How would you react to a "big" person? A celebrity?

[Ghost of the dead horse]

Lets say you went to a school and the Most Important Person in the school was introduced. Let's say some time went by and (s)he sat in your table. What thoughts would you have? How would you start the converstion? How would you carry the conversation?

Lets say you were involved in a social media site. Now someone claimed they had an alternate account for someone who had 100,000,000 times of watching their video or whatever. They just want to chat with someone. How would you carry the conversation?

Let's say that some person seemed nice. They seemed ok. They would tell their title (or some aspect of it) in an honest manner. Lets's say they said to be a journalist. They would let you assume that something important would be going on. How would you carry the conversation?

Let's say you meet someone online. They said a few smart things. They would not claim much anything about themselves. You would get interested in them. They would still say nothing. You would demand them to state their title and such. They would avoid the question. How would you carry the conversation?

 

[Hitoshi-San]

Knowing me I would probably creep on them the whole time but never really talk to them or befriend them. Or, I would talk to them once and have a mediocre conversation and then we would forget each other for a while then meet again awkwardly.

 

[Forever_Jung]

I couldn't even speak to minor Canadian rock star Serena Ryder (when she was even less famous than she is now) when I met her in a mall. I ended up running away, while all her friends laughed at me. And then I got stuck behind an old lady on an escalator, and then her laughing posse caught up to me, and I could hear her trying to shush them between her own stifled giggles.

So if I had to meet anyone more famous than that I'd probably pull a Troy Barnes:

 

[wildflower]

eh, i'm pretty unimpressed by "big" people or celebrities. i'd treat them like i would anyone else, with kindness and respect. i live in a neighborhood where there are some celebrities that live in town. one time i went to the deli where the guy behind the counter and i always joke around. well, in walks sandra oh and we just carried on joking around and basically ignored her because i'm sure she gets tired of fans approaching her. i guess she was a little weirded out that neither of us acknowledged her as she kept looking at us like she couldn't believe we didn't say anything to her. it was just the 3 of us in the deli at the time. i think the counter guy and i were both just trying to give her her space but it must have been a little foreign to her.

 

[Kullervo]

I would just avoid a celebrity. I have a strong aversion to celebrity culture let alone being associated with them in some way, so I would exchange pleasantries with said person then return to whatever I was doing.

Besides, in reality most celebrities are assholes...my grandparents lived next door to some high profile celebrities in Sydney for a while, and they constantly took up space on the street, were uncompromising with parking, and naturally invited attention from the parasitical media which meant it was hard to have peace and quiet in the area. Another divorce (aren't they great?) put paid to that though

 

[Evee]

Befriend and then get them to buy me things.

 

[Firebird 8118]

Already met some celebrities in real life who are well-known in India - one of them was my first guru in North Indian classical singing, and another is technically related to us after he married one of Mom's cousins a few years ago.

Whenever I meet a celebrity/famous person (and this has been 100% true even in the past), I would treat him/her the same way I'd treat any other ordinary person whom I've just met (in real life or otherwise): first look at their character, and then open up from my shyness accordingly.

 

[INTP]

I dont really care about whether or not a person is a "big person". I mean i know some of the biggest rappers in my country, some best graff painters here, one of the legendary hc punker in the country etc and my mom worker on radio when i was a kid and i learner early on that they are just normal people.. So my reaction isnt really anything more than "oh lol thats him". I respect talent more fame, and i know that fame doesent always correlate with talent..

 

[skylights]

I usually avoid/ignore "big name" people. If I liked their work, I'd probably compliment them. Otherwise I'd probably just get a kick out of observing them. If in a mutual conversation with a famous person, I think I basically feel like people are good for mutual enjoyment of information, and notable people happen to often have access to a more rare perspective and to more generally unavailable information. So I would probably try to pick their brain about their area of expertise.

In the first scenario... I think I would ask them about what is interesting in their life. Their hopes, dreams, fears. Same as with anyone else I guess.

In the second case... I'd probably ask them how it feels to have 100,000 views. It'd be interesting to hear.

I'm not sure I understand the third situation. I guess just ask them what interesting things are going on.

In the last scenario I would just talk with them about whatever we find mutually interesting.

 

[Bush]

I usually avoid/ignore "big name" people. If I liked their work, I'd probably compliment them. Otherwise I'd probably just get a kick out of observing them.

This. It'd be cool to just watch the frenzy around them.

I was at a restaurant where TLC was filming a segment for some reality show. The process behind the lighting, cameras, equipment, timing, personnel, and waivers was all neat to watch.

I snapped a picture of the camera guy. I'm vindictive like that.

 

[Glint]

Chances are, I wouldn't even know that the person was a celebrity! That's how "interesting" media culture is to me.
I'd probably look around at the crowd/etc for a bit and then go back to whatever my original destination/activity was.

 

[Kingu Kurimuzon]

with a shrug.

 

[Lady Lazarus]

Maybe I'd yawn for effect if I could bring myself to if not I'd just silently continue to be deprived of any interest whatsoever in regards to this so called big person celebrity.(To be honest, I'd probably have no idea who they were/that they're important in the first place...)

 

[Ghost]

I'd just silently continue to be depraved

That's the best way to go about it.

I wouldn't know who is important at school or on a site, either. Online, I might assume the famous user is a fan or an account made for publicity and not the actual person.

Supposing I did happen upon celebrities, I'd avoid them. After all, they're people.

I didn't understand the part in the OP about a journalist. I've never demanded information from anyone I don't know well. When someone turns secretive and blocks one avenue of conversation, I assume she doesn't want to talk about it. I'm not smart enough to read between the lines or bored enough to play social games, so I drop that part of the conversation.

 

[Arctic Hysteria]

Lets say you went to a school and the Most Important Person in the school was introduced. Let's say some time went by and (s)he sat in your table. What thoughts would you have? How would you start the converstion? How would you carry the conversation?

The more "important" the person is, especially in a school scenario, the less I want to mingle. I'm sure everyone in the whole class would want a piece of that popular figure, so there you go, all yours. Outside of the school, if you bump into me and can be an interesting person in my eye without your fan and interested in getting to know me, then yeah, we can start from there.

Lets say you were involved in a social media site. Now someone claimed they had an alternate account for someone who had 100,000,000 times of watching their video or whatever. They just want to chat with someone. How would you carry the conversation?

Good for him/her. I don't care for a conversation unless you're Natalie Tran.

Let's say that some person seemed nice. They seemed ok. They would tell their title (or some aspect of it) in an honest manner. Lets's say they said to be a journalist. They would let you assume that something important would be going on. How would you carry the conversation?

Too bad I follow alternative media channels.

Let's say you meet someone online. They said a few smart things. They would not claim much anything about themselves. You would get interested in them. They would still say nothing. You would demand them to state their title and such. They would avoid the question. How would you carry the conversation?

I'm apathetic towards people who "say a few smart things" online.

I've got the chance to deal with local and international big names as a part of my jobs. What's the big deal here if somebody with some fame happens to be in the same room with you? Why should their appearance effect your manner or composure? Because their ego hasn't been feed enough? Because their souls are more beautiful or their knowledge is going to blow my mind?
If they are my personal favorite writer, director, actor or musician, I will for certain observe their mannerism closely but quietly to get to know a bit about them from afar, and that experience alone is enough and will be preserved in my mind forever. I'll be the last person to go and ask for autograph or to tell them how much I admire their work.

 

[Mademoiselle]

I was one of the people who made him/her popular, I expect to get respected.
Don’t get me disappointed.

 

[danseen]

nothing...humans are humans are as far I am concerned...

 

[hacbad macbar]

I'll say: Hey Big Person! A Celebrity! Yes you. Fuck you!

 

[BadOctopus]

Whether a person is regarded as a "big" celebrity by others doesn't really affect my view of them. I couldn't care less about the celebrities that society in general is obsessed with; if I met, for instance, Brad Pitt or Beyonce or (God forbid) Kim Kardashian, I would probably say hi and continue on my merry way. I'm just not interested in their work.

If I met an actor or musician I actually admired, I would still treat them like anybody else. I've met a couple of voice actors I really like -- I've always been fascinated with the profession -- and I wasn't nervous or uncomfortable. But then again, voice actors don't seem to be like regular actors; I think their relative anonymity makes them less egotistical. The ones I met were very sweet, humble, and down-to-earth.

 

[highlander]

The first time I met a celebrity was a very famous running back. It was on a small boat going out snorkling in Jamaica. People didn't know who he at first was but figured it out on the way back in after the dive. They were fawning all over him after that. I figure that these people are so badgered by everyone that I wouldn't want to make it worse. Give them their privacy. So I didn't say much. The last time I met someone famous was about six years ago. He was a swimmer that won 7 gold medals in the Olympics in the 70s. It was right after Michael Phelps won all those medals and beat his record. I recognized him from being on TV during the Olympics broadcasts. I had been talking to his wife for a while before he came (she was sitting next to me). I guess we talked for a few minutes? Anyway, they're just people too.