Never meet your idols.
I seriously stopped being a fan of any public figure because people seeking public attention are mostly off-putting at least. Then come the narcissists and psychopaths, it gets only worse.
Or don’t idolize idiots. Popstars and corporations washed the market so much that they are now accepted by the public as smart or cool. Not so many years ago everyone considered them trashy.
If your idol turns out to be a jerk in real life, is that their fault, or does it mean you’re just a bad judge of character? And I mean generally - not you in particular.
Personally, I’d be more than happy to meet my idols. I’ve listened to them speak for hundreds, and in some cases thousands, of hours on podcasts. Nobody can hide their true personality for that long. I’m confident I already have a pretty good idea of what they’re like in real life. That’s also why it’s so funny when non-listeners try to convince me that they know these people better than I do.
Ignoring that it is possible for people to hide who they are (editing is a thing): I don’t think idolizing podcasters is the flex you think it is.
Some of us have been conditioned to hide our personalities all the time, until it becomes automatic… We can’t take off the mask even with effort…
And yet parents allow their children attend these concerts… Then pika face when their children get raped or worst ignore it.
