It taps into the whole Sally Field Stuart Smalley zeitgeist - I’m good enough, I’m smart enough, and dog-gone it, people like me - Which is a bad thing.

I agree with Abichara; we live in such a self-centered society where 15 minutes of fame isn't enough. Take a look at Richard Heene who claimed his son, Falcon, floated off in a balloon just to get on a reality TV show.

And Time Magazine fed on our need for attention by making "us" Person of the Year.

I sure hope Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger is picked for 2009 Man of the Year.

I actually replaced my mirror w/this issue of Time. Anyway, this is about as corny as one of those 'Wanted' t-shirts at a fair w/a regular person's picture on it. Oh yes, I'm important.

Its about friggin' time somebody recognized my accomplishments...

I like reading the Time "Person of the Year" exclusives each year, primarily because, one way or another, it usually represents the zeitgeist of the times. Sometimes its controversial, but at least it captures the essence of the year which passed.

In 2006 they curiously selected "you" as the person of the year. To the untrained observer, it was a head scratcher, but it was an interesting selection for what it symbolized. The rise of the internet as a social networking forum, reality TV and a host of other new developments were changing people's relationship with the world at large. What we're seeing is the maturation of the information revolution. It facilitates communication of ideas and the information gathering process, but there's another side to it that's negative and narcissistic in orientation. Because of reality TV and the internet, anyone can become famous without doing much to earn it. Such a dynamic signals the rise of the cult of SELF.

The truth is that it was a very timely selection. The cult of SELF absolutely dominates the cultural landscape today. This cult has within it the classic traits of psychopathy: superficial charm, grandiose self-importance; a need for constant stimulation, a penchant for lying, deception and manipulation, and the inability to feel guilt about actions. It is the misguided belief that personal style and personal advancement, mistaken for individualism, are the same as democratic equality. Under this ethic, we have the right to get whatever we desire. The ends are fame and wealth, which become their own justification, their own morality.

You see many of the same traits in modern celebrity culture. It is also this perverted ethic, the cult of SELF that gave us Wall Street bankers and investment houses that willfully trashed the country's economy, stole money from tens of millions of small shareholders who had bought stock in these corporations for retirement or college.

The cult of self in the final analysis doesn't consider other people. It is highly Darwinian and dog-eat-dog. Watch any of the reality TV show like Survivor for a few minutes to see this type of dynamic at work. It is an ethic that is pervasive in our society and is doing a good deal of damage to our country.