Becoming famous

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Hey. guys. I just thought I'd update you on how I am dealing with that famous autie Jason McElwain. A few days ago, my jealousy of him subsided, but now it is staring to spike again. I still keep asking this question to myself and my family members: Isn't there anything I could do to get that kind of fame and recognition? Do you guys have any suggestions?

Maybe you could do something that'll get you famous. I really don't know what that could be but you'll think of something.

I personally doubt he has any groupies. You can find joy in that.

Do you ever talk about anything other than the fact you want casual sex?

No, absolutely not.
I was just trying to cheer up Stereokid!

The biggest question to ask yourself is. "Do I really want to be exploited by the media even if it ends up somehow in negative attention?" There's not many 'famous' people that aren't criticized or shed in a negative life at one point in their spotlight. Jason McElwain is already being exploited as it is... he's been contacted by a multitude of production companies as well as Cure Autism Now is already exploting him for April Autism Awareness month to gain money to research a cure for Autism.


Source: http://sev.prnewswire.com/entertainment/20060330/LATH01230032006-1.html

LOS ANGELES, March 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Cure Autism Now and General Motors Corp. (GM) have partnered on national promotions highlighting autism during April, Autism Awareness Month. To kick off the month on a high note, GM's Pontiac division -- the official corporate champion of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) -- will present a donation to Cure Autism Now on behalf of Jason McElwain, the high school basketball phenomenon affected by autism, during the broadcast of the NCAA Men's Final Four on CBS.

In addition, throughout the month of April GM's Chevrolet division will be sponsoring Cure Autism Now during NASCAR races in Martinsville, Texas and Phoenix. As part of the partnership, Chevy pace vehicles at the races will sport the Cure Autism Now logo and a donation will be made to Cure Autism Now for every lap each pace vehicle completes under the yellow caution flag. To generate additional awareness, various activities are planned with NASCAR drivers and public address announcements will be made during all the races encouraging NASCAR fans to support Cure Autism Now.

To conclude Autism Awareness Month, Chevrolet will also kick off its national sponsorship of Cure Autism Now's WALK NOW events at the fourth-annual WALK NOW Los Angeles on April 22.

Cure Autism Now and General Motors are extending a national partnership that began with the WALK NOW and 10th Anniversary Gala events last year. In addition to the action-packed month of April, GM and Cure Autism Now will continue to raise autism awareness throughout 2006 by partnering up on a variety of events such as the Athletes Against Autism Golf Tournament Presented by Cadillac this summer, the star-studded Acts of Love theatrical event in the fall, as well as 16 additional WALK NOW events throughout the country. Cure Autism Now is pleased to extend its most significant corporate relationship while highlighting GM's commitment to the autism community.

"General Motors was a tremendous partner for Cure Autism Now last year, significantly impacting our ability to fund research and develop more effective treatments for autism," said Peter Bell, CEO of Cure Autism Now. "We are excited to be extending and expanding our partnership this year with one of the world's largest corporations. This partnership exemplifies GM's commitment to community and will help us raise awareness nationwide while getting us closer to our goal -- a cure for autism."

Mark LaNeve, GM North America vice president of Vehicle Sales, Service and Marketing, said, "Our partnership with Cure Autism Now is one of the programs I'm most proud of. Like GM, Cure Autism Now is passionate about innovation and together we are accelerating scientific research. We are dedicated to improving the quality of life for all individuals affected by autism."

Would you mind explaining briefly why you want to get fame or recognition? What is the payoff? I'm curious, because wise men through the ages have told us that desiring recognition is destructive to the self. It seems to have to do with becoming "interesting" rather than "interested." Happy people are usually interested in life, whereas people who feel unfulfilled desire to be interesting, to pull in attention.

Here's my take on it: I know a lot of people who know famous people, including Sylvester Stallone, Carrie Fisher, the deceased Marlon Brando, Nicole Richie, Paris Hilton, Tom Cruise, Dolph Lundgren, Brad Pitt, Walter Matthau, Angelina Jolie, Kevin Spacey, et al.

I hear first-hand accounts all the time of their huge neuroses, insecurities, and personal troubles. What you read in the tabloid rags isn't the half of it. Many of these people will do almost anything to become or stay well-known ... and did. Their money and ability to get laid doesn't make them HAPPY. On the contrary, they spend lots of money and marry lots of different people trying to find some sort of peace. I don't say this to moralize or pacify you. It's really true. I see it all the time.

Not that fame is inherently evil. It's not, and a few of the chosen are able to maintain their happiness, dignity, and humanity despite its false promises. John Travolta, Mel Gibson, and Tom Hanks belong to this latter group. I think it's important to understand, though, that they are happy in spite of their success, not because of it.

If the skittish bird Fame happens to light on you, I hope you may follow in their footsteps so that you may enjoy all its advantages rather than fall victim to the wasting hunger to which it gives rise. And if it doesn't ... maybe it's a blessing in disguise? Who knows?

As someone who has had his share of "fame," no matter how small (I used to be a journalist), I can tell you it ain't what it is cracked up to be. There's something very telling about Reality TV in that anyone can now be famous. But ask yourself this: do you want someone following you around with a camera in your most private moments, taping you and watching you and pretty much having utter control over you? The Apprentice set a new standard (a rather low one, if you ask me) a couple of weeks ago by following one of its contestants almost literally into the bathroom stall and bringing the audience in on a conversation that occurred while one of the contestants was on the crapper.

Is *that* what you really want?

The last poster pretty much nailed it: fame is sort of nice to have, but it's the cart and not the horse. The horse is all the good vibes you get from doing something that might make you famous, whether it is playing guitar, skateboarding, writing, pulling someone out of a burning house, etc. etc. etc. To me, the most successful and acclaimed people in their fields are usually the folks who go out of their way to *avoid* the limelight. One of the reasons I stopped being a journalist, in fact: I just got tired of the constant scrutiny, of being held to feeling like I had to do the right thing _all of the time_, during every waking moment. Pretty hard to be perfect all the time, especially if you have a social imparment.

I used to know a lady who amongst other things, made a name for herself by hanging out out with, and eventually dating a series of rock stars, She also posed as a centerfold for a very famous magazine, and has a daughter who is very famous in her own right. When I knew her back in the '80's, she had to be very secretive about her private life to the point that she was working under an assumed name as a dietician.

Fame isn't exactly what it's cracked up to be due to the fact that famous people have absolutely NO private life whatsoever. -- Any semblance of a private life that famous people have can be whisked away at any moment, without warning.

Are you talking about Bebe Buell, the mom of Liv Tyler?

If you know other people and you can't even dream about thinking of them being famous, that is scary. However, if you don't know what someone did before, and you only recognized them as being famous in the first place, that's a little bit more believable.

Yeah, though I was trying not to drop any names.

Careful! Some of those newsies disguise themselves as rolls of toilet paper

Wow! There's a bit of progress at least! At least they're saying he's "affected" by autism and not "suffering" from it.

Isn't it a bit weird though, that they're championing someone who's succeeded against the odds to illustrate how autism should be cured? If they cured it, the Jason McElwain's of this world wouldn't exist. How does that support their arguments?

http://www.gm. com/gmcomjsp/contactus/gmcorpcit_comment.html

If you want to let GM know how you feel about their support of CAN, here's the link for their email form relating to corporate affairs - citizenship and social responsibility.

Also, isn't there anyone in the US who can take legal action against them?

It seems to me that people in the US can sue about anything. Can't some of you US based folks sue CAN/GM for their policy of eugenics? Surely that's discriminatory against autistics on disability grounds?

[quote="MishLuvsHer2Boys"]The biggest question to ask yourself is. "Do I really want to be exploited by the media even if it ends up somehow in negative attention?" There's not many 'famous' people that aren't criticized or shed in a negative life at one point in their spotlight. Jason McElwain is already being exploited as it is... he's been contacted by a multitude of production companies as well as Cure Autism Now is already exploting him for April Autism Awareness month to gain money to research a cure for Autism.

That's probably true, but I can hardly see any negatives in Jason McElwain's fame. In fact,I did read an article on the Internet where Jason said that he now never gets teased, while the rest of us Aspies are slaving away trying to ignore constant teasing. Although I rarely ever get teased now that I'm in college, it still bugs me that Jason's getting all this fame and no longer being teased.

I also did read an article on the internet saying that Walt Disney might pay Jason money for the rights to a story. Depending on how much money he is paid, he might be able to buy a super high end computer system with a big screen, and possibly a home theater system, while I'm stuck with a crappy low-end laptop that makes lots of noise and gets hot really easily. It's just not fair!