WAY OT: Best Male Life
Been managing a lengthy debate at work over the concept of "Best Male Life."
The question: Who, among the world's male species, is leading a life worthy of the MOST envy? Of course, the debate is an inexact science, so I've quantified it down to the following criteria:
- Fame
- Riches
- Attractiveness
- Attention from women
- Best at what they do
- Pop culture relevance
Tom Brady has been leading the office debate for some time now; scoring high across all of the above measurements. He's hard to argue with. Tiger Woods' fall from grace knocked him out of contention, as this is purely a list of CURRENT contenders -- although you could argue Tiger still merits a place at the table. George Clooney/Brad Pitt merit some consideration, although they both lose points on age, and I'm not sure either are the best at what they do. One person in my office demands Dave Grohl's consideration. He's an interesting consideration. While scoring low on attractiveness, ya gotta figure the guy leads a Top-10 life.
Me, I have lobbied for Prince Harry. Dude looks like he's having the time of his life. He's got the money, looks, and access to everything he wants -- with NONE of the responsibility. Prince Harry is my number 1 going into 2015.
On this week before SB, I'd be curious of your thoughts on this utterly moronic, unwinnable debate.
January 26th, 2015 at 12:52 PM ^
besides the endless stream of hit movies he has starred in, the Victorias Secret Runway walks right through his bedroom.
January 26th, 2015 at 12:50 PM ^
It's gotta be one of these:
Jeter - stud with the ladies, by all accounts a good guy off the field.
Cristiano Ronaldo - by all accounts a good guy off the field. Models & models galore.
Leo Dicaprio - of course.
Justin Timberlake - before marriage.
January 26th, 2015 at 12:50 PM ^
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January 26th, 2015 at 12:51 PM ^
Mike Trout without a doubt. 23 years old and already the best player in the league? Baseball definitely has the longest shelf life for players as well.
January 26th, 2015 at 12:51 PM ^
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January 26th, 2015 at 12:52 PM ^
Lebron fits most of the criteria
- Fame - check (has been famous since HS)
- Riches - check (and set up quite well for future success)
- Attractiveness (besides his receding hairline?)
- Attention from women (maybe the one place you ding him - beeen settled down for a long time now)
- Best at what they do - yes (he's still the best)
- Pop culture relevance - check
January 26th, 2015 at 6:00 PM ^
LeBron lives in Ohio, plays for a crappy team, gets critiziced all the time, is balding, is married.
Not saying I woulnt trade lives with him, but I could think of better ideas.
MJ wouldve been a great life back in the day though. Most people seemed to love him (and he is worshipped now)
January 26th, 2015 at 12:52 PM ^
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January 26th, 2015 at 12:52 PM ^
Sounds like Justin Bieber to me.
/ducks
January 26th, 2015 at 12:55 PM ^
Brian Cook.
January 26th, 2015 at 12:57 PM ^
Rob Dyrdek???
January 26th, 2015 at 12:59 PM ^
Really hard to argue with Tom Brady, Justin Timberlake, Leo DiCaprio, or Cristiano Rinaldo.
However, the guy I always find myself very jealous of, even though he's older, is Anthony Bourdain. I love to eat and drink, and this guy has been everywhere and knows every chef in the business. CNN pays for him to travel the world (and before that it was Travel Channel fronting the bill) so he has a nearly unlimited budget to travel and eat. He was a drug user in a former life so his health is certainly not on par with others his age probably, but he's having a hell of a ride.
January 26th, 2015 at 1:03 PM ^
Great call. Might want to change my vote.
January 26th, 2015 at 1:02 PM ^
Jaw dropping handsome, great at what he does, rich, setteled down with a hot wife after dating models for decades, is able to use his fame and fortune for good (African genocide awarness).
January 26th, 2015 at 1:11 PM ^
January 26th, 2015 at 1:07 PM ^
... is the one that realizes your criteria is not what truly brings happiness. And happiness is the key to having the best male life.
January 26th, 2015 at 1:22 PM ^
It's Wayne Knight
<
or maybe Wayne Newton or possibly some other hunk named Wayne.
January 26th, 2015 at 1:23 PM ^
January 26th, 2015 at 1:23 PM ^
January 26th, 2015 at 1:24 PM ^
2 classic albums, one kid with one in the oven, money but what seals the deal for me is that you went from Amber Rose to Kim K. I don't normally go for crew cuts on women but I would drink Amber Rose's bath water.
January 26th, 2015 at 1:24 PM ^
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January 26th, 2015 at 1:26 PM ^
2 classic albums, one kid with one in the oven, and money but what seals the deal for me is that you went from Amber Rose to Kim K. I don't normally go for crew cuts on women but I would drink Amber Rose's bath water.
edit:So nice I had to say it twice
January 26th, 2015 at 1:26 PM ^
You list fame, riches, attractiveness, attention from women, best at what they do, and pop culture relevance. Fascinating, yet very flawed list.
Fame comes and goes, and as others have noted, sometimes, fame can be more of a bother than it is worth. It is a good thing to be recognized, but for what? Kim Kardashian has fame, but not a life I'd want.
Riches are an interesting thing. It is said that the multimillionaire John Rockefeller was once asked, "How much money is enough?" He answered, "Just a little bit more." In other words, "I will never have enough." I'd say that it is good to have enough money so you don't worry about it, but not so much that you worry about it all the time.
Attractiveness is in the eye of the beholder, and is fleeting. (I'm assuming you are talking about physical attractiveness.) With plastic surgery and endless body building and makeup and hair care and clothing, anyone, in a sense, can be physically attractive. But it becomes a full time job to maintain this.
I can understand attention from women, but really, if you have attention from one woman, the right woman, that is enough.
Best at what you do is also interesting. I would tweak this slightly, to say, do the best that you can. It isn't just how much you do. It is how much you do with what you've got. Not everyone has the same gifts, but the person who excels with what they have is worthy of praise.
Pop culture relevance is maybe the least important on your list. Pop culture changes so quickly, and is so mercurial, that it is close to pointless to care about this.
I love the four virtues scene in Gladiator, and would embed it if I knew how. Commodus says to Marcus Arelius, "You wrote to me once, listing the four chief virtues: wisdom, justice, fortitude and temperance. As I read the list, I knew I had none of them. But I have other virtues, father. Ambition. That can be a virtue when it drives us to excel. Resourcefulness, courage, perhaps not on the battlefield, but . . . there are many forms of courage. Devotion, to my family and to you. But none of my virtues was on your list."
I'd encourage you to think about your list, and what the "best male life" actually would be.
January 26th, 2015 at 1:28 PM ^
Another more simple way to think about this is this:
Would you rather be a rock star or a famous pro athlete? These are the two prototype, male fantasy lives right? Assume similar levels of riches/success/fame and assume same cost to get there (just assume a genie could grant it to you today). This is an age old debate among my buddies. As much as I love sports, I always went with rock star: Way less maintence of your body, way less discipline required (diet, training, drug use) and more longevity (injury risk, age related decline), yet the same exact benefits.
January 26th, 2015 at 1:32 PM ^
Will Smith - yes he is married so on your scale he is downgraded but still relatively young (looks young), rich as hell, top of his game in 2 genres at one point of his life - hit music career, hit tv career, and then hit movie career - dont think anyone has done that in the past 30 years?
January 26th, 2015 at 2:40 PM ^
He has an open marriage too.
January 26th, 2015 at 1:34 PM ^
Some can argue attention from 1 good woman > attention from a lot of floozies. If so Hugh Jackmon is there. You listed Brad Pitt and Clooney , I think he is younger than both and a better actor than Pitt methinks - guess equal to Clooney. Also has an accent they don't. All married.
January 26th, 2015 at 1:44 PM ^
After seeing him in 21 (and 22) Jump Street, as well as Foxcatcher, dude is a national treasure. And by all accounts, a standup guy.
January 26th, 2015 at 2:18 PM ^
...I mean, he was "man enough" (although I'm sure he was paid handsomely for his less than 5 minutes of screen time) to play the role of Danny McBride's gimp in the film This Is The End.
Despite the fact that I read an article a while back that basically says he "deeply regrets" agreeing to that cameo, in the same article, Tatum said that he was probably drunk and in the middle of an Ambien stupor when he agreed to the role on the phone -- which makes me like him even more. Heh.
January 26th, 2015 at 1:44 PM ^
January 26th, 2015 at 1:49 PM ^
January 26th, 2015 at 1:58 PM ^
We cornered the market on FCOJ, bought a carribean island and put the Dukes in the poor house. Then Billy became an African Prince and I saved New York from one big effing twinkie.
January 26th, 2015 at 1:59 PM ^
The guy gets to ban whoever he wants and it seems he has an upper-management job where he doesn't have to do any work and can be on mgoblog all day.
I kid I kid...
January 26th, 2015 at 2:03 PM ^
And...I'm a registered republican. My second choice for best male is Angela Merkel (brass balls).
January 26th, 2015 at 2:26 PM ^
Age is probably not on his side, but hey, when you're 68 years old and can still do this -- this factoid was from 2011:
In 10 years as a private citizen, Clinton has delivered a total of 417 paid speeches and earned an average of $181,000 per event. Almost two-thirds of his total speech earnings, about $44.9 million, have come from 215 overseas events in 48 countries...
Well, I can't argue with your choice!
That said, he IS (technically) still married to Hillary.
January 26th, 2015 at 2:30 PM ^
Ron Jeremy seems to be popular with the ladies
January 26th, 2015 at 2:45 PM ^
Mario Lopez
/thread
January 26th, 2015 at 2:46 PM ^
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January 26th, 2015 at 2:57 PM ^
January 26th, 2015 at 8:29 PM ^
And once they process that one, maybe "toxic masculinity" is worth reviewing too
January 26th, 2015 at 2:57 PM ^
hunter thompson, jerry seinfeld/larry david, matt and trey from south park
guys who did things their own way
January 26th, 2015 at 2:58 PM ^
Lifetime MAN Achievement Award has to go to this guy....
Who has had it better than Hef? NOBODY!
January 26th, 2015 at 3:30 PM ^
Michael J Fox
January 26th, 2015 at 3:52 PM ^
It will make you old early and die young.
This is actually supported by research on centenarians. One of the few traits the great majority of them had in common was a complete lack of envy.
January 26th, 2015 at 4:11 PM ^
King: I am depressed and I so wish to be happy. Go gather my ministers and bring them to me.
Aide: Your wish is my command, Your Majesty.
Narrator: A little while later, three ministers gathered by the King.
King: I am miserable. What can be done to make me happy?
Minister 1: My king. If we find a completely happy man in the land, we will ask what possession makes him so happy and bring it back to you.
Minister 2: Yes, Ministers. Not a minute to lose. Let's search the countryside.
Narrator: The three men left to search for the completely happy man. They traveled far and wide, but they could not find any man that was incredibly happy.
Minister 1: We are wasting time… this is not an easy task.
Minister 2: All because of you… there is no one who is completely satisfied. We found a man who was healthy, but he didn’t have any money and resented his station in life.
Minister 1: And the one who was rich and healthy, had an unhappy marriage.
Minister 2: Or if he had children, he didn't think they lived up to his expectations.
Minister 1: Everyone had something to complain of.
Minister 3: We can’t give up! I know we will find someone who is completely happy.
Ministers 1 and 2: If you say so.
Minister 1: We need to rest… tomorrow will be another day.
Narrator: The three ministers found shelter in a hut. Next day they continued they journey, and as they were passing by a field, they heard a man talking.
Man: Oh, thank you God, life is beautiful! I have finished my work. I am healthy. I have a loving family and friends. What more could I want?
Narrator: The three ministers immediately stopped and approached the man.
Minister 3: I was right!
Narrator: When the ministers reached the man, the first asked about the source of his happiness.
Minister 1: Kind sir, would you be so kind so as to tell us what prized possession makes you so happy?
Man: Alas, I am poor and have no possessions worth mentioning.
Original: Leo Tolstoy http://www.kidsinco.com/2009/07/the-king-and-the-shirt/
January 26th, 2015 at 3:55 PM ^
The Rock should probably be mentioned. And, definitely Arnold if he was in his prime.
January 26th, 2015 at 4:12 PM ^
Cristiano Ronaldo, based on your criteria. Still a strange topic, though.