On the nature of success
I was reading the paper today (okay, the RedEye, so shoot me) and I saw a picture of Hugh Hefner. As I looked at Mr. Hefner, dressed in the finest silks a porn empire can buy, I found myself wondering about what being successful is.
Is Hugh Hefner successful? I think a majority of people would think so, especially men. He's rich, famous, and dates not one, not two, but three women more than fifty years his junior. He is the head of the Playboy empire, which not only includes magazines but also TV channels, Web sites, and generally is the poster-child for the Playboy reader; perhaps someday, you too can be an octogenarian and fuck models. (This latter idea, that of the Playboy lifestyle, is a separate issue that I'll get to one day.)
But what is success? What defines success? A lot of people equate success with money, and while success often translates into fiscal happiness, I don't think that having money means you're successful, even if you've earned that money. Hefner grew up a middle-class kid in Chicago (he went to Steinmetz, for chrissakes) and built a global multimedia corporation from the ground up.
Of course, he made his money off porn.
This may seem like an overly moralistic argument, but think - is this world, strictly speaking, better off because of the existence of Playboy? Certain individiuals would certainly agree with you; Playboy shareholders, the myriad finance and marketing and business people that assuredly keep the company chugging along,pubescent boys. But can we imagine a world in which Playboy could not exist? Sure.
Hefner is kind of an odd case, as I think society views him as the grandfather of porn; a genial, silk-clad, jacuzzi-reclining millionaire eccentric beyond reproach. But for him to be seen as successful because he made porn so much easier to get is a little generous. Hefner clearly has a unique skill set - after all, you don't get to be a millionaire by being an idiot. But those same qualities that granted him his wealth are qualities he could've used in another context. He's not someone who was never going to amount to anything, and he's not someone who had potential but never had the drive to use it. Possibly worse, he is someone who for whatever reasons has the ability to do monumental things, but has used them for - what?
It may seem like I'm picking on Hef, and that's not my intent - I see him as Grandpa Porno just like everyone else. But at the same time, is this how we should define ourselves? When Hef's grandchild is enjoying a life built for him decades before he was a concept in his mother's head and asks Mom why they have so much gosh-darn money, will the vivid evocation of Grandpa Hugh Hefner, Porno Patriot, inspire the kid to follow in the same epic pornographic footsteps and carry on his grandfather's great legacy? Or will the kid take the tools he's been given and use them for the greater good?
Also, while I (hopefully) have your attention, I'd like to apologize for the other few posts on this blog. I apologize not only for the lack of them, but also their quality, which is severely lacking. They are what people call "Not funny", and I freely admit that. Isn't perspective wonderful?
Is Hugh Hefner successful? I think a majority of people would think so, especially men. He's rich, famous, and dates not one, not two, but three women more than fifty years his junior. He is the head of the Playboy empire, which not only includes magazines but also TV channels, Web sites, and generally is the poster-child for the Playboy reader; perhaps someday, you too can be an octogenarian and fuck models. (This latter idea, that of the Playboy lifestyle, is a separate issue that I'll get to one day.)
But what is success? What defines success? A lot of people equate success with money, and while success often translates into fiscal happiness, I don't think that having money means you're successful, even if you've earned that money. Hefner grew up a middle-class kid in Chicago (he went to Steinmetz, for chrissakes) and built a global multimedia corporation from the ground up.
Of course, he made his money off porn.
This may seem like an overly moralistic argument, but think - is this world, strictly speaking, better off because of the existence of Playboy? Certain individiuals would certainly agree with you; Playboy shareholders, the myriad finance and marketing and business people that assuredly keep the company chugging along,pubescent boys. But can we imagine a world in which Playboy could not exist? Sure.
Hefner is kind of an odd case, as I think society views him as the grandfather of porn; a genial, silk-clad, jacuzzi-reclining millionaire eccentric beyond reproach. But for him to be seen as successful because he made porn so much easier to get is a little generous. Hefner clearly has a unique skill set - after all, you don't get to be a millionaire by being an idiot. But those same qualities that granted him his wealth are qualities he could've used in another context. He's not someone who was never going to amount to anything, and he's not someone who had potential but never had the drive to use it. Possibly worse, he is someone who for whatever reasons has the ability to do monumental things, but has used them for - what?
It may seem like I'm picking on Hef, and that's not my intent - I see him as Grandpa Porno just like everyone else. But at the same time, is this how we should define ourselves? When Hef's grandchild is enjoying a life built for him decades before he was a concept in his mother's head and asks Mom why they have so much gosh-darn money, will the vivid evocation of Grandpa Hugh Hefner, Porno Patriot, inspire the kid to follow in the same epic pornographic footsteps and carry on his grandfather's great legacy? Or will the kid take the tools he's been given and use them for the greater good?
Also, while I (hopefully) have your attention, I'd like to apologize for the other few posts on this blog. I apologize not only for the lack of them, but also their quality, which is severely lacking. They are what people call "Not funny", and I freely admit that. Isn't perspective wonderful?
posted by jiromania at 10:47 PM
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