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21 year old poses as a fake celeb in NY - hundreds believe it!

by Rob Howard
5 replies
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Have you guys seen this?

21-Year-Old Poses as Fake Celebrity, Gets His 15 Minutes of Fame | ABC News Blogs - Yahoo!

Quick run down - guy wanted to know what it was like to feel famous. So he hired a photography crew to act as paparazzi, a few big guys to act as a bodyguard, some assistants, and a camera crew to record the whole thing. He donned shades then walked around NYC like a celeb.

The reaction is priceless - hundreds actually believed he was a celeb. The camera crew interviewed the passerby's and most of them made up stuff about the guy. He used his real name too. But people claimed he was in Spiderman, had hit singles, etc.

This is an interesting experiment in social psychology. Combo of social proof (everyone else acting crazy over the guy), plus the "white lab coat" effect of status (people thinking he was a celeb because of the appearance) means these people were easily duped.

Rob
  • Profile picture of the author MoneyMagnetMagnate
    Sure...I know Bret Cohen! I went to school with him! We're old friends!

    Classic sheep shearing!

    It also illustrates how easy it is for "witnesses" to invent a story to fit the situation..."I heard his song on the radio", "I saw him in Spiderman", "I think he has a great future"

    You always need the little boy who shouts "The Emperor has no clothes!"*




    *from the classic fairy tale "The Emperor's New Clothes" by Hans Christian Andersen. If you have never read the story, read it. If you have a child, read them this story. It is a wonderful allegory.
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    • Profile picture of the author Brian John
      That was awesome.

      Amazing how sheep-like most people are. For whatever reason I've never been that way about seeing famous people, couldn't care less actually...maybe it's a character flaw lol
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      • Profile picture of the author ThomM
        Originally Posted by Brian John View Post

        That was awesome.

        Amazing how sheep-like most people are. For whatever reason I've never been that way about seeing famous people, couldn't care less actually...maybe it's a character flaw lol
        That makes two of us
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  • Profile picture of the author Alex Barboza
    Very funny story and interesting comments you are making here. I have to share this on Facebook lol
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  • Profile picture of the author William Maloney
    Interresting experiment. It's true, people are obsessed with celebrity and fame. I mean, look at the "Apple" thing. Since Steve Jobs died (RIP) everyone would pay anything for any Apple product, be it a pair of socks, if it's from Apple, they'd buy it.
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