Do you find yourself modeling your life after Dan?

The irony of this statement when Dan is dismissive of anything he considers "not for cool people" is palpable.

Well, making them equivalent is the first step to calming. And that's what I mean: Dan is ACTUALLY the Idiocracy moron (without the uncomfortable eugenics undercurrent that movie has that people handily ignore): he's a dumb guy who KNOWS he's a dumb guy. And unlike Trump: he has no bigotry and hatefulness behind it (and isn't as dumb as he pretends to be, but now I'm breaking precious kayfabe).

The only aspect of Dan that he makes public that I think is good practice is having a good workout regimen. You could also argue the meditation is good, but eh, not my thing. He also seem like the kind of guy to try new things that challenge him, which is always good practice. (Edit: This sometimes strikes me as a tad bit hypocritical, since he always seems to dismiss a lot of things that he's never seen/experienced because he assumes it's "uncool" or "for children").

Other than that, the played up "blissful ignorance", the Taco Bell, the wrestling, the competitiveness that leads to me just finding his on camera persona generally annoying, the unexplained objective statements? No thanks.

No. My life would be much worse if I tried to be like Dan. Besides that I'm old enough to already know who I am and trying to pretend to be someone else would just be frustrating.

@babychoochoo said:

In some situations he can give not bad advise. Still, I wouldn't take him as an expert on anything. Except for maybe how to execute the nosiest silent kills.

I certainly wouldn't say I model my life on him, but there are certainly things to be learned from Dan. He has a really admirable positive attitude and seems to cram a ton into his daily routine. Especially of late with his more open-minded attitude to trying new stuff. I said earlier this week, "Y'know, if Dan can try mayonnaise after all these years then I can eat a Subway." Sure that's a dumb, tiny thing - but his willingness of late to accept his failings and attempt to address them and improve himself is admirable.

The "reexamine your habits and get out your shell" thing has been the most positive thing I've seen out of New Dan and all joking aside I think that's something that's good for anyone to do. I also appreciate that he's good about recognizing the positive influences around him.

There are aspects of Dan I find legitimately admirable... but I'm going to be totally honest when I say that I hold him and his "ignoramus man-child" on-camera persona to be the exact opposite of what I strive for in my daily life. I don't think he'd consider that much of an insult.

No lol. I learned pretty early on in life that I didn't have a horseshoe up my ass.

First time a giant bomb forum topic title has coexisted as a great premise for a horror film.

What the hell is this OldDan/NuDan stuff I keep reading?

They came THIS close on a Danswers to getting to this point, but I think that was the one with Glaser. So the lesson was don't leave an out or safety net and drive yourself to your goal. On the one hand, it makes a certain amount of sense in a limited resources of time and effort kind of way. On the other hand, O'Dwyer got real close to saying there is probably a pile of people we DON'T hear about who did the same, that didn't work out, and didn't have anything to fall back on.

EDIT - And to answer the OP, not really. As an older person, the life of one Vinny Caravella is something I might find more worthy of emulation. Guy's no less accomplished in the field he seems to love, seems to be doing well outside of work, and doesn't delve into a trollish on screen persona.

But that's not quite true, though, is it? The "blind luck" part, I mean.

The way Dan tells it, he applied to Game Informer (and other video game outlets) many, many times, and went out of his way to introduce himself to the Game Informer staff. He also wrote hundreds of game reviews for no pay to get experience. He even found a way to get into the Game Informer office to shoot a commercial.

That doesn't sound to me like "blind luck". It sounds to me like he worked his ass off, and created opportunities for success.

Not to say that he wasn't extremely lucky. He was, and hard work doesn't guarantee that you'll get what you want. But Dan works as a formula for success because for a lot of people the only way you even get an opportunity to be lucky is to work as hard as he does.

EDIT: And this is all not to mention the number of advantages he had outside of his work ethic. The fact that he's white, and a guy, and straight, etc. I just wanted to mention that I know those are all factors, and that the deck is inherently stacked against some people. I still stand by point, though.

I ask myself, what would Dan Ryckert do? then I do the EXACT opposite.

Goofyness aside, there is a lot about Dan that is really inspiring. He has made a lot happen for himself and he has gotten me to start facing and overcoming my anxiety and depression issues so I really credit him a lot.

I...what...no? I like Dan and respect his determination in getting the dream job he wanted/how he handles his axiety, but just...no.

This thread has run it's course. While this thread was probably started with good intentions, it's getting a bit too personal and negative for the forums. When in doubt, remember this part of the community rules.

Posting negative threads about staff members: All members of staff are receptive to valid, actionable criticism about site content. Threads intended to demean or insult staff members will be deleted, however.