Do you know anyone who receives undue adulation and respect?

[CatWorm]

This is going to sound mean. But it really baffles me. And I wonder if anyone else has similar experience?

My FIL is spectacularly lazy. My MIL (a saint of a woman) worked day and night to keep the family afloat despite him being qualified in a lucrative sector at a time when his peers were making great money, he just preferred to be at the pub. Often not even doing the childcare. He wasn’t around a lot, but because he never left and they always knew where he was, they consider him this amazing Dad and Husband despite all the evidence to the contrary.

Even now he’s incredibly stubborn and miserable, putting little to no effort into family life but they treat him like some kind of deity. Parties thrown in his honour, plans and holidays centred around him and what he likes, praise him regularly. I find it quite weird. I’ve known the family for 20 years and am I adore my BIL/SILs and MIL, so it’s not like it’s just bad first impressions. I get that he’s their husband/dad, but it’s almost like they’re all in denial of his flaws and go above and beyond for him despite him generally being quite disinterested and ungrateful.

wouldnt it be great if we did …but sadly, it isn’t that rare 🥰 I imagine this is what thousands of people are like

Greta Thunberg.

Lest I be accused of misogyny here's my pick for the men's side: India Willoughby.

A woman in my community claims she has seven degrees and is a social worker. She hasn't even got GCSE's, but because this woman knows how to talk the talk the (non English) women think she is amazing. She's there like a fly around excrement when any drama/conflict happens to "diffuse the situation" but then reveals confidential info about the people that could potentially put the women at risk. She puts herself forward for community awards and then tells people to vote for her. She also does door to door collections asking for money for her due to her "community work". Very few people seem to see her for the narc that she is.

My MIL once rang us to say that a sports team FIL used to be involved with had won a tournament and it would be nice if we bought him a bottle of his (very expensive) favourite scotch to celebrate. 🫤

An old neighbour of mine. Very successful in the workplace but was a serial cheat, a liar and used people for his own emotional gains.
Because he buys all the drinks in, is fun and sociable, everyone else thinks he is God's gift.

When I was as cam counsellor all the other counsellors thought this one girl (camper) was amaaaaziiiing. Don't get me wrong she was a lovely very capable girl but I just did not understand the fuss.

Yes. I know an Oxbridge professor whose entire publication record is made up of arguments recycled from other people. I really don't get how they get away with it. It's not subtle - I heard this person give a talk with the person whose ideas they were regurgitating in the audience, and one of the first questions boiled down to 'hang on, didn't X already argue this?' and this person just smiled and said no, what they were arguing was different, and didn't elaborate. And everyone sat there looking puzzled. It's really weird.

I also have a golden child brother. I am mostly very fond of him, and he is a very successful, intelligent person, but my parents are absolutely convinced he is considerably more important than the Second Coming. I can't count the number of times my mum has sighed sadly and asked me and DB2 and me don't we think he's a saint to do so much of the childcare? DB2 and I are on the same page with this one, and we've gone from gently disagreeing to flatly stating 'no mum, DB1 does bugger all for his kids'. There's no telling her, mind.

That reminds me an ex of mine, who was brought up to be very self sufficient. Had to work from a young age and save up to buy his own tv and driving lessons and the like, had a brother who was bankrolled through various expensive courses by his Mum and Dad which he never completed, never had a job and still had pocket money at 21. They all were convinced he was a big talent and it was only a matter or time before he fell on his feet because he was so brilliant. The reality was he was a stoner.