Our culture as a whole has developed into one obsessed with one thing: selfies. Everywhere you go, someone is attempting to snap a photo of themselves, often to the distraction of others. Is it all bad though? On this episode of Smirk, our story leads us deep into the discussion of this element of modern culture.
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Welcome to Smirk. A podcast that covers society and culture through a storytelling lens. Part creative writing, part discussion, and always interesting. Each week our hosts brings a story to the show, a story they wrote themselves, which is immediately followed by discussion on the author’s moral or theme.
These stories can cover any topic the host wants to discuss, it can be lighthearted or more serious. No one but the author knows if these tales are truth or fiction, and part of the fun is guessing while you’re listening before the reality is made clear.
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Want to read Aaron’s story “Selfless” in full? Think you can identify the moral or theme for this episode? Read it below, and then take a listen to the podcast.
Selfless
Heading for the door, Becky passed the full-length mirror in her hallway, catching her reflection.
“Damn, I look good today!” she thought, as she pulled down her blue spring dress to more appropriately cover her upper thighs. “Time to ramp up that professionalism!”
She was already running late for a meeting, but that didn’t keep her from another round of applicator touch-up. A little more lipstick and she was out the door.
The meeting was scheduled for 1, but it looks a bit more like 1:15.
“No big deal” Becky thought. “It’ll take the client’s 15 minutes to decide what to eat anyway.”
She rounded a corner and caught a glimpse of herself in the Macy’s window. The wind had caught her hair and wildly tossed it about. Becky broke out her phone and flipped the camera to herself, proceeding to address the hair, with enough time to take a quick pic which she promptly posted to Facebook with the caption, “Making Late Look Great!”
Becky continued down the street. She was only a few minutes away now. She looked down at her watch. 1:17. Not too bad, she’ll be there in ample time to handle business.
As she rounded the final corner, Becky saw a new Tom Brady statue had been erected in front of the sports store. Knowing her boyfriend would LOVE to see this, Becky ran over and cheesed a smile as she snapped a pic of her blowing air kisses at Number 12.
Becky heard some yelling in the distance. “Must be some rowdy Patriots fans” she thought. She was now less than a block away, so she checked her watch again. 1:24. Still not too bad, most people understand schedules are hectic in the fast-paced business world.
As she neared the door to Maggie’s – currently the hottest lunch ticket in town – Becky stopped to grab a quick selfie so she could subtly rub it in her friend’s faces later on Instagram. Across the street, some woman was waving at Becky almost maniacally, which frightened Becky enough to quickly take the pic and swiftly enter the restaurant. “Sorry lady, no time for stalkers” she thought.
“WHEW! Sorry I’m late, guys! It’s been a crazy day at the office already.” Becky was launching with her standard excuses, and the clients wore frustrated smiles on their faces. As she sat down, she saw Mr. Chekov had his Facebook opened to Becky’s account, which caused Becky to immediately regret her choice of words on that last post.
“That’s ok. We’re ready to order whenever you are.”
“Sure, just give me a few to look over the menu. Isn’t this place great?!” Becky enthusiastically replied. Oblivious to the client’s sour disposition at yet another delay.
20 minutes or so later, an officer entered Maggie’s. After searching the area a bit, he approached Becky.
“Ma’am. A woman outside was just violently attacked and robbed at gunpoint. Did you see the perpetrator?” the officer asked.
“A woman was? Oh no! That’s horrible. No officer, I didn’t see a thing. Why did you ask me?” Becky’s eyes danced around her client’s faces, ensuring they weren’t getting too uncomfortable. Which they were.
“Ma’am, the woman stated a lady in a blue dress witnessed the assault and then walked into this restaurant. In fact, she insisted this lady took a picture of the attack, which is all she could even remember of the event. Were you outside about 20 minutes ago, taking a picture? Perhaps you took a photo of the attack without even realizing it. If you look out the window, you’ll see the woman I’m speaking of.”
Becky peered through the window and saw the woman. It was the crazy waver.
“Oh HER?! I’m sorry, Officer. I had no idea she was being attacked. I did take a picture, but it wasn’t of her. I’m so sorry.”
The clients began to allow their fake smiles to morph into a clear disdain.
The officer continued, “Ma’am, perhaps you might not realize you caught a shot of the assailant. Can I ask what you were taking a picture of?”
Becky surveyed the room, immediately sensing the feeling of contempt growing.
She sighed. Took a deep breath. And replied.
“Myself.”
Now, listen to the full episode as we dissect Aaron’s story.