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Reasons not to become famous

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Re: Reasons not to become famous

#271

Post by speedgoose »

varjag wrote: post #166
speedgoose wrote: post #103

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You have unemployment and more than enough time to find a new job. And let's say you don't find one, the state will still give you enough money for you to survive. Maybe you will have to reduce your lifestyle and be unhappy for some time but there is no need to seek to be rich just to prevent an unlikely future.

I sense an optimism of someone who yet not lived through a major recession. When the economy takes a nosedive, even janitor jobs can be hard to come by. And welfare, even where it is available, is usually severely capped both in amount and duration. You may not die of hunger but losing your place to live is entirely realistic.

It's true, I haven't experienced a recession. I rather take the risk of having a hard time during a recession than having a hard time my whole life though.

Re: Reasons not to become famous

#273

Post by shuckles »

dcolkitt wrote: post #268
m3kw9 wrote: post #258

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thing is, nothing matters to you after you are gone. Unless we become ghosts that can observe. Unlikely

Thought exercise: A malicious but trustworthy djinn appears to you. He tells you that one minute after your death, he's going to release magically faked evidence that you were a violent pedophilie. All of your remaining friends and family will believe this, and the case will be so bad that your name will become associated around the world for the sheer heinousness and reprehensibility of the things you supposedly did…

While I’m alive, I would gladly pay $1 if it would avoid a traumatic experience for my friends and family (or even a stranger). I don’t see how this hypothetical changes that. In particular, it’s not about the memory of me, it’s about how that memory affects the lives of those who might care about me.

Re: Reasons not to become famous

#274

Post by [deleted] »

dcolkitt wrote: post #268
m3kw9 wrote: post #258

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thing is, nothing matters to you after you are gone. Unless we become ghosts that can observe. Unlikely

Thought exercise: A malicious but trustworthy djinn appears to you. He tells you that one minute after your death, he's going to release magically faked evidence that you were a violent pedophilie. All of your remaining friends and family will believe this, and the case will be so bad that your name will become associated around the world for the sheer heinousness and reprehensibility of the things you supposedly did…

[deleted]

Re: Reasons not to become famous

#275

Post by drcode »

keiferski wrote: post #35
econcon wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I made lots of money but always felt rejected/ignored by society. So I ended up lonely. I was sold a dream that become financially well off and affluent and women will flock to you - it never happened! I stayed a non smoker, non drinker because I consider these uncessary risks. I don't see any upside Aced the classes, did good in sports but still become Mr. Noone. But lately, I got into body building and started usin…

The majority of the most "desirable" men in the world have lean, muscular physiques, not bodybuilder physiques. Think Brad Pitt in Fight Club. So, if your main reason for using steroids is to attract women - seriously reconsider, as your premises are wrong.

It seems odd to argue that Brad Pitt in Fight Club doesn't have a bodybuilder physique, just because he has slightly smaller biceps than a typical body builder.

Re: Reasons not to become famous

#276

Post by sneak »

dharmon wrote: post #174
sneak wrote: post #128

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One of the mitigating strategies here is to have a liability waiver that people sign to enter your office or home. Mine also has an NDA with a nondisparagement provision. It has been useful for dating, too.

For what it's worth, rich people do not do this. It sounds like one of those nonsense things a person would do if they want people to think they're rich when they're not. They do, however, have a good umbrella insurance policy to cover extra liability. If you have even a modest net worth you should also do this. And don't invite randos into your home/office.

I’m not even accredited. I just don’t want to deal with the time and hassle of a legal mess to defend what few assets I do have, or my reputation. I’ve had some specific bad experiences that the setup in its current design should hopefully mitigate; it’s not a theoretical thing. It bothers me that there isn’t a better way to do this.

As for “randos”; do you only date people you already know well? I know relatively few people well socially (ie less than dozen), and almost none in the cities in which I spend most of my time. I’m pretty reclusive despite having gotten to the point where death threats are a thing.

Re: Reasons not to become famous

#277

Post by airocker »

sergioro wrote: post #208
cletus wrote: post #195

So I only see three reasons to be famous: 1. The attention and adulation is your drug. I think there's no shortage of people who fall into this category. 2. To convert that fame into opportunities you wouldn't otherwise have; and 3. To convert that fame into money. Obviously if you're just plain rich then (3) is moot. If you fall into (1) then money can buy you fame to a degree. So that leaves (2). Wealth will give y…

An extra reason for being famous (could be included in #2 of the above list) is to amplify your positive impact in the world. E.g. if Bezos wasn't famous i'd probably never learned about his business strategies (costumer first, risk taking & innovating, etc). IMO this is the best reason for being famous.

Bezos possibly does not want all consumers to know his name or he would have named Amazon "bezos" much like "ford". --bezos fan

Re: Reasons not to become famous

#278

Post by ericmcer »

Does anyone else feel like he really misinterpreted the parable of the blind men and the elephant?

Jim Carrey’s quote also seems out of context, given that Carrey is talking about the philosophical nature of fame as a goal. How striving for it could become a part of your identity and then actually achieving it and finding your problems still exist would lead to a loss of identity, disillusionment and other existential stuff. Ferriss is dealing more with the practical realities of being famous on a day to day basis.

Re: Reasons not to become famous

#279

Post by throw18374 »

cletus wrote: post #195

So I only see three reasons to be famous: 1. The attention and adulation is your drug. I think there's no shortage of people who fall into this category. 2. To convert that fame into opportunities you wouldn't otherwise have; and 3. To convert that fame into money. Obviously if you're just plain rich then (3) is moot. If you fall into (1) then money can buy you fame to a degree. So that leaves (2). Wealth will give y…

Isn’t it possible to become a billionaire without anyone knowing?

What if you just get there quietly through private investment?

Not a billion, but I’ve built up a decent chunk myself and nobody seems to know or even suspect that about me. Nobody begs me for anything more than spare change, no sycophants, nobody trying to impress me. Marketing for luxury goods doesn’t even reach me.

I could easily see myself reaching a billion in a few decades just through private investment, and there must be thousands of people doing the same. I imagine there are many more who have earned millions publicly, then sold their stake and went to a billion privately.

So how does everyone find out about them?

Re: Reasons not to become famous

#280

Post by dcolkitt »

shuckles wrote: post #273
dcolkitt wrote: post #268

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thought exercise: A malicious but trustworthy djinn appears to you. He tells you that one minute after your death, he's going to release magically faked evidence that you were a violent pedophilie. All of your remaining friends and family will believe this, and the case will be so bad that your name will become associated around the world for the sheer heinousness and reprehensibility of the things you supposedly did…

While I’m alive, I would gladly pay $1 if it would avoid a traumatic experience for my friends and family (or even a stranger). I don’t see how this hypothetical changes that. In particular, it’s not about the memory of me, it’s about how that memory affects the lives of those who might care about me.

But you said that you don't care about things after being gone. So this clearly demarcates an exception to this.

You care about the wellbeing of your friends and family after your death, even though you're not "around to observe it". So there are at least some things that you value in life, that you still value after death.

Many people being value being respected in life. There's nothing particularly different about extending that value to being respected after death. At least not if you already assign valence to other values post-death.

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