The Beginner's Guide To Selling Out
The term "sellout" is typically used as an insult about someone who is generally awesome at something, but has ceased to be considered so awesome...
The sellout moment is usually after receiving ungodly amounts of money or popularity... but you don't have to be rich to be a sellout, becoming "mainstream" can be just as bad. It's hard to be popular and continue to maintain your street cred while keeping your income low enough to not piss off any purists. So for our purposes of breaking down how to sellout, we'll include lots of money as being a part of selling out.
You may be one of those people who think that pursuing profit or wanting wealth is bad, and if you do it is likely you are a creative type, artist, non-profit worker, volunteer or spending time in a monastery, and might not be a huge fan of our times. #SELLOUT is here to free you from that burden so you can join the American 21st century and make some dough for all that backbreaking effort that keeps you home every evening watching Netflix. If you aren't using the term sellout as an insult (usually through social media) and have no issues with people making crazy amounts of money, than you are already on your way to tackling the American dream. But if not, the following are some insights into getting past some of those biggest limits that exist so you can participate in getting what you want in life, by selling out.
SEEING THROUGH STIGMA
Also known and identified as "You can't do that!" It is well documented that taboos and stigmas are the result of environmental and cultural influence. It turns out the conspiracy theorists blogging about chemtrails got one thing right, we are all "sheeple" -or 'sheep': blinded and guided by the thoughts, words and opinions of the majority in our immediate surroundings (Gasp!).
So before you spend the rest of your life, or career, demonizing and avoiding specific behaviors that your friends and family deem "bad" or "wrong" (I think it's safe to say by now that no one is going to a fictional hell for working on a Sunday or eating pork) you may want to test and see if you truly agree with your group's judgements of those actions being so naughty. Studies have shown that cultural influence, or group-think, actually shapes reality for the members of the group to the point where it can even dictate what's possible and impossible on a physical level.
One current example would be North Korea's top notch PR campaign that paints a total reality for its inhabitants. A reality of a completely evil world beyond their borders of which they and their ruler are the only shining light of good. This totalitarian group think is what makes it possible for citizens to receive a noodle a day from the government and still say "thank you supreme leader".
So let's stay in our own hemisphere and do a deep dive into one the most classic American stigmas: "It is bad to be fake" and its flip side virtue of "being yourself". I can already hear the rage: "what could possibly be wrong about being yourself?!" Don't be embarrassed, that is totally American of you. Let's loosen things up by breaking down the big bad word - "Fake" - which is defined by Webster's dictionary as 'not genuine; imitation or counterfeit'.
NO SUCH THING AS ORIGINALITY
If it is "bad to be fake" and the definition of fake is 'not genuine; imitation or counterfeit' then it's safe to assume that it is good to be the opposite, which is genuine, authentic, original, or the real deal. Simple! So now that we know how to avoid being bad (fake) and what to do to be good (authentic) all we have to do is the good thing, which is to be our amazing, authentic selves, right? But what happens when we try to be authentic? Just by trying to be a certain way, even if it is "you" you have inadvertently entered what is called the "paradox of authenticity": that If you are trying to be authentic, you are not being authentic.
Every decision we choose that did not spring forth from our own imagination is a form of taking advice from others and in effect copying them. Now this makes sense, but you have to get mad if you think copying is a form of fake-ness, and voila the walls of stigma arise. We can only even learn to live in this world by copying our parents and community. Imagine having to always act like your original, authentic baby self before you started imitating adult behavior. Or better yet share all of your stream of consciousness thoughts and feelings on your next important job interview or worse yet, first date. Whether it's our parents that we admire, a boss we need to impress for a raise, an autobiography we read of a hero we want to emulate, or attending an event we hate with our loved one (take your pick: ballet or baseball), we are always molding, editing and improving ourselves for the results we want from the real world.
Every act you make is not authentic just because you do it - more than likely you got the idea somewhere and from someone you big copycat so just get over it. Therefore, spotting stigmas and making individual choices on what is right and wrong is one of the biggest steps necessary in getting everything you want in life, or selling out. The sacrifice of selling out is not your integrity, it is that some people you respect and love will still view you through these stigmas and judge you accordingly to keep the group reality intact. #SELLOUTs get what they want because they have the courage to face stigma head on and give no fucks.
WHO WOULD WANT TO BE A SELLOUT?
There is much debate about who is and isn't a #SELLOUT because most of it involves the individual's intent, which can never be proven and a lot of personal opinion. But "Selling-out" is often defined as giving up something or some part of your authentic self for some other gain, usually financial or fame-related. So if you are unknown to the general public or poor you are in no danger of being called a #SELLOUT. Lucky you.
But for the special few that don't wait on luck and are no longer inhibited by other people's opinions and stigmas, they are the ones who are ready to step into the public arena and meet their audience: a gigantic group of people that will love or hate your every move. Make no mistake, there is no one of any popularity or notoriety that doesn't have their equal share of lovers and haters - no matter what they have done, or how sure you are that they are totally awesome. Presidents hover around 50% approval, Katy Perry is the highest grossing musician that no one has anything nice to say about, Steve Jobs was a mean-y and Ghandi got shot, so at least one person didn't think he was so great. As different as all these famous characters are they do have one thing in common which is that they pursued and achieved their dreams.
Only the individual will ever know what their true intent is, so we ask you, if pursuing and achieving your dreams would certainly mean that you will be hated by as many people that will love you and what you do, are you still willing to do it? You may be ready to #SELLOUT