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one of these things is not like the other

Someone in this picture doesnt belong. Can you guess who it is?

450BuddlePhoto.jpg

I'll be back later with the whole story.

UPDATE: When the "Uniform of the day" is "Blue Dress A", you dont show up in badly pressed "Blue Dress C".

The character in the khaki uniform is indeed 59-year-old Reggie L. Buddle of Puyallup Washington. Convicted of his crime of unlawful wearing of U.S. military medals and decorations, Mr. Buddle will now attend to the graves of those who died in the service of the country.

Interestly enough, Mr. Buddle previously and quite legitimately served honorably in the U.S. Army.

The story is interesting to me on many levels. I am continually astounded by the desire of the human psyche to protect itself from shame, even if it means acting absolutely shameful in the process. It appears to me that Mr. Buddle had a hole in his soul that he wished to fill with a lie. It started small, someone asked him if he was a Marine, and instead of saying no, he said yes. It wasnt much, but it started the ball rolling and once it got started, it just kept going. For the microsecond of standing on a peak of pride by saying "Why yes maam, I am a Marine!" he went on to create a deep crater for himself and his life, which no amount of good work will ever fill. He could develop a cure of AIDS, and people would still talk about how he "...pretended to be a Marine".

There are some sentences for some crimes which can never be satisified even when the debt is fully paid. That is the nature of shame, that is why Lady Macbeth went mad while slowly washing her hands of blood that wasn't there. Sure, you couldnt see any blood on her hands, but she could and always would, and that was all that mattered.

I run into people all the time who try to be more than they are and for some reason, fake military experince is one of the most common versions of an "glorious invented past" that I've come across. I once was entertained by a date of a friend who was trying to pass himself off as a "Former Navy SEAL" who seemed quite ignorant of the most rudimentary facts about the well known layout of San Diego Harbor and its environs; including his colorful description of the water temperature as "almost tropical, so it really wasnt so bad!"

Now, I'm not a SEAL and never wanted to be one. I know precious little about what goes on there, but I do know that Basic Underwater Demolition Training takes place in San Diego and I also know from my own experience as a Californian that the water temperature in San Diego harbor is defintely - not tropical.

To say such obvious and silly things almost speaks to a desire of the individual to actually be caught and exposed as a fraud, as if thats their actual goal. Just like forgetting to ask a simple, routine thing like "What's the Uniform of the Day, Dress A? " for the event you are attending, is another form of a not to subtle "tell" that gives away your hand.

For the life of me, I can't understand what drives someone to feel that bad about themselves that they would willingly expose themselves to such ridicule. For what purpose? To hide what? For Lady Macbeth, it was obvious; guilt and shame at having bumped off Duncan and a host of others; for people like Mr. Buddle, well, I just dont get it.

What other people think of you means nothing if you know ( and you do know ) that you are in fact, a fraud. You can put on all the medals you want, you can wear all the right uniforms, but you will always know what a total fraud you are, and that sort of deep seated fear and flopsweat can be smelled through 6 inches of bulletproof glass across an empty auditorium. You will be exposed, its just a matter of time. You're not hiding anything from anyone for very long; it's really just a form of "soul suicide" to pretend otherwise.

I wonder if this need for pretense is what drives actors to do what they do; to hide themselves within the lives of others to help fill the hole in their own souls.

But I don't get it. I really, really don't.

Posted @ July 31, 2007 07:59 AM

Comments

Reggie L. Buddle

Posted by: Earl at July 31, 2007 05:56 PM

Prior to going into the USN, I used to think that it wouldn't be that hard for an actor to pass himself off as a veteran. I based that on the fact that when I was growing up, most veterans I knew didn't talk much about it. They gave each other knowing looks and occasionally told a few stories, but I rarely heard details that dug deep and could have exposed a fraud.

But by the time I got to the ship, it became easy to recognize when somebody was trying to BS their way through a conversation about the service. Usually it was a new guy trying to look salty, talking about commands they'd never been to or situations they clearly had never seen.

Every once in while (since getting out) I meet a guy like your former SEAL - usually someone who did serve and is trying to inflate their actual deeds to something heroic. Mr. Buddle fits that description.

I think they delude themselves into thinking that their charade somehow honors those they imitate. I'm torn between being disgusted by it and feeling sorry for them. The punishment given to Mr. Buddle is perfect, imo.

Posted by: Wulf at August 2, 2007 02:49 PM

Frank what may be going on here is a case of Munchausen Syndrome.

It is a real condition, I once had a friend who (while not to my knowledge diagnosed with it) I've always presumed had it. I knew him for long enough that I saw his story shift with time. He claimed to have a Masters' degree in psychology, and I have no doubt he read up a lot on it, but he also claimed he had a background as an EMT and a Nurse. I once repeated something he'd said to me to a doctor, for example, and was told it was an old wives' tale. There were many other things, too. He was very good at tap dancing around counterindicating facts or previous statements, and he would also get others to help him support claims (me, too... which is one reason I learned to take any of his claims with a grain of salt, even when others "backed him" on it).

If you want, I think Wiki has a halfway decent article on Munchausen that might give you some insight. Part of the reason we were friends for as long as we were was because I generally was amused by it, so I learned not to take it too seriously and never called him on it all. We mainly parted ways because I badly needed some help one time and he refused it, even though I'd been there for him many a time before.

Posted by: Vittle at August 3, 2007 01:09 AM