The Yes Man

You might be asking what a “yes man” is right now.

It’s quite straight forward really. Urban Dictionary has one of the definitions listed as:

“Someone who always agrees with authority and does what he’s told.”

But it’s more than that. You’re not necessarily always saying ‘yes’ - rather, you’re telling the person exactly what they want to hear. And some of us are good at that.

“Does my butt look big in this?”

“Helllll no. You look great.”

We both know the truth. But that’s not what I want to hear right now.

The phrase actually dates back to Ancient Greek times. The term was used in the legal system of Classic Athens but in modern English it refers to someone practicing Sycophancy. Also known as ‘obedient flattery’.

Don’t believe me? Check the wiki!

I’m not going to get into detail of how the word evolved through litigation and bringing about unjustified prosecutions, but just know that for instance, one could hire a sycophant to bring a charge against one’s enemies, or to take a wide variety of actions with which one did not want to be personally associated. For example, acting as an advocate or a witness. In essence, someone you KNOW is going to have your back.

But the word began to shift meaning in modern English, and is now known as an ‘insincere flatterer’, or a butt-kisser. But let’s be real. Everyone could use a butt kisser every once in a while. Feeling down about an art piece you made? Get someone to tell you it looks amazing! Not sure if that outfit looks good on you, but you know you’re going to buy it anyway? Why not have someone tell you it looks good anyhow?!

What if there are people out there willing to offer flattery as a service. If there is somebody out there that’s willing to pay for this, where would they even begin to look? I’m going to make a place where all the best sycophants can put their best work to practice, and get hired like the good old days. Like the good old old old days.