Curtain Call
A curtain call is the post-show ritual where performers return to the stage to collect coupons called applause, a glamorous act of mutual hypocrisy. Audiences erase their discomfort from the performance with clapping, while actors timidly harvest fleeting glory. This ceremony, where vanity and self-image intertwine, operates like a recycling business of praise. It is the quintessential manifestation of collective egoism, filling the void between the finale and the next encore with borrowed recognition.