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WHO IS THE ULTIMATE ‘IT’ PERSON?

By December 17, 2019Culture

Who today would rule the room, any room? With the most transcendent reputation, and highest and ageless levels of respect, popularity, charisma and admiration to command unanimous attention amongst any group of people. The “It” person whose entrance into the room, any room, would overshadow the otherwise most interesting person.

In my opinion, in my imagination, I could see an irresistible gravitational force attract an entire room of almost-as-famous people to the orbit of one or another of these icons:

  • Barack Obama
  • Bruce Springsteen
  • Oprah Winfrey
  • Warren Buffet
  • Bill Gates
  • Ruth Bader Ginsburg
  • Prince Harry & Meghan Markle
  • Prince William and Kate Middleton
  • Michelle Obama

Others who were considered “too” something to be “It” include:

  • Pope Francis, too unapproachable, literally
  • Bill and/or Hillary Clinton, too polarizing
  • John Lewis, too reverential
  • Elon Musk, too eccentric
  • Jeff Bezos, too calculating
  • Mark Zuckerberg, too unfriendly
  • George Clooney, too smug; and Meryl Streep, Sidney Poitier, Tom Hanks, Dwayne Johnson, Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio, Cicely Tyson, Tom Cruise, all too Hollywood-centric
  • Paul McCartney, too nostalgic
  • Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, too much
  • Bob Dylan, too uneasy
  • Beyoncé, Jennifer Lopez, too “celebrity”
  • Taylor Swift, too self-absorbed
  • Bono, too complexed
  • Kim Kardashian and Kylie Jenner, too “famous?”
  • Tom Brady, too boring
  • LeBron James, too egotistical
  • Michael Jordan, Serena, Shaq, Tiger, Jeter, Rapinoe, Messi, Ronaldo, all too sports-centric or one-seasonal (unlike, say, Ali, DiMaggio Jackie Robinson or Pele)
  • Madonna, too paradoxical

Also, consider these prospective “It” standouts in the near future:

  • Stephen Colbert
  • Jon Stewart
  • Ellen DeGeneres
  • Greta Thunberg
  • Ronan Farrow
  • Christine Lagarde
  • Jacinda Ardern
  • President Pete Buttigieg
  • AOC
  • Misty Copeland
  • Aaron Judge
  • Patrick Mahomes

Who’d I miss? Whose entrance to a room do you think could redirect the attention of, say, Barack and Oprah, enough so as to halt their conversation mid-sentence, and oblige them to wait patiently for the opportunity to greet “It”?

Comments? Let us know who you think is the IT.

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