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PaperclipPerfector  1mo ago (text post)   4521 thread views

Friday Fun Thread for January 16, 2026

Be advised: this thread is not for serious in-depth discussion of weighty topics (we have a link for that), this thread is not for anything Culture War related. This thread is for Fun. You got jokes? Share 'em. You got silly questions? Ask 'em.

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"Follow all this advice and read my books and you too might be able to marry a hot single mother for a couple years" is not a massive selling point on its own.

I don't think he ever used his marriage as a selling point for his books, did he? That said, how many of the 63-year-old geeks who aren't billionaires actually get hot smart model pilot wife, even just for 2 years?

This gets towards Scott's other aside about various intellectuals who he seems to think have beclowned themselves in moving beyond the areas that they achieved their original insights and following.

I actually see no problem in that. Nobody owes anybody to be anybody's role model. If a person X is successful at something, and then they want to try something else, and fail miserably, they don't owe Scott or anything to live their lives in a way that would not diminish former success in Scott's or anybody's eyes. If he didn't want to live his "legacy" for the rest of his life, he has full right not to. He was his own man, and did not let anybody else - neither his "legacy", nor anybody else's needs - define what he's doing next. I find that laudable, even if he did not always succeed and sometimes looked ridiculous. That's the price one pays for trying things. It's not for everybody, but I can find no fault in Adams being one of the men who wanted to do that.

I don't think he ever used his marriage as a selling point for his books, did he?

In the way that any dude having a hot girl on his arm is using her as a 'selling point' just by showing her off, I'd argue.

I just recall a period of time where she was showing up in his posts with semi-regularity in a kind of "Look at what I got fuckers" context. Can only find this one piece of evidence left, though. Wait, here's another.

Nobody owes anybody to be anybody's role model.

Slight disagree, only insofar as someone who actively chooses to convey advice and represent themselves as a person worth emulating... you kind of do owe it to your audience to be very open about failures as well as successes.

Or if you don't care to advertise failure, don't seek the audience.

But that much I will 100% say: he never, ever did grift off his audience. No crypto schemes, no scammy seminars or conferences, no shilling for sketchy brands or gambling sites (that I recall).

(I'm not counting his failed entrepreneurship attempts as scams because part of the reason they failed is he plugged them earnestly.)

What Scott's obituary does seem to acknowledge is that Scott WAS living life on his terms, and there's beauty in that, but he argues he kind of let that get swept away when he got a taste of true 'influence.'

In the way that any dude having a hot girl on his arm is using her as a 'selling point' just by showing her off, I'd argue.

That's a very cynical point of view, but you can not really fault him for your perception. I mean, what, is he supposed to lock his wife up at home so you don't suspect him in "showing off"? I think this is going way too far.

you kind of do owe it to your audience to be very open about failures as well as successes.

I am not sure the guy who literally talks about "failing at almost everything" in a very title of his book is a good target to accuse of hiding his failures.

he kind of let that get swept away when he got a taste of true 'influence.'

I think there's a difference between a person who is willing to share his opinions - and let people be influenced by them, which is kind of the point of sharing them anyway, not? - and a person who must subject his whole life to forming some kind of heroic example for the followers. I don't think it is fair to demand from everybody who shared one's opinion publicly to become full-time role model.

That's a very cynical point of view,

My cynical point of view has an extremely good track record of predictions, sad to say.

I mean, what, is he supposed to lock his wife up at home so you don't suspect him in "showing off"?

Should he have? She ended up leaving him. His extant strategy clearly didn't work.

I don't think it is fair to demand from everybody who shared one's opinion publicly to become full-time role model.

For better or worse, he adopted that approach, near daily streaming and constant commentary on daily events

You could definitely pick WORSE role models, but I think he was happily putting himself out there in that regard.

My cynical point of view has an extremely good track record of predictions, sad to say.

Predictions of what? You can't know what Adams was actually thinking, so what exactly are you predicting and how would you verify this prediction?

For better or worse, he adopted that approach, near daily streaming and constant commentary on daily events

Anyone can do that. I have a blog. I put my opinions there (no, I won't link it here). People read it. If anybody would demand of me to do something to their liking because I owe them for being their role model, I will tell that person to stuff it. And also probably find a responsible adult to run their other life decisions by, because it's clearly not within their competencies.

There are literally millions of people putting shit on the internet all the time. So yes, Adams was one of them. So what?

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