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American Idol

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by DrFrylock, Apr 28, 2011.

  1. DrFrylock

    DrFrylock
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    The White

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    We've had threads before on our heroes, but never one on our idols. The difference in concepts is kind of subtle. Heroes are generally expected to be, well, heroic. It's easy to admire the ultra-renaissance-person or the war hero who saved forty people singlehandedly. And we certainly do idolize these folks, but there are other people that we identify with, admire, or desire to emulate in other ways that are not necessarily "heroes" in the traditional sense. Mine include:

    Richard P. Feynman: For his inquisitiveness, general ability to jump into nearly any situation and find a place in it, and his obsessive introspectiveness that allowed him to understand and relate those experiences to others.

    Norm Abram, Master Carpenter: For his down-to-earth nature, his dedication to his craft, and his ability to make a plaid flannel shirt work in any situation.

    Warren Buffett: A tiny bit for his investment ability, and a very large amount for the lifestyle and perspective he maintains in spite of it.

    John Aaron: For being good enough to know to try SCE to Aux.

    FOCUS: Who are yours?
     
  2. Rob4Broncos

    Rob4Broncos
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    George Carlin: Aside from finding great enjoyment in his comedy, I've always admired him for two distinct traits: his ability to observe and deconstruct human behavior, and his proficiency with the English language. Being a habitual people-watcher for as long as I can remember, in addition to possessing a great interest in words and language, I learned many things from Carlin that I've yet to learn from anyone else. Watching his comedy and reading his books taught me how much attention to detail is worth, in order to be taken seriously.

    Doug Stanhope: Similar to Carlin, I appreciate Stanhope's comedy for his head-on confrontation of human behaviors. Unlike Carlin, who largely made casual observances of mundane, universal things, Stanhope takes the more abrasive route, opting to take on hypocritical, conceited, or pointless viewpoints and behaviors found throughout society. For better or for worse, he's a no-nonsense, non-PC figure in a PC world. A favorite pastime of mine is to watch/listen to one of his DVDs/CDs. His routines usually cheer me up, for some reason. Here's No Refunds in its entirety, if you have an hour to kill.

    Chuck Palahniuk: While I love his writing, it's his attitude that I most admire. I can't find a better way to illustrate that than with this, my favorite quote of all-time:

    Robert Greene: What can I say, I love the guy's books. They've taught me many invaluable life lessons. The best part is that I still lack the proper context for some of them, so I've yet to grow into them. The preface of The 33 Strategies of War acknowledges that point:

    Random aside: Stanhope looks very much like how I imagine I'll look in 20 years (go ahead and laugh, you fuckers), so I can relate to him in several ways. For that reason, I've settled on him for my avatar.
     
  3. Juice

    Juice
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    Moderately Gender Fluid

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    William F Buckley

    [​IMG]

    He's the father of the modern conservative movement and became famous for his debates with other intellectuals like Noam Chomsky and Gore Vidal. Very witty and intelligent and his ideas have shaped many policies and ideas in the country. Not only part of the political "intelligencia" but was also recruited into the CIA right out of college and later became a very successful author.
     
  4. lostalldoubt86

    lostalldoubt86
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    [​IMG]

    Audrey Hepburn


    I'm not sure if Audrey Hepburn counts, because she was actually pretty badass during WWII, but I see her as a role model because of who she was as a human being.
     
  5. audreymonroe

    audreymonroe
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    The most powerful cervix... in the world...

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    I have a handful of professional idols/role models: Anna Wintour, Debbie Stoller (editor of BUST magazine, author of the Stitch N' Bitch books, crafty entrepreneur), Brandon Holley (who was the first editor of Elle Girl, then took over Jane -R.I.P- from Jane Pratt, then edited Shine while magazines crashed, and is now totally reviving Lucky as it's new editor), Ruth Reichl (restaurant critic of LA Times, then NY Times, then editor of Gourmet and writer of three incredible memoirs), and Sloane Crosley (whose career I would love to emulate, and am actually kind of on my way to doing). Also, for Reichl and Crosley, my writing style is most like theirs too. I'd also love to be more like Kelly Cutrone (who founded and runs the fashion PR company, People's Revolution), and have more of her drive and alpha femaleness. And, lastly, Tina Fey.

    I admire all of them for basically the same reasons: They started out as average nobodies with a passion and a dream, and they worked ridiculously hard and now not only make a living doing what they love, but they're pioneers and/or at the top of their fields too. They have a knack for grounding their creativity in reality with good business sense. They have the same values as me and I can look at them as blueprints of the life I want to live.
     
  6. shabamon

    shabamon
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    Marilyn Manson

    Despite his drug abuse battles, I see a man very worthy of respect and admiration. A lot of right wing people have criticized and attacked him over the years, including blaming him for the Columbine tragedy. I gained a ton of respect for him when asked what he would say to Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris, he replied, "I wouldn't have said anything. I would have listened, which is what nobody did." If you listen to any serious interview of him, you'd find that he's actually extremely intelligent and stands firmly on his beliefs, often making his critics look like idiots.

    "A kid came up to me once and said, 'When I grow up, I want to be just like you.' I said to him, 'If you want to be just like me, just be yourself.'"
     
  7. Evolution

    Evolution
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    David Goggins

    David Goggins is one of the toughest athletes in the fucking world. He's a Navy SEAL who decided to start running for charity after losing some friends in combat. His first marathon+ distance race was a 100 mile ultramarathon, during which he broke all of the bones in his feet and experienced kidney failure, but finished regardless.

    <a class="postlink" href="http://triathlete-europe.competitor.com/2010/05/14/david-goggins-toughest-athlete-planet/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://triathlete-europe.competitor.com ... te-planet/</a>

     
    #7 Evolution, Apr 29, 2011
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 27, 2015