These days, “performative” is one of the more popular words being used to describe less-than-ideal partners, team mates, or leaders.
According to the dictionary, is when something is done insincerely or inauthentically, typically with the intention of impressing others or improving one’s own image. If you come to think of it, that would also group such people among those who are considered clout chasers, which is another more modern derogatory term being flung about.
Performative acts are also within the scope of “love bombing,” which according to a quick AI query, is defined as a psychological manipulation tactic characterized by overwhelming displays of affection, attention, and flattery, typically at the start of a relationship, to gain control over another person.
In the slang of the older generations, such people would simply be described as “plastic,” which back then, was also one of the worst things someone could be labeled as.
Plastic people who are merely performative in their acts that are for clout chasing or manipulation are the kind of people we usually want to avoid as team mates, partners, lovers, or leaders. Our usual problem is in exposing or figuring out who they are, so we can avoid them before it is too late, since our internal radar for such shenanigans is sadly only developed through life experience, and by the time it is well honed, many of us have already been burned or hurt multiple times.
We encounter these kinds of people at school and work, inexplicably putting more effort on being performative when they could channel the same energy towards actual and productive performance. As teammates, they are much easier to detect, but the goal of these people is to use their teammates to impress the superiors, so being stuck with them in a group or team can be a cause of major stress, especially among those who do the actual work and/or leading.
Those kinds of people also try to weasel their way into our personal lives, where we should thankfully have more control, if we could only identify them and their motivations before it’s too late. This is one advantage for folks like me who have a small inner circle that has stood the test of time, because that is one surefire relationship test that they usually end up failing.
The interesting and unfortunate thing about these performative, clout chasing, love bombers is that if you look hard enough, they are most commonly found in the public sector, usually involved in “public service” where their talents and skills are an integral part of the shameless self promotion that usually comes with entering public service and politics in this country.
It is frustrating to see how the most performative and plastic leaders and candidates are the ones that our voters like to put in charge of our towns, cities, and country. These are the so-called leaders who use public resources to prop up their own reputations by taking credit for government programs, usually plastering their names, faces, and political slogans all over the communities that they rule over, as well as on social media. It is interesting to see how Filipinos can be so alert and aware of the plastic people in our private lives as we try to protect ourselves, but remain or choose to be so blissfully ignorant when those same kind of people parade themselves in front of us during the campaign season, and even when they are supposed to be performing their public duties and mandate, but are actually mostly performative.
If success as a public servant is measured by the ability to stay in power and build a political dynasty, being performative has become a necessary talent. The problem with the Filipino voter is that they have shown that they like the loud, flashy, and empty cans that make a lot of noise and hands out lots of cash and favors, instead of the quiet but efficient workers and builders who would rather create systems that are effective even if they are not present. Performative leaders who crave our attention and gratitude end up getting what they want, while those who just perform silently and effectively end up getting forgotten and sidelined by all the love bombers, credit grabbers, and clout chasing show offs that we love to put in power.
We try our best to identify and get rid of these kinds of people in our personal and private lives because we know that they are bad news and toxic. We may not always succeed, but it is a priority for most of us so we can have the peace of mind that comes with having people that we trust and count on to actually be there for us, and not just be performative. Perhaps it is time that we apply that same vigilance and diligence when it comes to evaluating the public figures that we put in charge of our communities, and ultimately our future.*
