# 294: The “Devil” as Role Model
Story behind the Passage
Maybe it is a sign that I am getting old but I catch myself frequently talking about role models in conversations. Yesterday, I did it again when we were talking about politicians. I asked “where are the role models among the politicians nowadays — the Helmut Schmidts, the Genschers, even the Merkels?” Do not get me wrong, I am not praising these figures because of some super-human abilities. They made mistakes like anybody else. But they at least had something which I would call posture and stamina. They knew what they stood for, they made it through extremely difficult times and they had the guts to stand up for their decisions — in good and bad times.
Where are these people today?
I do not see them.
I only see egoistic or pale dumbheads without any rough edges…
But the topic of role models, of course, does not only occupy my mind with respect to politics. I mean it in a comprehensive way. I talked about the fine line between admiring someone for certain qualities and running the risk of not living your truest self because you are too much influenced by these charismatic figures. Still, role models, if they are “used” in the right way, can have an extremely positive effect. I am not even talking about how they are nd how exactly they do things. I mean it in a more basic way in terms of what they do. In most biographied I have come across, the authors, be it scientists or artists, for example, talk about how they first had the idea of taking this or that profession because they had a teacher or neighbor or relative who fascinated them in exactly this role.
For that to happen nowadays, we need these people in the first place!
Yes, it all depends on how you define a role model, of course. But I am not going to get into some academic word play here. I am aware that the people I consider role models would not be the ones of the current generation or not even of many people in my own generation, as I am a bit too “old” in certain ways already. The others admire some social media people, I know. Still, on my level and in my age group, would it not also be natural to find some people to “look up to, to highly respect, to use as role models for achieving great things?” I am not trying to be disrespectful towards some outstanding people who do exist but I honestly wonder.
And you might wonder now, where the “devil” comes in, right?
Actually, Meryl Streep is one of the few role models I have among artists. I have a picture of her in her role as the devil in the Devil Wears Prada in my apartment. That is because that movie intensely touched me for several reasons. And the major reason is the way she plays that character. You see underneath the harsh shell of Miranda Priestley, as she is called in the book, that there is so much pain and sensitivity. But maybe it is just me seeing that. I do not know. I just love that movie and when I think of role models, I do think about it in two different ways — Miranda and Meryl as role models.
Am I nuts?
My Learnings
“In a move that was so fundamentally out of character for this woman on every level, she placed her hand on top of the one I had resting on the seat between us and said, ‘You remind me of myself when I was your age.’” This sentence occurs towards the end of the movie and the book respectively. It is a really touching scene because it is the departure point between Andrea and Miranda. But the most touching thing is that Miranda actually shares in this moment what she really sees in Andrea and how she feels about her. Before, the viewer has only been learning how Miranda’s look of Andrea slightly changes as she starts acknowledging her inner and outer qualities. And there were moments when Andrea sees Miranda in a different way — even broken and completely fragile as her husband leaves her and her big bosses try to get rid of her. Still, this scene is crucial — it is a moment of emancipation for both in a way.
Still, I wonder how many people hire us because they see the same thing but still prefer to act like devils all the way through without ever actually acknowledging how they really see us and how much we mirror their younger selves without us ever knowing it. We might sense and suspect it, but there is so much psycho-bullshit that prevents people from being their true selves in the workplace that these honest emotional moments hardly ever happen. That is sad and it is also quite interesting to see tht Andrea cannot really make sense of the moment; even judge it in a positive or negative way.
“I grabbed my bag and hers as well and wondered if this was the proudest or the most humiliating moment of my life.”
And that is actually a great thing that puts parentheses around the story of the devil for me. Can a devil like her really be a role model? I do think so because leadership is always also about hurting people, no matter what. You have to do it sometimes, even though the people might not understand that it actually is for their own good — for their progress. Yes, Miranda’s character is exaggerated but brilliant the way it is. Whatever one thinks of her, she is unique, she has stamina, she works her ass off, she turns the magazine into a success. And she is driven by something deep down inside that is not ego or greediness — it is very human.
The longing to help others move forward.
Reflection Questions
1) Think of three role models in your life — what connects them?
2) Do you think that “devils” like Miranda in the movie/novel can really function as role models? How?
3) Which movie with Meryl Streep did you enjoy most?