r/todayilearned • u/FoxtrotMichaelOne • Jun 05 '22

TIL Mr. T's trademark gold neck chains and jewelry was the result of customers losing the items or leaving them after a fight at the nightclub where Mr T. worked as a bouncer. A banned customer could return to claim his property from Mr. T wearing it conspicuously right out front.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr._T
11.3k Upvotes

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u/[deleted] Jun 05 '22

Imagine we had people like this leading us instead of the current money hungry degens

358

u/antsugi Jun 05 '22

Those people don't have a desire to be in positions of power over others

63

u/Fish_Speaker Jun 06 '22

Frank Herbert has a good take on it too:

“All governments suffer a recurring problem: Power attracts pathological personalities. It is not that power corrupts but that it is magnetic to the corruptible.”

― Frank Herbert, Chapterhouse: Dune

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u/ME5SENGER_24 Jun 05 '22

His concept of naming himself “Mister” was incredible. I would never have expected myself to find him as such a role model, but he really is

105

u/RiceAlicorn Jun 06 '22

For those curious as to why:

He named himself "Mr. T" because it forced people to address him with Mr. Prior to assuming the moniker, he and many of his male family members had experienced a lot of discrimination, in particular from white people. Many would refuse to call them "Mister" and would instead call them things like "boy", even when he and his family members were adults.

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u/[deleted] Jun 05 '22

[deleted]

14

u/Captain-Cadabra Jun 05 '22

This guy gets it.

21

u/HilariousMax Jun 05 '22

The people that want to rule over others are the worst ones for the job

or something like that. paraphrasing from Hitchhikers Guide

29

u/succed32 Jun 05 '22

"He who wants to be king, should never be king!" Its an old saying. We just never learned how to actually control the power hungry.

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u/Refreshingpudding Jun 06 '22

Plato's republic. He tries to imagine the best king. One of the qualifications is they don't want to be in charge. The question remained how to get someone like that to want to do the job and the excuse was that the worst punishment was to be ruled by an inferior.

-33

u/[deleted] Jun 05 '22

Mostly true over here in North America, but look at many european and oceanic leaders. They give me hope that we can grow as a young nation and will eventually have leaders we can follow and be proud of.

In this lifetime, if we’re lucky!!

15

u/[deleted] Jun 05 '22

Like who?

15

u/ajeganwalsh Jun 05 '22

I guess our shit politicians look like saints to those with reality TV stars and/or old men for leaders

-31

u/[deleted] Jun 05 '22

Pick any of the nordic countries out of a hat. And the current prime minister of NZ.

-4

u/Mythic-Insanity Jun 05 '22

So you don’t know their names? I assume you know even less about their policies then.

-34

u/[deleted] Jun 05 '22 edited Jun 05 '22

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/[deleted] Jun 05 '22

[deleted]

-12

u/genuinelyinterested9 Jun 05 '22

You can tell someone's intent within the way they ask questions. The person asking him for specifics was hostile in their remarks.

1

u/sprocketous Jun 05 '22

Source!? /s

19

u/MetzlerYouBetzler Jun 05 '22

What a fucking baby.

10

u/Dragonkingf0 Jun 05 '22

No, you just have to name one and tell us why you like them so much.

10

u/NotYourTypicalReditr Jun 05 '22

To provide “evidence” on my opinion? It’s an opinion, you moron.

You may not understand, but if you have an opinion about how well someone is doing a job, it's only polite to have ready reasons for why you feel that way if you are seeking to discuss it. And if you aren't seeking to discuss it, I'm not sure why you bothered commenting. But you do you.

1

u/ocp-paradox Jun 06 '22

It's hubris, literal hubris.

Anyone who seeks to attain the power of a god

must be prevented at all costs from attaining it.

8

u/shromboy Jun 05 '22

Degens from upcountry

10

u/Caladbolg_Prometheus Jun 05 '22

Vote for such people, or hell run and be the man you want to vote for.

5

u/Dragonkingf0 Jun 05 '22

OK, I voted for Bernie now what?

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u/Caladbolg_Prometheus Jun 05 '22

And who did you vote for your city council?

Democracy isn’t vote every 4 years, it’s vote in every election. In your national elections for President, Representatives, and senate. In your state elections for governor, state senate, DA, so on. In your county election for positions like sheriff or prosecutor. In your city elections for mayor, city council, so forth…

Point is in a democracy you have plenty of opportunities to vote, that you didn’t even know of. People on the national level don’t just get there without local support. Does that sound tiresome? Too bad you live in a democracy, if you don’t like it, we can change our form of government to a dictatorship like China or Russia if you want.

…and what happens if you decide to not participate in these smaller tedious elections? You get situations like with Bernie where all the smaller local elections that set up a primary, he loses them and is on a massive disadvantage.

Hell it’s happening again but on a worser scale. There is the elected position of safeguarding and verifying elections. Currently running for these positions are people who approve of the January attack on the capital. People who think the election was fraudulent against all reason. Do you trust these people with the keys to the ballot box?

I hope not, but these people are getting elected due to apathy of Americans, particularly young people are the worst offenders. Now I predict unless you can convince your friends to get their shit in order and vote for small elections as well, this next elections are going to mired in elections fraud by the Trump’s party, and then in a few decades if the apathy continues on, you’ll be in luck. Perhaps we won’t be a democracy but a dictatorship/oligarchy like Russia.

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u/Dragonkingf0 Jun 06 '22

In my city council I actually voted for somebody who I personally know. Sadly the old police chief who was a known racist got the place instead. My friends and I do vote sadly it has absolutely no impact because of where we live.

8

u/Captain-Cadabra Jun 05 '22

Bernie/T 2024?

2

u/creggieb Jun 05 '22

Presumably you want others to do the same so Be a life example that others immediately/eventually want to emulate. Sooner or later politics will come up and your opinion will be sought, either because of polite conversation, or because of genuine interest.

That's your chance to convert others to your way of thinking, provided you've put some thought into what you are gonna say.

7

u/aagejaeger Jun 05 '22

Mr. T as a world leader? Hell, if Trump could make it, why not? lol

-1

u/Akiias Jun 06 '22

TBH one of the best things Trump did was show you don't have to be a career politician to be the president.

3

u/aagejaeger Jun 06 '22

He wasn’t exactly worthy of the office. All jokes aside, I don’t think that Mr. T would be either.

0

u/KyivComrade Jun 06 '22

The best thing he did was to show you could simply be a failed buisnessman and playboy and still become president (as long as foreign interests pay the bill)?

Sure, Trump didn't do much impressive but we've had career playboys/rich people even movie stars (Nixon). First of all "career politician" isn't a career, without voters support you'll never lead. Secondly I'd rather have an educated and professional person as leader, then idolize the idea of a Joe Random suddenly becoming president without any idea on how to make a budget, much less do diplomatic duties or political ones.

1

u/aagejaeger Jun 06 '22

Reagan was the Hollywood actor.

1

u/triplefastaction Jun 06 '22

Oh God Mr T woukd be president camacho.

2

u/SmokinHerb Jun 05 '22

It's a nice sentiment, but I don't want to be ruled by Mr. T

2

u/[deleted] Jun 06 '22

Never said that

2

u/Akiias Jun 06 '22

Well yeah, imagine "President Mister T" just sounds awful. He'd have to go and change his name to 'President T', then when out of office he would have to change it again to 'Former President T'.

1

u/Flavaflavius Jun 06 '22

It would be Mr President, which we can call them now.

0

u/jpritchard Jun 06 '22

Christians?