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This is true. It seems that if you're looking to leverage your literary talents for political/commercial ends (Cicero, Pierre Trudeau, Paul Graham?, Locke, Fran

This is true. It seems that if you're looking to leverage your literary talents for political/commercial ends (Cicero, Pierre Trudeau, Paul Graham?, Locke, Franklin, Václav Havel, Michael Ignatieff, etc.) you probably need access to wealth to fund your writing career in the first place. The lone exception being that excitable German with the Charlie Chaplin moustache...

maaku 11y ago
What do you need the wealth for? Presumably to have your basic needs taken care of while you focus on writing. Being in prison also accomplishes that goal.
- djhn 11y ago
  That's somewhat hard core. Ideally you should be in prison for political reasons, because most other crimes may be detrimental to improving social status in the future. And countries that put you in prison for political reasons have no overlap with countries that have comfortable prisons that encourage and nurture self-improvement, contemplation and creative pursuits.
  - achamayou 11y ago
    I think the point here was that the excitable German with the Charlie Chaplin mustache in question did write his famous book in a German prison in the mid-1920s. Being jailed by your political opponents, whatever the reason, is generally unlikely to hurt your social status if you do get to power eventually, since even non-political charges can be dismissed as politically motivated.
  - maaku 11y ago
    In case it wasn't clear, the GP was alluding to Hitler. I was noting that Hitler wrote Mein Kompf while in Landsberg jail on charges of high treason as a result of the Beer Hall Putsch. So he isn't really the exception the GP was musing he might be (being in jail provided the same benefits in terms of disposable time as being an aristocrat).
  - visakanv 11y ago
    Being unfairly imprisoned for political reasons is often a great career move for writers, artists and so on. It gives you serious legitimacy and street cred. But it's also VERY hardcore, like you said.
ZeroGravitas 11y ago
I thought it was widely accepted that Hitler was funded by the hereditary elite and businesses in Germany that feared the masses would turn against them because of the increase in democracy, if so he fis your pattern too.

maaku 11y ago

What do you need the wealth for? Presumably to have your basic needs taken care of while you focus on writing. Being in prison also accomplishes that goal.

djhn 11y ago
That's somewhat hard core. Ideally you should be in prison for political reasons, because most other crimes may be detrimental to improving social status in the future. And countries that put you in prison for political reasons have no overlap with countries that have comfortable prisons that encourage and nurture self-improvement, contemplation and creative pursuits.
- achamayou 11y ago
  I think the point here was that the excitable German with the Charlie Chaplin mustache in question did write his famous book in a German prison in the mid-1920s. Being jailed by your political opponents, whatever the reason, is generally unlikely to hurt your social status if you do get to power eventually, since even non-political charges can be dismissed as politically motivated.
- maaku 11y ago
  In case it wasn't clear, the GP was alluding to Hitler. I was noting that Hitler wrote Mein Kompf while in Landsberg jail on charges of high treason as a result of the Beer Hall Putsch. So he isn't really the exception the GP was musing he might be (being in jail provided the same benefits in terms of disposable time as being an aristocrat).
- visakanv 11y ago
  Being unfairly imprisoned for political reasons is often a great career move for writers, artists and so on. It gives you serious legitimacy and street cred. But it's also VERY hardcore, like you said.

ZeroGravitas 11y ago

I thought it was widely accepted that Hitler was funded by the hereditary elite and businesses in Germany that feared the masses would turn against them because of the increase in democracy, if so he fis your pattern too.