So Ted Williams...the guy with the "golden radio voice", not the one with the frozen head...is a very lucky man. But will his luck run out? And is the story more about us than it is him?
It's human nature to love a feel good story, and it's impossible for the media not to wear out a warm fuzzy story like a pair of slippers on a mailman. Heck, my radio peeps have a full-on woody! But I can't help feeling Ted's more like a lotto winner than than a success story of human triumph over adversity.
Yes, he appears to be a warm, likable fellow who just happened to be down on his luck. He seems appreciative of the attention and offers of help. But is that, along with a set of "pipes", enough to justify the outpouring of support & emotion? There a thousands of good people out of work, albeit not on the street, through no fault of their own. In fact, most of them didn't make the admittedly "poor choices" Ted did to help make his situation even worse. The only thing that makes them any different than Ted is a viral video, a cardboard sign, and they didn't hit the jackpot.
I know, I know...Ted has skills that are valuable. But the reaction and offers of help are as much about self marketers looking to catch a ride on the wave of his positive press, as they are about helping people who need it. Unless the decision maker making the offer is just genuinely caught up in the media mass hysteria. I'm pretty sure the Cav's have fired more people in the past couple of years than they've offered to pay mortgage for. And I'm pretty sure if Ted had walked into most of these places now offering him a job before the video hit, he would have been treated like any other person out of work & seeking employment...or worse.
This is the perfect example of how fast an interesting video posted & shared on social media can result in action and reaction from the masses because it engages them emotionally. But it's also an example of how the masses over react to 15 seconds of fame, and how they use the moment to selfishly feel good about one winner...while ignoring the losers. Come on, it's way better to live vicariously through the Steeler's than root for the Browns.
Right now Ted is "where it's at", but when the hype wears off...let's see if he invests his lotto winnings wisely, or blows it.
