📘 Part 3: Popularity

This episode's vocabulary

Personable (adj.) - having a pleasant appearance and character.

Disagreeable (adj.) - unpleasant.

At each other's throats (idiom) - if two people are at each other's throats, they are arguing angrily.

To subordinate (verb) - having a lower or less important position.

Mutually exclusive - not possible at the same time.

Well-liked (adj.) - liked by many people.

To praise (verb) - to express admiration or approval of the achievements or characteristics of a person or thing.

Overinflated (adj.) - inflated too much.

To inflate (verb) - to become or to make something larger or more important.

Insulation (noun) - the fact of being protected from something harmful.

Backlash (noun) - a strong feeling among a group of people in reaction to a change or recent events in society or politics.

Inclined (adj.) - likely or wanting to do something.

Detriment (noun) - harm or damage.

Well-rounded (adj.) - involving or having experience in a wide range of ideas or activities.

To showcase (verb) - to show the best qualities or parts of something.

Double-edged (adj.) - Something that is double-edged acts in two ways, often with one negative and one positive effect.

Charitable (adj.) - kind and not judging people in a negative way.

Outrageously (adverb) - in a way that is shocking, usually because of being unusual or strange.

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Questions and Answers

M: Let's talk about popularity. Rory, tell me what kinds of people are popular at work?

R: Most of the time it's people who can do their jobs well and in a personable manner. I think there are occasions when being disagreeable and uncaring of people's emotions, well, works well, in certain circumstances. But if everyone behaved that way, then the workplace cultures would just fall apart and everyone would be at each other's throats.

M: And do you think it's good to be popular at work?

R: Most of the time, yes. I can imagine there are circumstances where it's not, but most of the time it works out quite well.

M: Are bosses more popular than employees at work?

R: If anything, it seems like the opposite's the case. I was speaking to someone about this the other day and he was basically referring to managers, especially middle managers, as punch bags for all sides and the sort of structure of the company. And we shouldn't forget that the employees subordinate to managers are doing the actual work. So it's easy to see why bosses might be less popular because they are not doing the actual work that's involved in the business. On the other hand, upper management are involved with creating and running the company, so they might be more popular for giving people jobs. I think that would make anyone popular in a bad economic climate.

M: Which one is more important? Keeping a good relationship with colleagues or doing well at work?

R: I'm not sure they're mutually exclusive, to be honest. Most jobs require you to work with other people, so having a good working relationship is essential for just getting by. Can't imagine a workplace where the opposite would be the case unless it was like The Hunger Games or something.

M: And is it true for your country or the whole world?

R: I imagine it's probably true for the whole world. But to a greater and lesser extent, some cultures are more competitive than others.

M: And do you think most people want to be popular at work?

R: I can't imagine a situation where the reverse would be true unless you're like extremely introverted and then you might not like getting the attention from lots of other people. But most people want to be well-liked, if not necessarily praised for that all the time. Then just being aware of it is a good thing.

M: And what could be the disadvantages of being popular amongst your colleagues or...

R: Well, it could be a distraction, first and foremost. For example, you might have an overinflated sense of your own importance, and that could lead you to behave in ways that are a bit arrogant, for example. Or you imagine you have more power than you actually do.

M: And what about school? What are the benefits for a child to be popular at school and what are the disadvantages?

R: Well, there's a certain level of insulation from any social backlash, since people are more likely to let you off with things, if they like you. And it's nice to have a lot of friends, isn't it? As for the disadvantages, I think we already kind of covered that. If children know that they're well-liked and know they'll get away with things, then they might be inclined to behave in a way that's not very nice towards other people.

M: And what about celebrities? Are they good role models for children?

R: That will depend entirely on what they're doing. Given that most celebrities are famous because they were very driven and single-minded and focused on one thing, usually to the detriment of others, they're probably not great role models for being a well-rounded human being, but they might be good role models in terms of showcasing where following your ambitions can get you.

M: Do you think that any person could be popular and could enjoy this fame?

R: Well, anybody could be popular, but it's the extent of the popularity that they might achieve. I think it's probably easier to be popular if you're a traditionally good-looking person than if you're not. And I think that's true for most things in life, to be honest. That's unfortunate, but that's just a fact. People respond more positively to better-looking people.

M: Some people think that fame is a gift. Would you agree?

R: It's a bit of a double-edged sword, to be honest, because, okay, yes, it does get you all of these extra privileges. However, it's also got some drawbacks, like people being overly invasive in your personal and private life. And of course, like I say, if you have an overinflated sense of self-importance or the power really goes to your head, then that can lead you into some very dark behaviours as well. So it is a gift but it has to be handled with care.

M: Would you give me some examples of the dark behaviour of celebrities?

R: Well, it's not very charitable to focus on any, like to name names. However, we're all aware of cases where famous producers or directors in Hollywood have behaved outrageously towards members of staff. No, like in a particularly harassing way, but just treating them like they're a lower class of human being, like shouting and things like that. So that's, that's like the least extreme example of dark behaviour, but that's still not a nice thing to do to people who are really paid to help you.

M: Thank you, Rory, for your answers! I'm sure they'll be popular among our listeners.

R: Ho-ho, it's a pun.

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