This is something I've thought a lot about too with the disintegration of who I once thought Jordan Peterson was (a man of integrity) rather than what he is (a relentless attention seeker). It's the same across even the good guys and true believers: only the attention seekers go ham on self promotion. For every brilliant famous person there's probably 10 more brilliant anonymous versions out there. Every famous doctor is famous because they pursue being famous, not because they're good at medicine.
Take Neil deGrasse Tyson. Is he the best scientist out there? Probably not even in the top million. But no question he'd be near the top in desiring fame.
Another example of this is comedy. Every construction site on earth has a guy funnier than Joe Rogan. Hell, even the comment sections on pre 2015 Reddit would regularly feature comedic genius. These dudes are just sitting behind a keyboard somewhere, absolute nobodies. With talent greater than the pros.
Few have the will or desire for the constant attention of modern fame and even fewer the stomach. So this whole corrupting thing, there's a huge selection bias already at play.
And as much as I hate to even reference his schizo ramblings, The Last Psychiatrist was right about narcissism, at least in its definition if not its scope. So I think that's a big part of the selection bias too, these examples of corruption are likely extreme narcissists and always were. The defensive outbursts are the mask slipping.
Hey Jamaal, thanks for the comment! I certainly think what you have outlined here is a driving force behind the corruption I am talking about. I do acknowledge the inherent selection bias in this type of manifestation, however I wouldn't apply it universally. I would say how people become famous there are more factors involved. 1. like you said, some sort of narcissism or attention seeking, desire for validation and to prove yourself, I think most of us have at least some of this inside of us, 2. wanting power to genuinely improve the world. If I have more resources I can use those resources to go towards causes I care about, 3. random chance, some people just get lucky based on the timing and market, 4. financial reasons, some people see fame and success as a way to escape poverty or low socioeconomic status, you can see this in how many entrepreneurs started out hustling when they were younger, I also see this in the increased value of material wealth among the younger generation. Most of these are sufficient and not necessary conditions for success.
This is something I've thought a lot about too with the disintegration of who I once thought Jordan Peterson was (a man of integrity) rather than what he is (a relentless attention seeker). It's the same across even the good guys and true believers: only the attention seekers go ham on self promotion. For every brilliant famous person there's probably 10 more brilliant anonymous versions out there. Every famous doctor is famous because they pursue being famous, not because they're good at medicine.
Take Neil deGrasse Tyson. Is he the best scientist out there? Probably not even in the top million. But no question he'd be near the top in desiring fame.
Another example of this is comedy. Every construction site on earth has a guy funnier than Joe Rogan. Hell, even the comment sections on pre 2015 Reddit would regularly feature comedic genius. These dudes are just sitting behind a keyboard somewhere, absolute nobodies. With talent greater than the pros.
Few have the will or desire for the constant attention of modern fame and even fewer the stomach. So this whole corrupting thing, there's a huge selection bias already at play.
And as much as I hate to even reference his schizo ramblings, The Last Psychiatrist was right about narcissism, at least in its definition if not its scope. So I think that's a big part of the selection bias too, these examples of corruption are likely extreme narcissists and always were. The defensive outbursts are the mask slipping.
Hey Jamaal, thanks for the comment! I certainly think what you have outlined here is a driving force behind the corruption I am talking about. I do acknowledge the inherent selection bias in this type of manifestation, however I wouldn't apply it universally. I would say how people become famous there are more factors involved. 1. like you said, some sort of narcissism or attention seeking, desire for validation and to prove yourself, I think most of us have at least some of this inside of us, 2. wanting power to genuinely improve the world. If I have more resources I can use those resources to go towards causes I care about, 3. random chance, some people just get lucky based on the timing and market, 4. financial reasons, some people see fame and success as a way to escape poverty or low socioeconomic status, you can see this in how many entrepreneurs started out hustling when they were younger, I also see this in the increased value of material wealth among the younger generation. Most of these are sufficient and not necessary conditions for success.