Arthur Kade profile response

Dan P. Lee, the Philadelphia Magazine writer responsible for today's profile of Arthur Kade, had a tall task before him when he set out to write that piece. He had to humanize one of the most despised "unmitigated douchebags" in America and make a lengthy profile on him more than just an excuse to trash the guy. He rips the self-aggrandizing wannabe actor a new one when it's necessary, but he also paints a picture that shows that having the balls to do what he did is a two way street. It requires great hubris, but also great courage. Lee's profile does a good job of illustrating that duality while supplying plenty of head-scratching moments and laughs along the way.

One strategy Lee uses to keep readers from dismissing Kade despite his misogynistic female rating system and completely delusional belief that he'll one day win an Oscar is to garner sympathy for him. The most effective way he does that is by showing some of the comments from Kade's website, which range from incredulous pleas that he's just kidding, to profanity-laced namecalling, to death threats/suicide requests. It's hard to imagine being so annoyed with someone's Web presence and misplaced confidence that you'd go that far, and Lee exploits that.

He also tries to diffuse some of Kade's hubris by showing that he had a tough childhood. Unfortunately, Kade ruins this by being completely aware of his desire to be the center of attention. If you can diagnose yourself with being psychologically inclined toward egotism and still choose to behave the way that Kade does, some of the sympathy that comes with that dissolves.

The reporting technique of following Kade around to his two major stomping grounds (besides the Internet) – nightclubs and auditions – worked tremendously well. It gave insight into his live that at the same time suggested that he's an insufferable prick and an alright, misunderstood guy, without doing much to judge or conclude either way. His closing is elegant and almost melodramatic as he hopes the best for Kade and the other "actors" from his audition, and in turn, we do, too. It's a nice closing for one of the best "defending the indefensible"-type profiles I've ever read.