When I speak of “the small and loud,” I mean those people throughout history who make their characters appear larger than they truly are. These inwardly small beings are often incredibly loud — sometimes even monstrous. Monstrously domineering and humourless, that is. Yet they see themselves as the great ones, the mighty, the invincible.
Where does this tiny bit of insight come from?
Well, we have the press and the media — the catwalks of vanity.
Every day, I see public figures – politicians, actors, businesspeople, and other celebrities – strutting and puffing themselves up. It can look impressive at first glance.
But then they open their mouths — and the air escapes. If you listen carefully, you can hear the faint hissing sound of leaking arrogance and half-truths. Nothing more.
The public is usually merciless. Whoever turns themselves into a target will be happily attacked — and for a long time.
I remember when the Green parties first emerged in Europe. The old elites of politics didn’t just laugh at them; they belittled, demeaned, and dismissed them as unequal.
Back then, my outrage at such disrespect almost took my breath away.
But with time – more than fifty years later – things look different.
During my marketing studies, I began to see communication and its impact in a more nuanced way. The rule is simple: the worst treatment in communication is ignorance.
The opposite is equally true: if someone becomes the target of attacks, they are likely to be seen as necessary — perhaps even dangerous — to those in power.
The Greens in Germany are a good example. They’re still here.
The cruel, inhuman remarks once made about Greta Thunberg are still burned into my memory.Why did commentators, politicians, and ordinary citizens form a front against her?It puzzled me for years. What had this girl done to them? What threat could a fifteen-year-old possibly pose to their world?
Well, that girl is now a 22-year-old woman. And she has brought millions of positive impulses into the world — far more than many of those self-proclaimed know-it-alls ever will.
No, I’m not angry. But I am stirred.
Because the alternative would be pointless — and far too fatalistic for my taste.
I love people in general, but I especially admire those unique, brave, strong, and truly big-loud ones — the ones who fight for a good cause without craving the spotlight for themselves.
Conclusion: Even when I feel small, I can still be big and loud.
And so can many others of the small-loud kind.
Let’s be loud and big.
