The Most Famous Person Alive

[Jaffa]

But also keep in mind that these are IT workers, so they do have access to the internet a lot.

Not to complicate things further, but it kinda makes sense that they'd say Bill Gates if they work in IT, doesn't it?

[Implode]

Right. It does. That's why I provided that information. It should all be taken into account.

[Ryzee]

Not sure who the most famous person is, but the most interesting person is that Dos Equis guy.  Duh.

[finzeo]

The only reason I've heard of Messi is that my father is very into his football. I predict in ten years, I will have forgotten the name, as will most people.

Prediction failed

(there are a few months left, at least)

[El Barto]

I think that even if people knew who that Messi guy is, part of the test needs to be how many people would instantly recognize him if he walked through and airport. Also, I think it helps to be multifaceted in terms of your notoriety. A guy who only plays soccer is necessarily meaningless to people who don't watch it.

It wasn't really an option 10 years ago, but at this point the undisputed answer is Donald Trump. As the heels of wrestling figured out, it's just as good to be hated than adored, and even the people who hate him still pay attention to what he does. At this point I'm not sure where on Earth there's a place where people wouldn't know who he was if shown a picture.


edit: Also, it's always amusing when new people show up and resurrect old threads.

[finzeo]

How good to bring fun! 

The problem with trump is that many children may not recognize him, who represent almost 25% of the world's population. In that view, politicians may not be a good fit, though Trump transcends all of that. That is why I would lean towards someone more linked to sports, music or TV. It is surprising to see children from unpronounceable countries have a Messi shirt.

[pg1067]

Never seen this thread before today.  It's kind of an odd inquiry because most of us are going to have a very skewed view of this.

Donald Trump might be the most famous person in the U.S., and he's certainly instantly recognizable.  He might even be the most famous person in the "western world" (North America and Europe.  However, I suspect his level of fame is relatively low for the two most populous continents (Asia and Africa).  I'd wager to say that Vladimir Putin is probably more famous worldwide that Trump, but a lot of this stuff is very regionalized.

There are probably some soccer guys who are pretty famous worldwide.

I googled "who is the most famous living person," and the first result was a list of 20 people:

1. Dwayne Johnson (LOL)
2. Joe Biden (not more than Trump for sure)
3. Elon Musk
4. Jeff Bezos
5. LeBoner James
6. Kylie Jenner (really...more than Kim?)
7. Robert Downey Jr. (even more LOL than Dwayne Johnson)
8. Cristiano Ronaldo (apparently one of the aforementioned soccer guys)
9. Will Smith
10. Justin Bieber

And so on...a VERY western-centric (primarily U.S.-centric) list.

[Stadler]

Never seen this thread before today.  It's kind of an odd inquiry because most of us are going to have a very skewed view of this.

Donald Trump might be the most famous person in the U.S., and he's certainly instantly recognizable.  He might even be the most famous person in the "western world" (North America and Europe.  However, I suspect his level of fame is relatively low for the two most populous continents (Asia and Africa).  I'd wager to say that Vladimir Putin is probably more famous worldwide that Trump, but a lot of this stuff is very regionalized.

There are probably some soccer guys who are pretty famous worldwide.

I googled "who is the most famous living person," and the first result was a list of 20 people:

1. Dwayne Johnson (LOL)
2. Joe Biden (not more than Trump for sure)
3. Elon Musk
4. Jeff Bezos
5. LeBoner James
6. Kylie Jenner (really...more than Kim?)
7. Robert Downey Jr. (even more LOL than Dwayne Johnson)
8. Cristiano Ronaldo (apparently one of the aforementioned soccer guys)
9. Will Smith
10. Justin Bieber

And so on...a VERY western-centric (primarily U.S.-centric) list.

I hit "reply" before I finished reading the entire post, but yeah, your last sentence nails it.  I would consider myself WELL informed, and I'm not sure I could tell the Jenners apart, beyond they are hot.  That's a VERY "U.S."-centric list.

Right now, Trump is undoubtedly the answer.  And to Bart's point, "and even the people who hate him still pay attention to what he does", I would argue, like Howard Stern famously back in the day, those that hate him follow him MORE. 

Paul McCartney has to be up there, though, even if just for longevity purposes.  I would mention the Queen as well.

[Dublagent66]

Tom Cruise

[El Barto]

The problem with trump is that many children may not recognize him, who represent almost 25% of the world's population. In that view, politicians may not be a good fit, though Trump transcends all of that. That is why I would lean towards someone more linked to sports, music or TV. It is surprising to see children from unpronounceable countries have a Messi shirt.

Never seen this thread before today.  It's kind of an odd inquiry because most of us are going to have a very skewed view of this.

Donald Trump might be the most famous person in the U.S., and he's certainly instantly recognizable.  He might even be the most famous person in the "western world" (North America and Europe.  However, I suspect his level of fame is relatively low for the two most populous continents (Asia and Africa).  I'd wager to say that Vladimir Putin is probably more famous worldwide that Trump, but a lot of this stuff is very regionalized.

An interesting part of the consideration is that his status as a laughingstock helps his recognition. How many times has Trump shown up on South Park or some show aimed at kids as the butt of jokes? Then you take places where he's viewed as an enemy, and that can work its way down to the kiddos, as well. When I was a kid I knew who the Ayatollah was, as well as our old friend Moammar. People who live in countries he's repeatedly called shit holes, likewise.Or, the exact opposite. I'm going to guess that every kid in North Korea saw pictures of Donny and Kim holding hands. Ditto for places like The Philippines and Brazil; nobody needs propaganda more than a despot.

As for the rest of the world, he's got strange popularity in weird places. He's very popular in Nigeria and Kenya, for example. Perhaps owing to the Nigerian fondness for a good con. 

The bottom line is that the guy's made a career out of being an obnoxious loudmouth, and he's been huuuuuuugely successful to that end. 

[XJDenton]

I'd say the Pope or Mr Bean.

[Stadler]

I'd say the Pope or Mr Bean.

The Pope is a good answer; almost 20% of the world population is Catholic.  The problem with the Pope is that the POSITION is arguably more popular than the specific man in the office.

[pg1067]

I would consider myself WELL informed, and I'm not sure I could tell the Jenner's apart, beyond they are hot.  That's a VERY "U.S."-centric list.

EWWWW!  I feel the need to go take another shower (and that even outweighs my desire to dog on you for that misplaced apostrophe)!

I'd say the Pope or Mr Bean.

Who?

[Stadler]

I would consider myself WELL informed, and I'm not sure I could tell the Jenner's apart, beyond they are hot.  That's a VERY "U.S."-centric list.

EWWWW!  I feel the need to go take another shower (and that even outweighs my desire to dog on you for that misplaced apostrophe)!

Fixed the apostrophe.  I'm usually with you on that, so it's a little embarrassing.  But my thinking they are attractive is purely from a distance.  It's not something I choose; and I'm not one that can't separate physical attractiveness from other variables.  They can be clueless, amoral, whatever and still be hot. 

[pg1067]

I would consider myself WELL informed, and I'm not sure I could tell the Jenner's apart, beyond they are hot.  That's a VERY "U.S."-centric list.

EWWWW!  I feel the need to go take another shower (and that even outweighs my desire to dog on you for that misplaced apostrophe)!

Fixed the apostrophe.  I'm usually with you on that, so it's a little embarrassing.  But my thinking they are attractive is purely from a distance.  It's not something I choose; and I'm not one that can't separate physical attractiveness from other variables.  They can be clueless, amoral, whatever and still be hot.

I can't say that I have seen any of the Jenner robots any time recently, but I'm pretty sure if you look up skeezy in a dictionary, there's a picture of one of them, and that level of skeeze typically negates any hotness for me (kind of like when I see an otherwise hot girl with a cigarette).

[Stadler]

I would consider myself WELL informed, and I'm not sure I could tell the Jenner's apart, beyond they are hot.  That's a VERY "U.S."-centric list.

EWWWW!  I feel the need to go take another shower (and that even outweighs my desire to dog on you for that misplaced apostrophe)!

Fixed the apostrophe.  I'm usually with you on that, so it's a little embarrassing.  But my thinking they are attractive is purely from a distance.  It's not something I choose; and I'm not one that can't separate physical attractiveness from other variables.  They can be clueless, amoral, whatever and still be hot.

I can't say that I have seen any of the Jenner robots any time recently, but I'm pretty sure if you look up skeezy in a dictionary, there's a picture of one of them, and that level of skeeze typically negates any hotness for me (kind of like when I see an otherwise hot girl with a cigarette).

We're arguing past each other, now.  In seeing a picture, I get no sense of "robot", or "skeeze".  Maybe after talking to them, sure, but I don't know Margot Robbie from my garbage man, but she fills out a t-shirt like no one's business.

[hefdaddy42]

Hef.

[Adami]

Hef.

Almost a decade later and I stand by that!

[hefdaddy42]

Hef.

Almost a decade later and I stand by that!

I'm gonna kiss you at Nick's wedding.

[Adami]

Hef.

Almost a decade later and I stand by that!

I'm gonna kiss you at Nick's wedding.

Wait till after the ceremony, don't want to steal ALL the spotlight.

[King Postwhore]

Hef.

Almost a decade later and I stand by that!

I'm gonna kiss you at Nick's wedding.

Wait till after the ceremony, don't want to steal ALL the spotlight.

So you can gaze into the eyes of the Hefnotoad.

[ErHaO]

For many of the celeb/business examples here I can guarantee you that even some kids or elderly where I live don't know who they are. And that is in The Netherlands. I feel that does not apply to the US Presidents.

But that it is indeed western centric. I have no idea how many people in India or China know these people. And if someone is known across all of Asia, that is a very high degree of being famous. Asia is almost 60% of the world population, followed by Africa. For reference, Europe and the US together only make up like 15%.

[MrBoom_shack-a-lack]

For many of the celeb/business examples here I can guarantee you that even some kids or elderly where I live don't know who they are. And that is in The Netherlands. I feel that does not apply to the US Presidents.

But that it is indeed western centric. I have no idea how many people in India or China know these people. And if someone is known across all of Asia, that is a very high degree of being famous. Asia is almost 60% of the world population, followed by Africa. For reference, Europe and the US together only make up like 15%.

That's what i'm thinking too, the most famous person in Asia that's also famous worldwide might be our answer.

[Adami]

Dalai Lama?

[Herrick]

I'd say the Pope or Mr Bean.

The Pope is a good answer; almost 20% of the world population is Catholic.  The problem with the Pope is that the POSITION is arguably more popular than the specific man in the office.

Agreed. The Wife is Catholic but I don't even know who the current Pope is. Not sure how much the rest of the world knows who this mystery mang is.

[KevShmev]

The obvious answer in 2022 is Nicolas Cage.

[pg1067]

Dalai Lama?

But isn't "Dalai Lama" like saying "U.S. president"?  Or "UN secretary general"?  It's not a person; it's a title.

[Adami]

Dalai Lama?

But isn't "Dalai Lama" like saying "U.S. president"?  Or "UN secretary general"?  It's not a person; it's a title.

Guess it's more like The Pope since there's not a new one every few years. But yea, no clue on his name, but he's a famous dude. He's been the Dalai Lama for a very long time I think, so I'd say he qualifies.

[hefdaddy42]

Dalai Lama?

But isn't "Dalai Lama" like saying "U.S. president"?  Or "UN secretary general"?  It's not a person; it's a title.

I don't know if it's a title, but the same guy has been the Dalai Lama for like 100 years, so I imagine that's the one under discussion.  And yeah, he's gotta be among the most famous people in the world.

[Implode]

I have to say. It's really scary to read ten year old posts by me and have no recollection what I was talking about at the time. And it happens more and more the older I get. 

That said, I'm not sure why I never mentioned Michael Jordan. He's at least in the running right?

[pg1067]

Dalai Lama?

But isn't "Dalai Lama" like saying "U.S. president"?  Or "UN secretary general"?  It's not a person; it's a title.

Guess it's more like The Pope since there's not a new one every few years. But yea, no clue on his name, but he's a famous dude. He's been the Dalai Lama for a very long time I think, so I'd say he qualifies.

I was actually a little surprised to learn that the current DL is the only DL any of us have ever known.  He became DL in 1940 -- at the age of 4 1/2.  Seems tremendously odd to be forced (?) into such a life at such a young age.  Anyway...yeah, I agree Pope is a better analogy.

[El Barto]

The Pope fails the airport test. Unless he's wearing the funny hat and surrounded by guys in colorful costumes, nobody would know him from the next old guy walking by. You might as well just say "the president of the United States" without qualifying it with the current holder. Everybody knows there's a president, and that he's an important and influential guy, but it's the position that they know rather than the person.