The Volokh Conspiracy
[Ilya Somin, June 19, 2007 at 7:34pm] Trackbacks
Testing My Rational Ignorance of Pop Culture:

Looking at Forbes' list of the top 100 celebrities (as measured by pay and media exposure), it turns out that there are 26 of these people that I've never heard of, and another 10-15 whom I vaguely recollect but don't really know what they do. If you take out the 20-30 athletes (I am a big sports fan), my ignorance of the actors and pop stars would really be evident. I suspect that the average American could identify a significantly higher percentage of the nonathlete celebrities on the list than I could.

Just as the average American is rationally ignorant about politics because it doesn't interest him much, I am rationally ignorant about Hollywood and pop music stars because most of them don't interest me much (other than the ones who co-star with Randy Barnett, of course!).

The lesson to be learned, if there is one, is that rational ignorance is a universal phenomenon, not limited to the "stupid" unwashed masses. We are all inevitably ignorant about a wide range of topics. Unfortunately, however, popular ignorance about politics probably causes more social harm than academic geeks' ignorance about pop culture.

The highest-ranking celebrity I'd never heard of: Jay-Z, ranked no. 9.

Related Posts (on one page):

  1. More Evidence that Most People Don't Find Politics Interesting:
  2. Testing My Rational Ignorance of Pop Culture:
  3. Inaccurate "Religious" Beliefs About Secular Issues:
  4. Why Do People Develop "Religious" Beliefs About Secular Issues?:
Dave N (mail):
I didn't know who 18 of the people on the list are, the highest ranked being Michael Schumacher. Evidently, he was a very successful race car driver. I guess I should have followed Formula One more.

I was rather surprised to see Bill Clinton on the list--mainly because I don't think of him as a "celebrity" even when I bother to think of him at all.
6.19.2007 8:01pm
Mark Field (mail):
I missed 10. I'm not sure what that says about me. Probably it says that having young adult daughters plays havoc with my efforts to avoid pop culture.
6.19.2007 8:08pm
therut:
While in the ER on call I picked up an entertainment magazine. I can't remember the name but very similiar to People Magazine. Not only did I not know most of the so called STARS I got tired of reading all their quotes about "global warming".
6.19.2007 8:08pm
CrazyTrain (mail):
I would argue that you are, like most Americans, also rationally ignorant of politics as well, given the views you have expressed here.
6.19.2007 8:10pm
amnyc (mail) (www):
I found it striking that 3 Formula 1 drivers made it to the list (2 in the top 50) but no NASCAR drivers made it at all. Do more more people in the US really know Kimi Raikkonen more than Dale Earnhardt Jr.? Or is this list (which factors in TV and Press appearances) specifically biased in favor of non-US news media?
6.19.2007 8:13pm
J.N. (mail):
If you are discussing policy and its effects on society and you don't know who Jay-Z is, then it seems to me you might be a out of touch with society. And if you are out of touch with society, how can you possibly know what is good for it?
6.19.2007 8:25pm
Nathan_M (mail):
Amnyc, Formula 1 is mystifyingly popular in Europe, Asia, and Australia, while Nascar is only popular in parts of the US. I expect that's why there are Formula 1 drivers but not Nascar drivers.
6.19.2007 8:32pm
JNS405:
Hm. I knew all but one. Perhaps this accounts for my sub-par grades in certain law school courses (there are many celebrity gossip sites out there, for anyone who is interested in wasting otherwise useful time)...
6.19.2007 8:33pm
David Price:
I drew a total blank on five of the people on the list, and had to click on one other celeb's name to recall what he does, though the name rang a bell.
6.19.2007 8:39pm
Amber (www):
I missed nine: five athletes, two self-help gurus, a cookbook author and a chef. This is because I don't watch sports, daytime television, or the Food Network.
6.19.2007 8:42pm
JNS405:
Amber, you should watch the Food Network. I can't cook, but I like the contests where they build random things, like six-foot cakes out of rice krispy batter.
6.19.2007 8:43pm
Amber (www):
It would just make me spend a bunch of money on fattening food. I'm rationally ignorant.

Ilya, how can you have not heard of Jay-Z when the legal fact pattern posed by one of his biggest hits was dissected on this very blog?
6.19.2007 8:47pm
CLS (mail) (www):
I missed 28 of them. I can't tell you if they were sports figures or not since I don't know who they are. I was surprised by the number I did know since I watch minimal television, don't go to the movies, don't listen to radio or music cds. I suspect it was mainly sports and music personalities I didn't recognize. I won't say I missed them since I suspect I'd be much happier not being subjected to them.
6.19.2007 8:49pm
TomHynes (mail):
Name the three most famous lawyers in America.





Did you come up with Clinton, Judge Judy and John Grisham?
6.19.2007 8:53pm
davidbernstein (mail):
I didn't know or vaguely heard of 40, and if you add sports stars that all I really know about them is what sport they play (e.g., Alex Rodriguez), I get over 50. That's the benefit of not watching television. If I didn't occasionally read the Enquirer while waiting in line at the supermarket checkout, I'd do even worse.
6.19.2007 8:55pm
Milhouse (www):
I knew what 57 of the 100 are famous for. In 12 cases I knew the name, but either had no idea what they did, or guessed incorrectly. And 31 of the names drew complete blanks. The highest-ranking of those was Jay-Z.
6.19.2007 8:57pm
Cornellian (mail):
On the other hand, if we confine the scope of "pop culture" to Star Trek episodes, Monty Python skits and anything by Joss Whedon, VCer's knowledge of pop culture soars to stratospheric levels.
6.19.2007 9:14pm
I should register a name (mail):
I knew all but Kimi Raikkonen and Rhonda Byrne. Not just the names, but their claim to fame.

... what does that say about me? :-?

(although, speaking modestly, I'd like to think I'm also fairly well versed in politics, the law, current events, etc. as well)
6.19.2007 9:23pm
billb:
Name a NASCAR driver that makes $40 million a year in _salary_. Forget the rest of it (endorsements, etc.). Kimi got a web rank of 99 (next to last) and is still high on the list. I imagine that salary factored into the ratings reasonably heavily.
6.19.2007 9:25pm
David M. Nieporent (www):
Depends what one means by "ignorance." If I heard a Jay-Z song, I wouldn't know it from Mongolian folk music -- and for that matter, I'm not sure I'd know him from the mailman if I saw him -- but I've heard of him, and can identify what he does for a living.

If we define ignorance to mean that hearing the name would cause me to stare at you as blankly as if you mentioned your next-door neighbor's name, then I think there were only six. A Food Network person, a couple of racers, a self-help person, and a couple of producers.
6.19.2007 9:26pm
Dave N (mail):
Name the three most famous lawyers in America.


I paused, thought John Roberts, Alan Dershowitz, and then a jumble of names (Fitzpatrick, Specter, Hyde, Leahy, the Supremes, etc.). Funny though, I didn't think of any of the three you did.

While I realize that Bill Clinton is/was an attorney (and even a state Attorney General), I don't think of him as one any more than I think of Nixon, Johnson, Kennedy or any of the other Presidents who at some point practiced law. The exception is William Howard Taft, whose stature and reputation as Chief Justice surpasses his stature and reputation as President.
6.19.2007 9:27pm
David M. Nieporent (www):
On the other hand, if we confine the scope of "pop culture" to Star Trek episodes, Monty Python skits and anything by Joss Whedon, VCer's knowledge of pop culture soars to stratospheric levels.
Don't forget the Simpsons. And perhaps Lord of the Rings.
6.19.2007 9:27pm
i'm a slave to my tv:
Interesting and a little bit scary... I knew all but 3:Brian Grazer, Gore Verbinski, and Rhonda Byrne. I never knew I was that into pop culture.
6.19.2007 9:29pm
Guy:
I didn't know a couple race car drivers (though knew Schumacher), the new "Pirates" guy, and I didn't know the "Secret" woman's name. Though don't ask me to recite the holding in the 100 most important Supreme Court cases...
6.19.2007 9:45pm
CrazyTrain (mail):
The exception is William Howard Taft, whose stature and reputation as Chief Justice surpasses his stature and reputation as President.

Arguably I guess, in that he was a bad Chief Justice and a real bad President.
6.19.2007 9:47pm
Freddy Hill:

Name the three most famous lawyers in America

I'm afraid that these days Nifong takes first.
6.19.2007 10:02pm
Hei Lun Chan (mail) (www):
I didn't know a couple race car drivers (though knew Schumacher), the new "Pirates" guy, and I didn't know the "Secret" woman's name.

Wow, those are the exact four I missed. I know the cooking people only from seeing their names on the covers of cookbooks, though.
6.19.2007 10:13pm
Meh (mail):
I'm afraid that these days Nifong takes first.


Well, he won't qualify for this question much longer.
6.19.2007 10:16pm
ATRGeek:
I couldn't identify seven, but I don't see why as a red-blooded American I need to know foreign sports stars. I also think "The Cheerleader from Heroes" should be her legal name. Finally, I still don't know who Rhonda Byrne is (the explanation did me no good).

By the way, not knowing Jay-Z is shameful.
6.19.2007 10:35pm
Bill Poser (mail) (www):
I'm pleased with my performance: I have no idea who 44 of them are, and there are another 8 whose names I recognize but about whom I know essentially nothing.
6.19.2007 10:44pm
MLS (mail):
Jay-Z was also the highest ranked celebrity I could not identify (although I am guessing rapper?). I am appropriately ashamed.

Dakota Fanning was the lowest ranked celebrity that I could identify and then just barely (she is a child actress, I think).
6.19.2007 10:47pm
Bill Poser (mail) (www):

On the other hand, if we confine the scope of "pop culture" to Star Trek episodes, Monty Python skits and anything by Joss Whedon, VCer's knowledge of pop culture soars to stratospheric levels.


I object to the notion that the original Star Trek is "pop culture".
6.19.2007 10:48pm
Daniel Chapman (mail):
"The Cast of Grey's Anatomy" is a real cop-out...
6.19.2007 10:50pm
ys:

TomHynes :
Name the three most famous lawyers in America.

Did you come up with Clinton, Judge Judy and John Grisham?

Now, which Clinton did you drop from the top three?
6.19.2007 11:36pm
Recovering Law Grad:
Can anyone explain how Mitch Albom made this list? I am utterly stunned by that. I mean, he's a columnist who has written a few books - how does that separate him from about 100 people? I happen to think he is one of the few bright and well-reasoned sportswriters out there, so I'm glad he's ranked highly, but I just don't get it. I mean, Bill O'Reilly is a fool but he's seems to be extremely popular and Albom (who has no TV show) is ahead of him.
6.19.2007 11:41pm
Dip:
Not knowing Jay-Z is borderline idiot savant.
6.20.2007 12:30am
Mike BUSL07 (mail):

Not knowing Jay-Z is borderline idiot savant.



Go on, Prof. Somin, brush yo shouldaz off.
6.20.2007 1:01am
A Northwestern Law Student (mail):
Sad (?) to say there were only six whose names did nothing for me. I was amazed to see the number of Food Network hosts (five, by my count) on the list, and also amazed that Alan Greenspan (at 68) apparently counts as a "celebrity." U2 (at 22) should be replaced by Bono, and the rank would probably still be low. And where was Al Gore? Is he really less powerful than Larry the Cable Guy?
6.20.2007 3:07am
Perseus (mail):
I didn't recognize 29 names at all, including Jay-Z. I guess I'm another out-of-touch professor.

Unfortunately, however, popular ignorance about politics probably causes more social harm than academic geeks' ignorance about pop culture.

Only "probably"? As someone who teaches politics, I can assure you that it is a metaphysical certainty!
6.20.2007 3:28am
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6.20.2007 5:35am
Spartacus (www):
Missed 34, mostly sports, of which I know next to nothing.
6.20.2007 9:57am
s806:
I missed 8. I would argue with the metrics of the list because income throws the ratings off, measuring pop culture power should be purely about exposure.
6.20.2007 10:15am
Prufrock765 (mail):
Do you people who missed 30 or more of those names have spouses?...children?...do you interact with them?
6.20.2007 10:16am
Anon23:

Do you people who missed 30 or more of those names have spouses?...children?...do you interact with them?

Yes, which is why I missed out on most of the sports and TV figures. Of course, my daughter is only a year old, and she doesn't watch TV either.
6.20.2007 10:30am
Houston Lawyer:
There were only about 10 I hadn't heard of. What I found really annoying was that ad that popped up and yelled at me. My pop-up blocker didn't stop it.

Jay-Z?
6.20.2007 10:36am
Norman Pfyster:
I missed six, including the last three.

I don't watch any primetime tv shows and haven't gone to the movies in over a year. But I do surf the internet.

And I'm sorry, but a formula one racer not named Michael Schumacher and a motorcycle racer should not be included.
6.20.2007 10:42am
J. F. Thomas (mail):
That Judge Judy makes $30 million provides the solution for the pay crisis of federal judges. Heck, she just handles small claims. We should privatize all the courts. If small claims Judges demand $30 million a year just imagine the Supremes Show. Just imagine the stereotypes the producers could emphasize and play up on. There would have to be an immediate reshuffling of course. Roberts is just too whitebread to be Chief Justice. He would have to step aside for Scalia, who would be the new boss Chief.
6.20.2007 10:42am
CWuestefeld (mail) (www):
Missed 24, I don't know if they're sports figures or not. My criteria is knowing what the person is famous for (actor, rapper, etc.). In the "cast of" questions, I assume that if I can't name any cast member, I don't know it.

There were only 2 F1 drivers on the list (Schumacher and Raikkonen). Other racers present were Danica Patrick (Indy Racing League) and Valentino Rossi (MotoGP).

I don't know which direction to run around the bases in, but I do know F1 racing!
6.20.2007 10:45am
Ilya Somin:
I would argue that you are, like most Americans, also rationally ignorant of politics as well, given the views you have expressed here.

If so, that makes you all the dumber for spending your time reading and commenting on them.
6.20.2007 10:58am
Ilya Somin:
Ilya, how can you have not heard of Jay-Z when the legal fact pattern posed by one of his biggest hits was dissected on this very blog?

A good question with an easy answer: I simply didn't read that post.
6.20.2007 11:00am
SocratesAbroad (mail):

Looking at Forbes' list of the top 100 celebrities (as measured by pay and media exposure), it turns out that there are 26 of these people that I've never heard of, and another 10-15 whom I vaguely recollect but don't really know what they do.


Let's just say that I'm a little leery of Prof. Somin's ignorance. Before I'm naysayed, I'll offer my rationale.

I'm an American, I don't follow sport, and I've lived in Asia (Japan first and now China) for the last 10 years [sans cable TV and foreign print media]. That said, I was unfamiliar with only about 20 people on the list. Jay-Z...J-Lo, there's a difference?

Point being, I'm physically isolated from Western media (and especially the softer stuff like celebrity gossip) but still have a vague notion of American pop culture, one that in this case seems a bit better than Prof. Somin's.

Then again, I could just as easily have guessed that Roger Federer is a golf pro or rock musician.
6.20.2007 11:04am
Ron Mexico:
Some of this may be attributable to the difference between professors and those who exist in the professional world. I make it a point to generally stay on top of things in sports, music, and other forms of entertainment. It's simply a good business practice. As a professor, you just have to care about being knowledgeable about your specific area within the law. In the professional world, you need to be able to converse with a wide variety of people at different functions. Lots of decisions are made based on personality, from clients choosing who to hire to advancement within your company. Staying socially relevant is almost as important as keeping up with the political and business news.
6.20.2007 11:12am
Justin (mail):
People who I didn't know:

#33 Brian Glazer (half)
#41 Kimi Raikkonan
#56 Gore Verbinski
#58 Valentino Rossi
#85 JJ Adams
#89 Dane Cook
#93 Rhonda Byrne
#98 Hayden Penettiere


Incdentially, there are some real head-scratchers on this list. Two easy head scractchers: How did the third political figure on the list become #67 Alan Greenspan, behind #55 Bill Clinton and #36 Rush Limbaugh (I get those two)? In what world is Kobe Bryan more famous than BOTH LeBron James AND Michael Jackson?
6.20.2007 11:16am
A.C.:
Missed 29, including all the golfers and racers. I had never heard the name "Gisele Bundchen" before, but I like it so much that I now intend to introduce it into conversations as often as possible.

I definitely would have done better with Whedon, Star Trek, and Monty Python. Also bloggers and columnists.
6.20.2007 11:22am
A.S.:
The items with "The cast of..." were lame.

I mean, I've never watched Grey's Anatomy, and so don't know any of the actors except the guy who was in "Can't Buy Me Love". Does that count? Similarly, I don't know the cast of "Desparate Housewives" except that Tony Parker's fiancee, Eva Longoria, is in it and so is what's-her-name from that Superman TV show. I should get at least partial credit, no?
6.20.2007 11:27am
Prufrock765 (mail):
How much has Gisele Bundchen's name recognition been raised by her having been impregnated by Tom Brady? That's the only reason I know who she is.
6.20.2007 11:39am
CWuestefeld (mail) (www):
Do you people who missed 30 or more of those names have spouses?...children?...do you interact with them?

Interesting assumption here that might bear discussion...

Presumably married people and those having children will supplement their cultural knowledge with that mentioned by these other people.

On the other hand, I expect that the more one does with the spouse and kids, the less one experiences pop culture. That is, if I go for a bike ride with my wife, neither of us are absorbing the pop stuff that we might get if we instead vegetated in front of the TV or surfed the web.

I wonder where this falls, on net.
6.20.2007 11:40am
A.S.:
How much has Gisele Bundchen's name recognition been raised by her having been impregnated by Tom Brady? That's the only reason I know who she is.

And the fact that said rumor of impregnation is untrue...?
6.20.2007 12:12pm
Bob from Ohio (mail):
Missed 9 including the last 3 three. I even got all the soccer players!

No NFL players. Both baseball players are NY Yankees.

I don't think having kids helps much. 80+ have been around for awhile. No current Disney Channel actors.
6.20.2007 12:20pm
Justin (mail):
Under AS's definition, I didn't know casts either. I knew the shows, and that they had casts, and could probably visually identify at least some of the members of the casts, but that's about it.
6.20.2007 12:28pm
Justin (mail):
Under AS's definition, I didn't know casts either. I knew the shows, and that they had casts, and could probably visually identify at least some of the members of the casts, but that's about it.
6.20.2007 12:28pm
CJColucci:
How many here caught the "Ron Mexico" reference a few comments up?
6.20.2007 1:04pm
Stuart M. (mail):
Don't you think it's interesting that on a list of celebrities that is heavy with sports and entertainment figures, Bill Clinton shows up on the list? Guess he's just one more entertainer by now.......
6.20.2007 1:41pm
Prufrock765 (mail):
CJColucci:
Even my pit bull caught that one
6.20.2007 1:49pm
Prufrock765 (mail):
AS
sorry my Brady Material contained an error. It's Bridget that's preggers.
Nevertheless, I still wonder how much Bundchen's profile is raised by her alliance with The Golden Boy
6.20.2007 1:53pm
The Lesser Perversity:
Life without Dane Cook and Mitch Albom in it must be beautiful. Wish I knew it.

Didn't realize this about myself, but compared to not knowing who Jay-Z is, it's a point of pride: I only know actresses' names if I've seen them in captions to naked pictures on the internet.
6.20.2007 2:58pm
Spartacus (www):
Do you people who missed 30 or more of those names have spouses?...children?...do you interact with them?

I missed 34. I have a wife and two (< 3 yrr. old each) kids. My wife subscribes to Us Magazine, which is why I know half of the useless pop stars on that list. Neither of us gives a hoot about sports, which is why I missed as many as I did.
6.20.2007 5:08pm
Aaron:
Missed one. I must be a real renaissance man.

There seems to be a perverse pride in proclaiming ignorance here ("I'm far too busy with important stuff to know anything about, you know, life.")

Oh, and +1 to Colucci and Prufrock.
6.20.2007 5:36pm
DC Trojan (www):
I missed the producers and Rhonda Byrne, the latter only because I have made an effort to think her out of my little realm of existence. So far, the results have been fairly positive.
6.21.2007 4:42pm

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