Reasons not to become famous (2020)

How Typical Are These Harassment Experiences?

• One camp argues Ferriss’ experience is skewed: self‑help content attracts unusually unstable, needy followers, so his “crazy” encounters are not representative.
• Many push back hard: even “newspaper famous” or niche‑famous people (OSS maintainers, minor TV talking heads, CEOs, small‑country YouTubers, regional athletes, local theater actors) report stalkers, threats, obsessive fans, and bizarre in‑person encounters.
• Several note this effect appears at surprisingly small scales (high‑school sports starters, modest online followings).
• Commenters stress that women in the public eye get especially intense harassment: stalkers, death threats, rape fantasies are described as near‑universal among semi‑public women.

Parasocial Attention and “Crazies”

• Examples of fans who dig through years of comments to dox people, turn up at workplaces, or send long, threatening emails.
• Stories from game and media communities show similar patterns: a tiny toxic minority can spend years hate‑watching, bullying, and trying to ruin things for others.
• Some discuss how people can feel “rational” while holding extreme beliefs; if one’s starting worldview is warped, Bayesian updating just reinforces it.

Other Costs of Fame

• Beyond safety concerns, commenters add:
  • Constant scrutiny and having far less room for mistakes; missteps stick longer when public.
  • Loss of normal, peer‑to‑peer interactions; people project onto you, expect favors, or treat you with deference.
  • Public persona becomes a cage, making it harder to change or experiment.
• Several short personal anecdotes (brief media exposure, regional sport or stage fame) echo the article’s “this gets weird fast” theme.

Views on Ferriss and Self‑Help Culture

• Some praise this post as one of his best and like his “tribe / village / city” model (though others say it’s derivative).
• Many are skeptical of his broader brand: accusations of truth‑stretching, gaming bestseller lists, glamorizing remote‑work abuse and outsourcing your job, chasing trends (psychedelics, then sobriety).
• The “four hour work week” concept is called inspirational by some (prompting delegation and entrepreneurial thinking) but deceptive or harmful by others, especially for young people expecting easy success.
• Debate ensues over whether exploiting employers this way is justified pushback against exploitative companies or simply dumping work on coworkers.

Wealth vs Fame

• Multiple comments echo the idea that being rich without being famous captures most benefits with far fewer downsides.
• Some ask explicitly how to become wealthy while staying anonymous, and others advise pursuing business success quietly rather than building a personality cult.