I am not making this up. This guy appears to be a professional asshole. His web site starts out:
My name is Tucker Max, and I am an asshole.
I get excessively drunk at inappropriate times, disregard social
norms, indulge every whim, ignore the consequences of my actions, mock
idiots and posers, sleep with more women than is safe or reasonable,
and just generally act like a raging dickhead.
He is apparently an object of admiration among a certain breed of testosterone poisoned young man. His books include I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell (which is selling pretty damn well in paperback) and the forthcoming Assholes Finish First. (Note cover above… he seems very proud of being arrested).
One of my favorite Jimmy Buffett lines goes something like "Some things in life are still a mystery to me, and other things are much to clear." It is a mystery to me why, at least in some corners, people like Tucker Max are celebrated by others and take pride in their sexism and the damage they do to others. It is much to clear to me, however, that he is exactly the kind of vile person that I try to avoid at all costs. And it is also clear to me that the world would be better off without the likes of Mr. Max.
Also, I doubt Tucker Max has much interest in evidence, but the research seems to be that although there are some conditions when acting like an asshole has advantages (see "The Upside of Assholes"), they don't finish first in most cases. Rather, it appears that finishing first — or at least being put in power — can make people dumber and turn them into insensitive jerks. The evidence is also crystal clear that people who act like demeaning and self-centered creeps damage the mental and physical health of people around them (as this blog and The No Asshole Rule show), as well as the performance of their teams and organizations.
But I guess leaving a trail of damaged people in your wake would be a source of pride rather than shame for a self-anointed certified asshole like Tucker Max.
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