Stop Listening Exclusively to Famous People

Big names can be good for the world, but they can also be big pushers of misinformation

“The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls.” — Simon & Garfunkel

I don’t know exactly what this genius musical duo was intending when they wrote this lyric. But to me, it means that some of the wisest insights are not from the famous “gurus” rolling in cash, but average Joes who are struggling just like the rest of us.

(And yes, I know I’m already quoting famous people, if that’s what S&G still are. The irony is not lost on me. However, I generally trust artists and musicians more than politicians and mega-investors. Their internal motivations are different. Artists are mostly driven by the urge to enlighten and challenge the status quo — the others are motivated largely by money and power. Wealth accumulation is like an addiction, but that’s a completely different topic for another time.)

Anyways, where was I?

Right. Every day I open the news or social media, and the most prominent messages are from people who are millionaires or billionaires or reality show stars. I’d like to get something out of the way early, so these groups aren’t offended: Yes. There are many smart and insightful rich people in the world that we should listen to. In many cases, their ingenuity is what got them to where they are. But the ones that repeatedly get promoted by the media are not necessarily the right ones to lead us into the future.

Elon-Gating the Climate Crisis?

Not to center anyone out, but let’s start with Elon Musk, who needs no introduction unless you’ve been living on a different planet. He has given unsolicited advice for the direction of humanity, which has been amplified many times by the news. In fact, he literally wants us to exist on another planet — Mars.

“We don’t want to be one of those single-planet species; we want to be a multi-planet species,” Musk was quoted as saying in a 2021 CNBC article.

Yes, he leads SpaceX, which is developing a spacecraft to land people on Mars. Yes, he is a highly successful and probably a very intelligent person. However, he’s speaking as if he knows about other civilizations in the universe — and that apparently the successful ones have occupied several planets. Spoiler: he does not know these things. No one does.

However, millions of people will read his comments and get excited about the prospect of living on the Red Planet. Newsflash: even if we do get there, you won’t be going unless you’re a somebody, and that means not an average Joe. Also, Mars is not exactly a friendly environment for humans. But we gloss over these points, because Elon Musk, the multi-billionaire, said we should go for it to save our species.

The biggest problem I see in this case is that our collective focus will shift from saving the perfectly good planet we have now, to getting the next one prepped for our arrival. The narrative that has been created from this is that Earth is already doomed. And perhaps it is — the outlook is not great. However, the problem is more about humans, not that we will get hit by an asteroid like in Don’t Look Up, or be swallowed by an expanding sun (that’s not going to happen for billions of years.)

However, our climate efforts here will wane if we think we already have another planet to leap to. It’s sort of like a metaphor for some religions: it’s okay to do bad things on Earth, because there’s a God waiting to forgive us with open arms. In this case, that God is Mars, who will not welcome us with open arms. (If you want to get technical, Mars is the god of rage and war, so he would probably kick your mortal ass.)

Anyways, let’s stop picking on Elon. I do generally find him interesting, and I don’t think he’s an inherently bad person. However, because he is uber-rich, has babies with a music star, and likes to party at exclusive clubs (or at least try to), we take his words as gospel.

So, Is Joe a Bro in the Know?

Moving on, this time to Joe Rogan. Admittedly, this is a man I have barely listened to since he started preaching to the masses through his lucrative podcast. But what I can gather is that at some point, he has taken a right turn, and has made some very questionable comments. (If he is in fact a political liberal, then he is also pissing off liberals at the same time.)

He has gone viral while spreading misinformation about Covid-19 (see what I did there?). Like, what the hell does he know about “gene therapy?” Is he a scientist? No. Is he any sort of healthcare expert? No. Admittedly, neither am I. But I do know that historically, vaccines have been part of the solution that has ended pandemics.

Having any popular bro on a soapbox yelling that people are being brainwashed, and are “sheeple” or whatever the latest term is, has dragged out the pandemic way longer than necessary. Polio and measles were cut dramatically or eliminated by the introduction of a vaccine, thanks to people willing to take it for the good of humanity. It’s also what got the “Spanish flu” — now just known as the flu — under control.

Yes, there are potential side effects to a vaccine — I have felt them — but there are also side effects of your drinking, smoking, and many other substances you ingest, that aren’t necessarily approved by a health board.

I’ve lost count of how many famous and rich people I once respected — including musicians — that have spoken out against taking a life-saving vaccine, because they or someone they know experienced bad side effects. (If music legend Eric Clapton says vaccines are “poison”, they must be, right?).

Again, I do not doubt that some people have had severe reactions. I’m sorry for those who did. But the truth is that some famous and rich people (like Joe Rogan) got richer by spreading anti-vaxx rhetoric. (And some have the nerve to say vaccines are a money grab.)

Rogan has apparently apologized for some of the comments made about the most recent pandemic on his podcast, but even if he did, it’s too late — the damage has already been done. Lots of people out there nodded in agreement when he said healthy people who exercise would be immune. Hitting the gym — while commendable, nice gains — does not guarantee protection from viruses wreaking havoc on your system.

Donald Trumps Them Both

Ugh, I was hoping I didn’t have use his name, but I wouldn’t be able to make that bad pun without it. Anyhow, this rich TV star stoked a lot of fires prior to 2016, but was especially damaging to the country when he took office.

The ex-president (who apparently wants to be president again) has made a lot of false claims in the past years, some of them in relation to the pandemic. I don’t really want to echo these claims, because they are not healthy for the world. But I will say this: 45 became immensely popular with a certain demographic because he is white, rich, and perhaps most importantly — LOUD. People love the I don’t give a f*** about you attitude, no matter what the message is. It makes them feel empowered, like they can also not give any f***s.

I read a great book by Susan Cain called Quiet. (No, I do not earn commissions if you buy the book from Amazon.) I mention it because I think it says a lot about the general mentality of America, and why loud people often get heard over wise yet quieter people. We equate brashness with confidence. And confident people must be right, right? After all, they seem so sure of it.

But think about some of the salespeople you’ve met, and how cocky they are. They confidently tell you that the piece of garbage they’re trying to sell you will fix your life. But talking loudly/forcefully is not always a sign of knowing stuff — it’s also a sign of being an egomaniac or a sociopath. Cain sums a lot of this up in her book, which you should read (again, there’s no financial gain for me. But she does say introverts are undervalued and make good leaders, and I’m an introvert, so.)

Anyways, Jesus (or Mars) help us if 45 gets back into office. He is a divisive force that has stoked the flames of anger towards progressive values. He claims the time-tested voting system is rigged against him (unless he wins, of course.) He talks about the woes of communism, but by not acknowledging voting results, he is acting more like a communist dictator drunk with power. This is dangerous for everyone, even his supporters who believe he will lift them up (spoiler: he has not, and still will not.)

Not All Famous People

I feel like I once again have to state that there are some famous/powerful/wealthy people that we can (probably) trust. For example, look at Dolly Parton. You don’t see her going around telling people to steam their vaginas for better health. Dear Dolly remains humble despite her massive fame, and even gave cash to assist with Covid vaccine development.

I could list a bunch more celebs that we should pay more attention to. For example, while belittled by a certain ex-president, Greta Thunberg is a force of nature — that wants to save nature for future generations. I don’t see an agenda other than “WTF are we doing to the planet, people?” Yes, she has some money — it’s true. And she will probably make more with her latest publication — a “guide” to climate change. But she walks the talk — she doesn’t sit in her basement spouting conspiracies.

And while they might be rich white dudes, respect for Matt Damon for co-founding an organization to provide more access to clean water to people around the globe, and Leonardo DiCaprio, who has created a foundation to protect earth’s inhabitants.

I don’t want to just blindly list rich people who are making a positive difference, so read this other article that talks about generous millionaires — including the guy who was a target of bizarre conspiracies during the pandemic, Bill Gates. More specifically, people actually believed Gates planned to use the vaccine as a vehicle to implant people with microchips. “It’s almost hard to deny this stuff because it’s so stupid or strange that even to repeat it gives it credibility,” said Gates in an article.

‘Critical Thinking’ is Not Simply Repeating The Loudest People

So many conspiracies throughout modern history have come from mouths of influential people that should know better. But they latch on to certain damaging beliefs, especially when they realize they can create an army of followers. That’s power, and it’s hard to give it up without a safeguard. (So far, professional fact-checkers have not been able to sway many people in favor of reality. But then, some people also think the Holocaust wasn’t real, thanks to claims by certain individuals. One of those people was Willis Carto, a far-right “revisionist” who actually started an institute to deny Jewish history.)

I keep hearing “do your research” and crap like that about the current pandemic and how to deal with it. I hear how Canada has become a communist regime, and that our prime minister is a power-thirsty monster, which is laughable when there’s an actual monster attacking the Ukraine. While all I hear is bat-sh*t crazy, many of you out there are self-proclaimed “truth seekers” and eat it all up under the guise that you’re somehow more clued in more than the average Joe. (You are not. You probably just like fiction and sci-fi, and you probably smoked way too much weed as a teenager. I’m not knocking weed, I’m just acknowledging recent research.) This is not critical thinking, as much as you think it is. It’s really the opposite.

Famous people who do good deeds for the world are generally not doing it for money. (Yes, I can hear you — the vaccines made many millions for some companies and individuals. But so do the companies that make your beer, cigarettes, and pills to keep your heart from stopping. Do I think there were perhaps some greased palms during all of this? Sure. Do I believe the effort was largely for the good of civilization? Also yes.)

I can’t tell you who to listen to. Who the hell am I, a mostly unknown writer on Medium? But if you’ve made it this far into my rant, then I assume you’re open to listening, or already share my views. Either way, we need to stop idolizing people’s words because they’ve made a career of simply being loud or rich or good looking (or all of the above.)

People do not have to be famous to be credible. These can be your friends, grandparents, therapist, teacher, or coworker. They can be a stranger you randomly chat up. The advice they give you is not necessarily designed to boost their following.

We need to listen to people who have had the actual experiences, who have actually studied the thing (in an accredited university), who are trying to make a positive change (without the sole purpose of making money), or who have failed and learned the hard way.

If we don’t, we will all learn this lesson the hard way.