We’ve been thinking with Derrida about examples and exemplars, where traditionally the exemplar is the really real (e.g., true friend), while the example is deficient in relation to it (just a friend).  Thought holistically, the missing third term here is a “bad friend.”

The error that Derrida notes is our tendency to see the exemplar/example binary opposition as set and objective.  For example, celebrity life is generally valued as a superior life, whereas a normal life is boring/nothing to brag about by comparison.  For example, the beginning of the song “Innocent” by the band Our Lady Peace poetizes:

Oh, Johnny wishes he was famous

Spends his time alone in the basement

With Lennon and Cobain and

A guitar and a stereo

While he wishes he could escape this

But it all seems so contagious

Not to be yourself and faceless

In a song that has no soul

But fame can be a double-edged sword. It amplifies both opportunities and problems in dramatic ways. Here’s a balanced breakdown:

Pros of Fame

• Financial rewards: Celebrity often brings significantly higher earnings through salaries, endorsements, sponsorships, book deals, speaking fees, and business ventures. Many famous people build substantial wealth that gives them financial freedom.
• Opportunities and access: Doors open more easily. You get invited to exclusive events, premieres, high-end parties, and can network with other powerful or talented people. Fame can accelerate careers in entertainment, business, politics, or activism.
• Influence and impact: Famous individuals can use their platform to champion causes, raise awareness, fund charities, or inspire large numbers of people. Think of how celebrities have moved the needle on issues like climate change, mental health, or social justice.
• Validation and admiration: Constant recognition, praise, and a sense of being special can be deeply affirming (at least initially). Fans provide love and support that feels overwhelming and energizing.
• Conveniences: Better service, free or discounted products, priority access, and people going out of their way to help you.

Cons of Fame

• Loss of privacy: This is the biggest and most consistent complaint. Paparazzi, tabloids, social media scrutiny, and fans can make everyday life feel like living in a fishbowl. Personal relationships, breakups, health issues, and even mundane activities become public fodder.
• Mental health toll: High rates of anxiety, depression, addiction, and burnout among celebrities. The pressure to maintain an image, fear of cancellation, and the “high” of attention followed by inevitable dips can be psychologically destructive.
• Security risks: Stalkers, threats, obsessive fans, and kidnapping/extortion concerns are real. Many famous people need bodyguards and live with heightened vigilance.
• Strained relationships: It’s harder to tell who likes you for you versus your status. Friends and family can become jealous, entitled, or exploitative. Romantic relationships often face intense external pressure and infidelity temptations.
• Loss of freedom: Simple things like going to the grocery store, walking in public, or having a bad hair day become stressful. You may feel you can never fully relax or be authentic.
• Public judgment and cancellation culture: One mistake (or even a misinterpreted comment) can lead to massive backlash, lost opportunities, and reputational destruction. The internet never forgets.
• Superficiality and loneliness: Fame can create isolation. Many celebrities report feeling lonelier at the height of their success because genuine connection becomes rare.

For some people (especially extroverts who crave attention and have strong boundaries), fame is largely positive or at least worth the trade-offs. For others, the downsides eventually outweigh the benefits—many celebrities have spoken about wanting to “escape” fame or go “off the grid” after achieving it. The experience also varies enormously depending on the type of fame (A-list Hollywood vs. niche influencer vs. infamous) and how well the person handles it. Many say the healthiest approach is treating fame as a tool rather than an identity.

And so, fame is not an exemplar and binary opposite with average life but includes many examples such as the tragedy of Amanda Bynes as a cautionary example/exemplar as what could happen when fame goes wrong.  In such cases, it would have been better if the former celebrity now living on the street had never become famous in the first place: Exemplar (celebrity) – Example (average life) – Cautionary Example/Exemplar (Tragic Celebrity).

In our Derrida text we see Cohen described as an exemplary philosopher, exemplary of the German-Jewish spirit, contrasted with the everyday university professors.  This brings to mind one of the most famous Philosophers of the 20^th century, Martin Heidegger, whose legacy is forever tainted by his turn to Nazism.  But Derrida asks, is there such a German/Jewish spirit of which Cohen is exemplary?  It seems possible, as we analogously speak of an ancient Greek way of life and thinking.

As cognitive behavioral psychology notes, if life is organized into pairs of opposites, we can come up with pros and cons for almost anything: abortion; school uniforms; Political party choice.  The side you take does not necessarily indicate value in the thing itself, but taste. For example, there are healthy and harmful ways to deal with addiction, loss, crisis, etc.

Regarding exemplary beings, we may experience the bear catching the leaping salmon in the river as exemplary nature, nature incarnate (now that’s nature!), unless you are a salmon conservator and then scene is horrific.  Or, you may see the Van Gogh painting as exemplary art, unless you feel the only true art is pointillism. 

When educators talk about teaching and assessing with exemplars, students are taught and assessed/evaluated against exemplars representing the 4 different levels of achievement (product examples at levels A, B, C, D).  The key here is not only modelling for students what to do (A, B), but also cautionary examples of what needs to be avoided and overcome (C, D).    

The question of the exemplar is also the question of truth, as we speak of a true or genuine or model friend, or the great truths of human existence.