Price of Fame

The Lakeside Darts tournament - the Wimbledon of Darts - started this past weekend, and to promote the event the Algemeen Dagblad interviews the Dutch number one darts player Raymond van Barneveld.

Mostly it's about him being frustrated when people recognize him on the street and bothering him when he's doing something else. And that is understandable, Van Barneveld doesn't even get the chance to explain himself, or finish what he was doing, and gets labelled as arrogant, aloof.

Ah, there's an expression, the price of freedom is eternal vigilance; I submit that it could also be: the price of fame is eternal vigilance. While Barney's reaction to all this is perfectly understandable and even human, it may very well be that it's no more than logical that he is perceived as arrogant. I mean, people suddenly faced with famous personalities, are just wired like that. They panic, don't know how to react, and attack all at the same time.

Here's a suggestion when meeting slightly more famous people than yourselves. Picture as if its the most beautiful/handsome person you've met (funnily enough, that often happens to be the case anyway). Naturally you want to show off yourself as attractive as well, and the most attractive you can be is when you're cool. That way you keep your respect and admiration; they get to keep their dignity, and the impression they deal with people of equal fervour (even if they are not).

Now even Barney can move around town wondering where all his fans went.