I fully agree with that. My point was that he’s preaching at us about eliminating ego and self-esteem while going farther than he previously did (such as with threads like this) in doing things to seek self-esteem.
If he hadn’t started creating threads like this, his flagrantly self-serving double-standard would just be kind of amusing, if a bit tiresome.
I don’t have a problem with people seeking self-esteem, per se, though I think it would be better to do so in service to someone else.
I have a problem in principle with people gaming the system to bolster their self-esteem; and I have a problem in principle with people sacrificing other people to bolster their self-esteem; and I have a problem in principle with people congratulating themselves and preaching at other people about getting rid of the ego and self-esteem while still doing (and even accelerating) the things that involve egotistically seeking self-esteem.
Combining those three principles into practice? Then I get worried. It means someone will cheerfully game the system to sacrifice other people to bolster their self-esteem while assiduously avoiding or denying that this is what they’re doing. Language about getting rid of self-criticism along the way doesn’t reduce my worries about this volatile mixture.
But Michael hasn’t exactly stepped over a line yet. Just toed over it very, very carefully to see how far he can get away with things. That isn’t completely unusual around here.