July 24, 2025, 12:35 a.m.
they lied to you when they said expert-level expertise makes you more money 🥊 punchlineday 39
naii.io
(here is what justin oberman wrote) [1]
the biggest lie in business isnt about money
its about what actually captures attention
weve been conditioned to believe expertise wins
that credentials create influence
that complexity equals value
but heres what nobody wants to admit:
a cartoon mouse generates more revenue than most fortune 500 CEOs combined
the secret?
is that entertainment beats education every single time
heres why
.
.
YOUVE BEEN LIED TO
not by some grand conspiracy
but by your own minds conditioning
THE LIE?
YOUVE BEEN PROGRAMMED TO BELIEVE:
expertise = attention
credentials = influence
complexity = value
thats cow shit
THE UNCOMFORTABLE TRUTH is
a cartoon rodent generates more revenue
that most fortune 500 CEOs combined
LET ME TELL YOU A STORY:
in the early 20th century
while the "serious" publications
fought for scraps of attention...
one magazine dominated
with over 9 million subscribers
THE AMERICAN WEEKLY
and it had
nothing to do with the journalism
it was because of the COMIC STRIPS
they were so important
william randolp hearst
(the papers founding father)
personally supervised
these "funny pages"
for 40 years
.
.
the intellectuals scoffed
the experts dismissed it as lowbrow
but hearst understood something
they didnt
.
.
success isnt
about being
the smartest
person in
the room
its about
understanding
what actually
moves human
beings
THE PROOF
WAS
UNDENIABLE
during newspaper strikes,
telephone lines became clogged
not with people asking
about world events
but grown adults
desperately asking
what happened
in their favorite
comic strip
.
.
think about that
in an era of world wars
and economic upheaval...
peoples primary concern
was fictional characters
doing predictable things
why?
because those characters
gave them something
the real world couldnt:
* a sense of control
* predictability
* escape
and
the ability
to live vicariously
through simple repeating stories
.
.
THE 4 UNIVERSAL TRIGGERS
A vintage ad for the american weekly
explained their formula:
1. make them LAUGH
2. make them CRY
3. THRILL them
4. talk of LOVE
thats it
.
.
NOT
* demonstrate your expertise
* prove your authority
* showcase your credentials
JUST PURE
UNALTERED
HUMAN EMOTION
notice whats missing
from that list?
* your mba
* your certification
* your 20 years of experience
* your proprietary methodology
* your impressive client list
NONE OF IT MATTERS
.
.
WHY MRBEAST DESTROYS MCKINSEY
mrbeast doesnt teach
advanced filmmaking techniques
he gives away money
and blow things up
gary vaynerchuk
doesnt share complex
marketing frameworks
he yells
common sense
with uncommon energy
.
.
theyre not selling expertise
WHAT ARE THEY SELLING?
theyre selling the same principles
that made a cartoon rodent
a billion dollar empire
that now drives
the creator economy
regular appearances of the same people
performing the same simple acts
its not about being smart
your educational content
isnt competing with
other educational content
its competing with
* this guy
* cat videos
* video game streams
* celebrity gossip
* true crime podcasts
* memes about existential dread
and its LOSING
not because its not valuable
but because its not entertaining
WELCOME TO THE ESCAPE ECONOMY
the average person today
experiences more lifetimes
in one day than our ancestors
dreamed of
on youtube
on x - twitter
on linkedin
on netflix
in games
in podcasts
WHAT ARE THEY LOOKING FOR?
HINT:
its not your knowledge
or your 42-point framework
or proprietary methodology
or your impressive client list
THEY WANT
WHAT COMIC STRIPS
GAVE YOUR GRANDPARENTS
the ability to live
vicariously through
simple, repeating stories
a brief reprieve from reality
where they can imagine being someone else
a sense of control, predictability, and escape
THE HARD TRUTH ABOUT HUMAN NATURE
most people like people
many are acutely uncomfortable outside the flock
few of us have as many meaningful connections as we’d like
so...
WE RUN AWAY FROM REALITY
WITH
* JOE ROEGAN
* MR BEAST
* ELON MUSK
we find more meaning in fictional narratives
than our actual lives
a smart business person doesnt judge this
they use it
because
whatever fills empty seats at the hollywood bowl
will empty shelves at whole foods
.
.
whatever captures attention on tiktok
will capture clients in your DMs
.
.
whatever motivates people to stop scrolling
will encourage them to start buying
BUT ONLY
IF YOU
UNDERSTAND THIS...
.
.
YOURE NOT
IN THE
INFORMATION
BUSINESS
YOURE IN
THE ESCAPE
BUSINESS
YOUR COMPETITION
ISNT OTHER EXPERTS
IN YOUR FIELD
YOUR COMPETITION
IS
EVERYONE and EVERYTHING
THAT
PROVIDES
A BETTER ESCAPE
THAN YOU DO
.
.
your new rules for success:
stop trying to be the expert,
start being the escape
stop showcasing credentials
start turning yourself into a character
stop explaining complexity
start simplifying reality
stop being so serious
start making things exciting!
in our post ai world
the person who provides
the most entertaining
escape
wins
act accordingly
(end of quote)
oh, one last thing before you...
i told my mom she is the best mom on earth
"i dont believe you" she said
so i made her a gift
we traveled to mars
i uncovered her eyes
to reveal the surprise
and hear her say
"LIAR!!!"
¡Ándale, arriba!
naii "thanks god his mom is not into traveling" io
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- - -
[1] https://www.linkedin.com/posts/justinoberman_the-escape-economy-activity-7353408536640421893-IoVn