X-Message-Number: 9988
Date: Sun, 5 Jul 1998 18:43:32 -0400
From: Saul Kent <>
Subject: Celebrities And Credibility

        Chris Fedell (9975) suggests that getting
"high profile individuals" to endorse cryonics might
be the best way the movement could "reach escape
velocity any time soon", and asks if anyone is trying
to recruit such people at this time.

        I don't believe anyone is making such an
effort at this time, and do *not* think this is the time to
do so.  I'm now going to repeat something I've said
over and over on this forum, but I think it bears
repeating at least one more time.

        I believe the biggest reason that people
in general, and "high profile individuals" in particular,
do not sign up for cryonics or endorse it, is because
cryonics lacks credibility, and that the *only* way of
raising the credibility of cryonics is to develop
improved cryonics methods, which are documented
scientifically in peer-reviewed journals. Once we 
have such documentation plus a well-funded research 
program, which can be perceived to be leading to 
perfected Suspended Animation, it will be easier to
attract people to cryonics...*especially* high profile 
individuals.

        I agree that the endorsement of cryonics
by mainstream celebrities (no matter what field they
are in) would help to convince others of the value of
cryonics.  If someone like Walter Cronkite or
Johnny Carson, for example, endorsed cryonics
publically, I think it would impress many people,
some of whom would sign up.

        The problem, in my opinion, is that
celebrities are even more sensitive to the issue
of credibility than non-celebrities.  Rich and famous
people not only tend to depend on the opinions of
mainstream scientists and physicians in deciding
whether to pursue an unorthodox practice, they often
have direct access to these authority figures.  As a 
result, they aren't likely to consider endorsing cryonics 
until it gets favorable notices at places like Harvard,
Yale and the Mayo Clinic.

        One reason, I believe, that celebrities are
so sensitive to the issue of credibility is because they
perceive that their success in dependent in large part 
on acceptance by the public, or dealings with conser-
vative government or industry leaders.  They know 
that because of their fame, the public endorsement 
of cryonics would attract significant media attention,
which they fear would hurt their career.

        I believe that, once cryonics achieves
greater credibility, it won't be necessary to go out of
the way to interest celebrities to cryonics, but that they
will be contacting *us* in significant numbers. I say
this because a significant number of celebrities 
*have* expressed interest in cryonics in the past.

        For example, right after actor Peter Sellers
suffered his first major heart attack (which he survived),
he was given a copy of Bob Ettinger's book, The
Prospect Of Immortality, by famed movie director 
Stanley Kubrick.  Sellers apparently read the book, 
and stated that he wanted to be frozen.  However, he
never signed up for cryonics and, as a result, was not
frozen (years later) when he *did* die from another 
heart attack. Two other entertainers who have been 
quoted as being favorable to cryonics are Steve Allen 
and Ben Gazzara.

        In the late 1960s, I received a phone
call (at home) from Salvador Dali, who said he was 
interested in cryonics, and wanted me to meet with a 
theatrical director friend of his at Carnegie Hall the 
following day. I (and Curtis Henderson) spent several 
hours with Dali's friend and gave him some cryonics
literature.

        Dali's interest in cryonics is also a matter of
public record.  He stated that he wanted to be frozen
in published interviews, and in at least one of his books.
He apparently told many people that he was going to
be frozen, but when it came down to it, he wasn't.

        About a year later, I received a phone call
(at work) from the wife of four-star U.S. General Omar
Bradley, one of the heros of World War II.  Bradley's
wife was very enthusiastic about cryonics.  She said
that both she and the General were interested in being
frozen.  She was so excited about cryonics that she
came down to my office that afternoon to pick up a
packet of cryonics literature, so that she could read
it "immediately" on a plane she was about to take
to Europe.  I never heard from her again.

        Larry King is another celebrity who has
expressed strong interest in cryonics, to me personally,
(and on the air) when I was a guest on his show in Miami, 
many years ago, and again, when I was on his CNN show 
in the early stages of the Dora Kent story.  King also 
expressed a favorable attitude towards cryonics when
he hosted another show on cryonics, with Mike Darwin
and Brenda Peters as guests.  Yet, King, as far as I
know, has never made a move to sign up for 
cryonics.

        As far as Arthur C. Clarke goes, there have
been several indications that he is favorable to cryonics,
including a short discussion I had with him in person when
we were both guests on a New York City radio talk show.
In addition, I believe others have communicated with him
about cryonics via regular or e-mail.  As I recall, one reason
Clarke gave for *not* signing up is that he lives in a remote
area (Sri Lanka), where the delivery of cryonics services
is not practical.

        Again, I think the key to getting celebrities to
sign up for cryonics and announce this publicly is greater
credibility for the idea through the published results of
research, and that, once such credibility is achieved, we 
won't have much trouble attracting "high profile 
individuals"..

---Saul Kent, CEO
21st Century Medicine

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