X-Message-Number: 23968
From: "David Pizer" <>
Subject: to celebrity or not to celebrity - that is the question
Date: Fri, 23 Apr 2004 16:49:46 -0700


Should we cryonicists seek out celebrities and offer free suspensions to try to 
get them to sign up?


The question we want to know the answer to   --       "Is that good or bad for 
cryonics?"

Here are some possible answers


1.  Giving it away for free makes us look like we have a product/service that is
not worth much if we have to chase after celebrities with offers of free stuff.
If cryonics is worth what it is charged for it, then why degrade it by giving 
it away.  


2.  When a celebrity gets a free or discounted suspension offer that person is 
not as committed as a *real* cryonicists, and if the going gets tough that 
celebrity  may do things that cause bad publicity - as in the case of Timothy 
Leary who never was as committed as most of us are.  An under-committed person 
is not a good poster person.  An under committed person will probably do things 
that will reflect badly on us before it is all over.


3.  By their very stature of being a celebrity, the suspension will draw 
publicity and under heavy scrutiny the  under-committed person actually makes a 
bad case for cryonics.  however, even if they hold up, the press will find ways 
to make it look badly for us.  Only a committed person of celebrity status can 
"take on" the press and deliver good results.


4.  Putting an under-committed  celebrity in our class lowers our status -it's 
not fair to ourselves!


This is complicated but I will try my best to explain it.  Let's say a person 
has a Nobel Prize or an Oscar or some other non-cryonics type prize.  But this 
person does not embrace cryonics for its potential value as we do.  This person 
does not appreciate the value of potential physical immortality and trying to 
achieve it.  In my opinion, this person is not as wise as any one of the people 
who are presently signed up for cryonics.  


Being signed up for cryonics is a greater sign of wisdom and intelligence than 
any other award that is available at the present time.   You may have to study 
more to win a Nobel, but I hold that it is a greater sign of wisdom to have, (or
try to have), physical immortality someday than a statue or a medal in your 
coffin next to your cold dead decomposing body.   


We already have the wisest persons on this planet signed up and in our group and
for the right reasons.  Cryonicists are the highest celebrities, so lets work 
to cause others to appreciate our "ideas" and not try to raise our status by 
giving famous people free suspensions.   In my opinion that lowers our status 
not raises it.   Let's not degrade the value of a cryonics suspension by giving 
it away for free to people who are not wise enough to purchase it.



On the other hand:  If a celebrity wants cryonics and wants it bad enough to pay
for it himself/herself,  then that person will "hold up" under scrutiny, and 
that is probably going to be a good thing for the cryonics movement public 
relations.    So its ok to go after celebrities, but convince them by explaining
the benefits of cryonics not by giving them free services that they don't 
understand the value of.


It is better to make celebrities out of cryonicists than cryonicists out of 
celebrities!


David

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