Other Who's the most famous/well-known celebrity on the planet?

amolbhatia50k

Sneaky bum time - Vaccination status: dozed off
Joined
Nov 8, 2002
Messages
95,803
Location
india
I don’t doubt that whatsoever, I’m simply saying that Xi is going to be picking up people on his tally in India, just as Modi would be in China.

Since they both start out with around 1.4 billion in their home countries, they’re going to be coming in with extremely large totals in the “most well known” competition.
Oh definitely. We're the two biggest countries in Asia/ the world, have a fractured relationship and are neighbours . So these two have to the among the most famous and would be well known in each other's countries.
 

Tarrou

Full Member
Joined
May 13, 2013
Messages
25,666
Location
Sydney
You’re quite right. The only issue is that this thread isn’t about knowing someone’s “erm… culture”, it’s about who the most well known individual on earth is.
but that is what we have disagreed on here

you are saying India/China can be lumped together for the purposes of this debate.. meaning there is a baseline population of ~4bn people who already know each other’s political leaders

I am saying you cannot do this, it doesn’t make any sense because these two countries are not closely linked

India has more cultural links to the UK compared to China
 

Fortitude

TV/Monitor Expert
Scout
Joined
Jul 10, 2004
Messages
22,895
Location
Inside right
No idea but why did you ask that? Does it have anything to do with the thread topic or the post I quoted? No it doesnt.
Which other person on the planet do you think could die and illicit the kind of worldwide response and reaction the queen has?

How is that not connected to what I quoted from your "nah" to what someone else posted about her?

And how is it not in line with the thread topic - it's literally the crux of the thread!
 

Wibble

In Gadus Speramus
Staff
Joined
Jun 15, 2000
Messages
89,218
Location
Centreback
Eh, more like 3.8 billion or so. Like I said, we can already mark off most of that half of the world’s population that’s next to them.
Surely I as a (generously) middle aged, middle class white bloke should be the definitive opinion? ;)
 
Last edited:

Carolina Red

Moderator
Staff
Joined
Nov 7, 2015
Messages
36,474
Location
South Carolina
but that is what we have disagreed on here

you are saying India/China can be lumped together for the purposes of this debate.. meaning there is a baseline population of ~4bn people who already know each other’s political leaders

I am saying you cannot do this, it doesn’t make any sense because these two countries are not closely linked

India has more cultural links to the UK compared to China
I said a large portion of the 4 billion that lives in that circle around India and China will know of Modi and Xi.

Even if China & India aren’t “closely linked”, each leader in each country is going to be well known within that S.Asia/SE Asia/East Asia region of the world in the countries they are linked to, and, as @amolbhatia50k even stated, they are going to have lots of people in India/China who do know who they are. Then you add the people in the rest of the world who know who they are on top of that.
 

Moby

Dick
Joined
May 20, 2011
Messages
51,356
Location
Barcelona, Catalunya
okay but the two countries are not well that connected politically or culturally?

they are just two big countries close to each other, but for the purposes of this debate they are quite seperate
Dunno how widely known Modi is in China but everyone here knows Xi given how passionate our govt and media is about painting them as villains on TV and radio at any given moment.
 

amolbhatia50k

Sneaky bum time - Vaccination status: dozed off
Joined
Nov 8, 2002
Messages
95,803
Location
india
Which other person on the planet do you think could die and illicit the kind of worldwide response and reaction the queen has?

How is that not connected to what I quoted from your "nah" to what someone else posted about her?

And how is it not in line with the thread topic - it's literally the crux of the thread!
Nope. Both this thread and the post I quoted were regarding Elizabeth being / not being the most famous person in the world (which she isn't) rather than to do with the 'response' elicited (mostly due to a curated image and media propaganda/ appeasement).
 

BusbyMalone

First Man Falling
Joined
May 22, 2017
Messages
10,362
If I did have to pick a winner right now, It would have to be Trump I think. As depressing as that sounds. Not only was he president, but he was also massively engaged with social media. I mean, he's almost as famous for his Twitter persona as he is for being bloody president. He's also someone who embraces the limelight and has been very successful in marketing his name, even before the presidency. Combine that with a, shall we say, unique look, and I think he has all bases covered.
 

Fortitude

TV/Monitor Expert
Scout
Joined
Jul 10, 2004
Messages
22,895
Location
Inside right
Nope. Both this thread and the post I quoted were regarding Elizabeth being / not being the most famous person in the world (which she isn't) rather than to do with the 'response' elicited (mostly due to a curated image and media propaganda/ appeasement).
Really? They're interconnected - the reason why she's beamed all over is/was because of her fame, which is why I asked who else on the planet would that happen to?

There seems to be two definitions of fame going on, too. One being the person known through the most populous continents (China & India) and the other being whose face/name most people across the world would recognise or pick out of a line up.

I would wager more people across the world could identify Jackie Chan than either Xi or Modi; I'm pretty sure vox popping over here and asking people who have no interest in politics who Modi even is would result in blank stares and confusion. Britain is a blip in terms of size, but I'd be surprised if it wasn't the same across Europe, North and South America.
 

VorZakone

What would Kenny G do?
Joined
May 9, 2013
Messages
33,077
I find the emphasis on China and India somewhat odd. Surely in India and China they know who Cristiano Ronaldo is?
 

amolbhatia50k

Sneaky bum time - Vaccination status: dozed off
Joined
Nov 8, 2002
Messages
95,803
Location
india
Really? They're interconnected - the reason why she's beamed all over is/was because of her fame, which is why I asked who else on the planet would that happen to?
A good chunk of the world's rural population wouldn't even know her name. Her seat is miles more famous than her. There's no chance she's as famous as someone like Trump who regardless of the "reaction" which us down to many other factors.

There's no two definitions. The most well known individual is the most famous. Elizabeth isn't it.
 

oneniltothearsenal

Caf's Milton Friedman and Arse Aficionado
Scout
Joined
Dec 17, 2013
Messages
11,189
Supports
Brazil, Arsenal,LA Aztecs
Really? They're interconnected - the reason why she's beamed all over is/was because of her fame, which is why I asked who else on the planet would that happen to?

There seems to be two definitions of fame going on, too. One being the person known through the most populous continents (China & India) and the other being whose face/name most people across the world would recognise or pick out of a line up.

I would wager more people across the world could identify Jackie Chan than either Xi or Modi; I'm pretty sure vox popping over here and asking people who have no interest in politics who Modi even is would result in blank stares and confusion. Britain is a blip in terms of size, but I'd be surprised if it wasn't the same across Europe, North and South America.
I actually think the bolded are two very different things and would actually produce different lists.

Knowing a name and recognizing a face can be very different. I, for one, would not be able pick out QE2, Pope Francis, Modi or Xi out of a police line up of similar faces. Without Google, I really have no idea what any of them look like since I know all of them from reading not watching. Recognizable names I can see Xi, Modi, QE2, Trump being at the top.

But I think recognizable faces would yield very different answers and most world leaders wouldn't be on that one. The World Cup is the most commonly watched cultural event around the world so maybe CR and Messi would be the two most recognized faces around the world. I could certainly pick out Jackie Chan face over QE2 or Modi face.
 

Fortitude

TV/Monitor Expert
Scout
Joined
Jul 10, 2004
Messages
22,895
Location
Inside right
I actually think the bolded are two very different things and would actually produce different lists.

Knowing a name and recognizing a face can be very different. I, for one, would not be able pick out QE2, Pope Francis, Modi or Xi out of a police line up of similar faces. Without Google, I really have no idea what any of them look like since I know all of them from reading not watching. Recognizable names I can see Xi, Modi, QE2, Trump being at the top.

But I think recognizable faces would yield very different answers and most world leaders wouldn't be on that one. The World Cup is the most commonly watched cultural event around the world so maybe CR and Messi would be the two most recognized faces around the world. I could certainly pick out Jackie Chan face over QE2 or Modi face.
I wholeheartedly agree with this. That's why it would've been a good idea to set the criteria in the OP.
 

Fortitude

TV/Monitor Expert
Scout
Joined
Jul 10, 2004
Messages
22,895
Location
Inside right
A good chunk of the world's rural population wouldn't even know her name. Her seat is miles more famous than her. There's no chance she's as famous as someone like Trump who regardless of the "reaction" which us down to many other factors.

There's no two definitions. The most well known individual is the most famous. Elizabeth isn't it.
The post below yours is pretty much what I would have replied because I do believe there's a distinction myself.
 

711

Verified Bird Expert
Scout
Joined
Dec 10, 2007
Messages
24,290
Location
Don't sign old players and cast offs
I get China and India have large populations, but that's not as relevant as language.

The most spoken languages in the world
  • English (1,132 million speakers)
  • Mandarin (1,117 million speakers)
  • Hindi (615 million speakers)
  • Spanish (534 million speakers)
  • French (280 million speakers)
  • Arabic (274 million speakers)
  • Russian (258 million speakers)
  • Portuguese (234 million speakers)
https://www.berlitz.com/blog/most-spoken-languages-world

Add to that what is translated from one language to another, I'm not talking about historically with Maos, Jesuses or Shakespeares but currently, translations from people alive today, in business, news, and popular culture; I'd wager such translations from English to Chinese or one of the Indian languages would dwarf that of the other way round.

So clearly the most famous person would have to be the most well-known to English speakers, and up until last week that would have been the Queen of course. Now? I'm calling it Trump, much as I detest the bloke.