It saddens me that Michael Avenatti is considering running for President. It underscores something I’ve seen way too much of: fame & power corrupt a person’s ability to think clearly. This is because the world colludes to give them a false sense of who they are within it. 1/
Imagine walking down the street & random strangers literally tell you they love you. People in grocery stores light up just cause you’ve walked in. You get the best tables at restaurants - at any hour. And your opinion - for some reason - seems to actually weigh more. 2/
And the kicker: the signals you put out to the world garner responses that bear no resemblance whatsoever to the responses “normal” people get. Meaning: you can actually be kind of a prick & people still iissnuo to you. If most of us do that, we suffer the consequences. 3/
But the lure of being near celebrity - or power - creates a kind of gravitational pull that makes it very difficult to walk away from. Watch people listen to a famous person: they lean closer, eyes wider. Sometimes the things a celeb says actually even SOUND more interesting. 4/
Invariably the celebrity (or rich person, or powerful person) starts to believe it’s because of THEM. (Even when they know, deep down, that it isn’t, sometimes the succor - the allure - of having people really pay attention to them is too strong. Gradually it erodes them.) 5/
By the way, the system works for all involved: the famous person needs the adoration of strangers. And the lay person gets a sense of importance from being around a person everyone else knows. Regardless of HOW they’re famous. Or even infamous. 6/
(As a side note, this is, among many reasons, why many many famous people have notoriously bad personal lives: actual intimates need things - inconvenient things, like love & patience & attention - whereas random strangers don’t; they smile simply for being in your presence.) 7/
So why does Avenatti’s publicly weighing the Presidency bum me out so much? Because I had a lot invested in the fact that he had his head on straight, and was fighting the good fight - leading the way like a beacon in the darkness. 8/
But now I fear he may be just another celebrity fallen victim to the addiction of his power and fame. If I were Team Trump, this announcement would be the best news I’ve heard in a long time. 9/9
As an addendum: I should say I know a fair amount of well-known people who are super down to earth. But it’s hard work for them. And it takes a tremendous amount of self-awareness.
Oops. That’s “kiss up” not whatever ended up there.
Apologize for the typo in 3. The word “iissnuo” was either supposed to be “listen” or “kiss up” - I can’t remember. :)
And lastly: a lot of interesting comments on this thread. Thank you for that. And it goes without saying, I would be more than happy to be proven wrong.
Lastly (again): as I said, I am happy to be proven wrong. One thing, though, I have to say in his favor: if he can teach the Dems how to fight, that would be no small thing. 
