“I don’t think I’m as revolutionary as Galileo, but I don’t think I’m not as revolutionary as Galileo.”
That was the insufferable Jaden Smith talking to GQ last fall. Son of actors Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, the 17-year-old Jaden went on at length about his personal philosophy of learning and life.
How does a child get this way? We learned this week when Will Smith said he encouraged his kids to be free. “There’s a really powerful internal quality as an artist that as parents we encourage. You’ve got to get out on the edge.”
Ah, the edge. And where is that? When GQ asked Jaden where he will be in 10 years, he announced that he is going to go underground. “It’ll be kind of like Banksy. But in a different way. More of a social impact. Helping people. But through art installations. It’ll be like, ‘This just happened that helped a bunch of people over here. We don’t know who did it, but these symbols and things were left around, so we can only guess that it’s Jaden and the squad.’ You know what I’m saying? So I’m just dedicating my whole life to helping the world.”
Yes, helping the world through art installations. And then causing a media stir so that people can guess the culprit. Maybe it’s impossible for the kids of stars to have any sense of humility, but the level of narcissism here is notable, even for a generation of narcissists.
It’s disturbing how many of today’s “role models,” from the Kardashians on down, are raving egotists.
Even Will Smith admitted in his interview, with a laugh, that they “may have gone too far” in letting their son exercise his freedom.
You think? Galileo discovered the Earth revolved around the sun. Jaden thinks the Earth revolves around him.