• The Real Me

    The Real Me

    Recently beleaguered Illinois Senator Roland Burris defended himself from accusations of impropriety by stating, “Stop the rush to judgment. You know the real Roland. I have done nothing wrong and I have absolutely nothing to hide.” Whether or not Senator Burris has anything to hide—something to be decided by officials and not bloggers—his defense reveals a common view of our human nature – that we have a “real me.” We use this idea to express our impression that we have been misunderstood in some way and especially when we feel the need to defend ourselves against accusation. Like Roland Burris we nearly always use the term to allude to a…