Cynicism writ large

It is one of the ironies of my life that I have often been regarded as a deeply cynical individual; and yet the truth is that I am, was, and ever will be, hopelessly naive.

As proof, here is a statement which I found on the Galleycat blog. It is made by one Joni Evans, of whom I had not heard, but who is apparently a former big-time publishing executive and, until recently, a top agent at William Morris. Here is what she says about a lesson learnt early in life while working for a magazine:

The magazine did a poetry issue once, and the editors needed important people to write for it. I had a famous uncle who was the poetry editor of the New Yorker, so at the general editorial meeting, I raised my hand and said, "I can get Howard Moss." There was silence in the room. Then everyone turned to little Joni as if to say, How do you know Howard Moss? Within a week, I was promoted. I got a raise and a better desk. And that's how I learned that everything is about who you know, not what you know.

It is a measure of how truly naive I am that, when I read this statement I did not gravely nod my head and mutter Yes, this is the way it is. On the contrary, I gasped, clutched my heart, and reached for those little blue pills that the doctor gave me and which I had never thought I would need.