A local minister posted a selfie – a photo of his own face taken by himself – on social media along with the question “your comments?” recently. We’re not sure what kind of answers he expected. Something along the lines of “very handsome, Sir” or “work the camera, baby”? Your guess is as good as ours. But let us talk about the behaviour. Although most politicians do a better job of hiding it, politics is an extremely narcissistic profession. And the self-love is only getting worse, assuming that the research conducted abroad also holds true here.

Politicians and journalists. You have every reason in the world not to admire either of us. Let us start with the politicians. When researchers in the UK did a survey on professionals last year, one finding stood out. The politicians scored higher on narcissism than everybody else. Another study that specifically looked at American presidents found that they were significantly more narcissistic than the general public. Over the years, the presidents – who were already self-absorbed to start with – have become even fuller of themselves, the study also showed.

Our local Mauritian politicians don’t need lessons from the US. Their self-appreciation constantly reaches new heights. Over the weekend, a minister posted four photos of his face on his official Facebook page in half as many days. Another minister must have thought that a traditional Diwali greeting card looked a little empty without him– so he was photoshopped in.

It makes it worse that the reporters meant to hold these egoists accountable for the work they do – here is a piece of self-criticism – care more about appearing bold and fearless than about making a change. Journalists were historically never treated as megastars, but the dawning of reporter celebrities like Christiane Amanpour and Hala Gorani changed the game. A kingdom to anyone who can spot the difference between news show trailers and action movie trailers these days – even the music is the same. Narcissism in journalism has gone so far that media professors now have to inform their students that stardom isn’t a good reason to pursue the field – as if it no longer goes without saying.

People who are narcissistic need admiration from others, are preoccupied with fantasies of unlimited success, are arrogant and have limited empathy, according to the definition that the American Psychological Association uses. Needless to say, they’re not amazing qualities for decision-makers and the fourth estate to have. If there is a bright side, it’s that the need for admiration can push reporters to places that they otherwise would never go. War correspondents sometimes admit that they do the job for the thrills, not as an act of altruism – but the end result, regardless of their motivations, is that the stories would have remained untold without them reaching our ears. The challenge is to make sure that it works the same way with politicians. Their spots in the sun have to be paid for with results. Don’t let them bask in the spotlight – to get your comments – for nothing. 

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