John Q. Public
♦ Very few political seasons go by without a political opportunist showing up in local campaigns. Many recognize their wolf-in-sheep’s-clothes attire.
The opportunist’s patterns:
• They attempt to use political groups to their own advantage.
• They tell one person what they think that person wants to hear and then tell someone else something entirely different. They get the reputation for being two-faced.
• They will do almost anything to curry favor and approval from people they deem important.
• They are superficial emotionally and lack a well-developed conscience. They sometimes pretend empathy to suit their own purposes.
• They crave being a part of in-groups and being identified with people deemed of high status. Lacking a well-developed sense of self, they suffer from approvalitis.
• On one hand they will claim to run positive and respectful campaigns although most notice their backstabbing, truth distorting , and conniving nature.
• They are frequent joiners of groups to advance their careers and status.
• People who come in contact with them often describe them as insincere, fake, or even sleezy.
• They are well conversant in political platitudes.
• They are very attentive to status symbols.
• They will misrepresent themselves and their intentions.
• They often work in jobs calling on their manipulative skills.
• They lack a discerning eye in choosing political allies, often siding with the corrupt and the governmentally inept.
• They are perfectly willing to misrepresent themselves and others to advance their cause.
• They wear ever-changing masks in their attempts to manipulate others. It isn’t long before others unmask the opportunist. Word travels fast.
Do they grow emotionally? Develop a conscience? Not often, unless a major crisis shakes them and forces them to look within.
