CHAPTER 23 – A Common Weakness

In “A Common Weakness,” Chapter 23 of “Worldly Ways and Byways,” the author examines the enduring desire for recognition and distinction among people, irrespective of changes in governments or societal conditions. This chapter highlights how, in the absence of traditional titles, individuals in American society, in particular, devise alternative methods to distinguish themselves. The narrative begins with the historical curiosity of the Order of the Cincinnati, which aimed to establish an American nobility, showing early efforts to create societal hierarchies based on honors and titles. Washington’s suppression of the society, hopeful for a society free from such vanities, is portrayed as a naive dream in the face of humanity’s unchanging nature.

The author humorously illustrates how titles such as “Colonel” and “Judge” are liberally adopted in small towns and cities, with the importance of not questioning the authenticity of such distinctions. Women, not to be left out, latch onto their husbands’ titles, amplifying them to absurdities like “Mrs. Acting-Assistant-Paymaster Robinson,” a strategy serving both to distinguish oneself and to avoid being mistaken for “ordinary.” The chapter is replete with examples of Americans creatively manipulating titles and decorations to feed their vanity, even when traveling abroad, often to the bewilderment or amusement of foreigners.

A critical look is given to the lengths some go to for a sense of prestige, like adopting hyphenated surnames or adorning themselves with unofficial decorations, to stand out or claim a higher social standing. These aspirations extend even to academics and clergy who append multiple degrees and initials to their names, ostensibly as symbols of status rather than markers of achievement.

The chapter closes with a reflection on the universal and seemingly insatiable craving for recognition and distinction, critiquing it as a comedic yet pervasive aspect of human nature. Through a blend of satire and observation, “A Common Weakness” paints a vivid picture of the lengths to which individuals will go to assert their individuality and achieve societal recognition, revealing it as both a humorous and deeply ingrained aspect of the human condition.