Ron & Jen’s Great Escape, August 9, 2023 – Ron St. Pierre and Jen Brien

by Ron St. Pierre and Jen Brien, commentary

HAVE WE ALWAYS BEEN THIS FAKE?

The other day I was sitting with my mother, and we were watching some “shopping channel” and after 15 minutes I thought… “My God. Have WE (THE COLLECTIVE) always been so fake”?!

In the press over the past few years, there have been a multitude of people called out over their duplicity with respect to their persona and careers. One of the most famous, for sure, is Casey Kasum. If you’ve never heard his YouTube rage while taping “America’s TOP 40”, check it out. It’s wild. We have recently heard about Lizzo who’s (allegedly) a real horrible, HORRIBLE person hiding behind smiles and positivity to build her brand. Ellen did it too, as did Chrissy Tiegan, Judy Garland and Joan Crawford. The list is endless but, those are the ones, for whatever reason, that are floating around in my head. 

Why is it, people are terrified of being seen as they are? Not a fabricated filtered version of themselves they want to present to the world, but their real down and dirty authentic self.

The irony is, there are endless, ENDLESS books, programs and teachings out there in the world to get people to be authentic, but most people can’t do it. They can’t be vulnerable.

The way I see it…

People are fake, businesses are fake, politicians are fake, your neighbors are fake, friends are fake… holiday cocktail parties are fake… celebrities are fake… etc… etc… I’m not trying to be a downer, but you know it’s true and I’m asking why. How did we get here? Has it always been this way? If YOU’RE asking why I’M asking this now, it’s because I was in a coma for 38 years as my alcoholism ravaged my life. I’m almost 6 years sober and alive for the very first time. I’ve had a lot of relearning to do… I finally am able to see the world without anything messing with my head AND what I’m seeing… is a lot of fake people everywhere and fakeness in everything, and it’s gross. How sad it is when someone steps up and says what they genuinely feel and just is being who they are we say, “oh, aren’t they a breath of fresh air”. We applaud authenticity because we rarely see it. Wow.

Are you fake? Do you smile at someone but then gossip about them? Have you created a version of yourself that you present to the world that is the polar opposite of who you really are?

Just something to think about this week.

Hey, I can’t give you guys dessert all the time, sometimes we need our spinach. Just saying.

Till next week my friends,

Jen 

PS. NOT everyone is fake and for those of you who live without fear of being judged and are living your best life – gold star! Continue to be a light and example in this dark world. 

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GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN

On this week’s radio show, Saturday morning at 7am on NewsRadio 920 and 104-7 FM and streaming on 920WHJJ.com (shameless plug) we’re going to talk about stores and restaurants we used to frequent growing up that are LONG GONE. We’re born and raised in Rhode Island; Jen in Woonsocket and Ron in Pawtucket so there are a LOT of “OH WOWS! I REMEMBER THAT PLACE!” moments coming up Saturday morning so why not start off your weekend with a smile?

AND EVERYTHING NICE

The pumpkin spice tsunami is officially underway. 7 ELEVEN has brought back its P-spice menu early with Pumpkin Spice Latte, Pumpkin Pie coffee, Pumpkin muffins and even double shots of Pumpkin Spice syrup if your coffee’s not PUMPKINEE enough. Wendy’s is offering a Pumpkin Spice Frosty, too. For those of you who think Fall is just around the corner, check July’s electric bill. HOOCHIE MAMA…and there’s plenty of hot August weather (and maybe September) left to keep those electric meters churning and RI Energy smiling!

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Read all of Ron & Jen’s columns, here:https://rinewstoday.com/ron-st-pierre-jen-brien/

Ron St. Pierre is a veteran broadcaster whose career has spanned over four decades. Ron has programmed, performed on and managed WHJJ, WPRO, WWRX, 790 The Score in Providence, as well as WBZT and WKGR in West Palm Beach and WABC in New York City. Ron also anchored sports on WPRI Ch 12 in Providence. He is a member of both the Rhode Island Radio and Television and the City of Pawtucket Halls of Fame. He was born and raised in Pawtucket.

Jen Brien has over 20 years of radio broadcast experience having hosted shows on WPRO and WHJJ with Ron as well as her own shows on WRKO and WBZ in Boston, WXTK on Cape Cod and WHAM in Rochester, New York. Jen was born and raised in Woonsocket and served six years in the Army MP Canine Unit.

Hazel, Ron’s dog, makes regular appearances.

“Ron and Jen’s Great Escape” podcast, a more lighthearted look at the events happening around us, can be found on YouTube and wherever you get your podcasts, with new episodes premiering each Wednesday and listen to Ron and Jen’s Great Escape on NewsRadio 920 and 104-7 FM, Saturday morning, 7am!