuminating, IMO.
I have been struggling with the conflict of maintaining or killing my Facebook account as I feel the conflict of using it to share what I think may be positive information (announcements and photos, etc.) with the temptation of sliding into the habit of making every mundane activity in my 'so-called life' a cause of self indulgent narcissism. Stream of conscious commentary on the personal level of mundane and insignificant activities of life from breakfast menu to adorable kitties (guilty as charged) at least when done on an incessant or obsessive basis, seems like an abuse of what could be a good technology, if used in moderation.
But these fellows like Bishop or Poulter or just about every celebrity or politician that uses it to foist a constant amount of prattle and tripe about themselves thinking it will endear their persona to and upon us seems that it eventually reveals the disorders and deeply flawed individuals we are.... and we can prove it time and time again in 140 characters or less.
... and I probably just reinforced the proof and hypocrisy right there.
