They Are Not That Smart

I think a lot about something Michelle Obama said once in an interview “'I Have Been at Every Powerful Table You Can Think of... They Are Not That Smart' 

She was speaking about her imposter syndrome, offering support to all young girls and women who doubt themselves in any given situation, letting us know that we are smarter than we think, more experienced and infinitely more capable than we may give ourselves credit for.  She wanted to let her audience know that imposter syndrome is real, that even someone as accomplished and confident as Michelle Obama experiences it. It’s an important message and one that many of us should take to heart. The part that stuck with me most is the implication that many (most) people in positions of power are very dumb. 

Disclaimer - I have never been in any position of power. I’ve never been in government. I’ve never managed a company, or captained a sports team. Hell, I’ve never even led a Girl Scout Troop. I lack all leadership and managerial experience, and camping skills. 

That said, I know I would make a better member of Congress than 90% of the people currently serving. I would be a better mayor than current New York City mayor, Eric Adams. I’d make better decisions than my former boss. Potentially your current boss. I’d wield power with grace and empathy and only occasionally be petty and vindictive (all powerful people are petty and vindictive. That’s just a fact.) so why am I ok being in the background? Simply put, I don’t crave power. When I see power I see exploitation, profit over people, shareholders interest outweighing the needs of society. Power always comes at someone else’s expense. 

I don’t say this lightly. Based on my numerous rewatchings of Mad Men, Succession, and that time a new job made me read “Principles” by Ray Dalio, power is not all that it’s cracked up to be.  The day to day life of the typically powerful person seems to be mainly - meetings. A powerful life inevitably means spending hours on top of hours in meetings with a lot of dumb people. They talk a lot without saying anything, they  talk around problems they don’t know how to solve, or even worse, created. How many meetings do you think were held to discuss changing HBO to HBO Go to HBO Max to MAX and then NOPE JUST KIDDING back to HBO Max? I’M ASKING YOU DAVID ZASLAV! 

I’d hate to spend so much time in those rooms with those people. I would loathe the banal banter, jokes about union busting, the misogyny, the stupidity. 

So my struggle has become, how do I measure success, if not via power?  If not at the expense of others? We’re taught from a young age to strive for power and greatness. It’s ingrained in America, from corporate slogans to pop culture. To be the best at a sport, you have to beat somebody else. To become a CEO you have to know how to navigate workplace politics. To be elected to an office you have to repeatedly point out all the ways you are superior to other candidates and spend time raising money from people like Elon Musk. 

What if I don't want that? What if I don’t want the power and the responsibility and the obligation to shareholders? What about those of us who don’t want to be “great and powerful” like the Wizard of Oz?  Imagine if when the wizard got blown to Oz he asked for help fixing his balloon and headed back to Kansas. He would have spent way less time awkwardly hiding behind a curtain. If the goal isn’t to be in a position of  power, to not be a C-suite exec or a brand founder or a senator, the wizard behind the curtain, what does that life look like? 

It’s not unambitious - I want to succeed. I crave the satisfaction of being good at something. I like to sing. I like to sit on my balcony on a warm sunny day and read. I like to solve Spelling Bee without using too many hints. I want to grow in my career and have enough money to pay for an apartment and maybe those lie down flat airplane seats. Just for long haul flights. My version of life is what many would call a small or soft life, but that doesn’t make it any less worthy.   

My power comes from an ability to make new friends after the age of 25 (that shit is HARD). For being bold enough to try my hand at new creative endeavors. From being able to be content with the small joys in life. It’s a power that seems like fewer and fewer people have. We’re so wrapped up in wanting more, to dominate someone or something, we lose sight of all the things that may not make us powerful, but will make us happy. 

There will be a time when I will be on a walk, enjoying the warmth of the sun on my face, petting a stranger’s dog (don’t worry I asked the owner, they said it was cool), marveling at what a beautiful fall day it is. In that moment, I will delight that I’m not powerful enough to be needed in that meeting, at that table, where the sunlight and my spirit would both be stifled. 

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Kerry is a new writer who loves to watch tv and then read about the tv she just watched. She is excited to expand her creative endeavors by partnering with Gal Pal. She is based in Queens, NY, the world’s borough, and lives with her husband and their two jerk cat sons.