The 50th Law (with 50 Cent)

I’m the common man/woman.
In some cases grandiose leaders may
have risen from the lower classes, but in general they either come from
relatively privileged backgrounds or because of their success have lived
removed from the cares of everyday people for quite some time.
Nevertheless it is absolutely essential to present themselves to the
public as highly representative of the average man and woman out
there. Only through such a presentation can they attract the attention
and the adoration of large enough numbers to satisfy themselves.
Indira Gandhi, the prime minister of India from 1966 to 1977 and
1980 to 1984, came from political royalty, her father Jawaharlal Nehru
having been the first prime minister of the country. She was educated
in Europe and lived for most of her life far apart from the poorer
segments of India. But as a grandiose leader who later became quite
dictatorial, she positioned herself as one with the people, their voice
speaking through her. She altered her language when speaking in front
of large crowds and used homely metaphors when she visited small
villages. She would wear her sari as local women wore them and would
eat with her fingers. She liked to present herself as “Mother Indira,”
who ruled over India in a familiar, motherly manner. And this style she
assumed was highly effective in winning elections, even though it was
pure stagecraft.
The trick grandiose leaders play is to place the emphasis on their
cultural tastes, not on the actual class they come from. They may fly
first class and wear the most expensive suits, but they counteract this

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by seeming to have the same culinary tastes as the public, enjoy the
same movies as others, and avoid at all costs the whiff of cultural
elitism. In fact, they will go out of their way to ridicule the elites, even
though they probably depend on such experts to guide them. They are
simply just like the common folk out there, but with a lot more money
and power. The public can now identify with them despite the obvious
contradictions. But the grandiosity of this goes beyond merely gaining
more attention. These leaders become vastly enlarged by this
identification with the masses. They are not merely one man or woman
but embody an entire nation or interest group. To follow them is to be
loyal to the group itself. To criticize them is to want to crucify the
leader and betray the cause.
Even in the prosaic corporate world of business we find such
religious-style identification: Eisner, for instance, liked to present
himself as embodying the entire Disney spirit, whatever that meant. If
you notice such paradoxes and primitive forms of popular association,
stand back and analyze the reality of what is going on. You will find at
the core something quasi-mystical, highly irrational, and quite
dangerous in that the grandiose leader now feels licensed to do
whatever he or she wants in the name of the public.