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Currently Playing: I've Watched Genius Comedians Vanish - Here's Why

I've been a comedian since I was 15 and in that time I've watched some of the most talented people of my generation become household names. And I've also watched some of the most talented people of my generation disappear completely. Not because they weren't good enough or because they didn't work hard enough. Because talent and recognition are two completely different things. This video started with a conversation with James Acaster. I asked him a simple question: Who is the most influential comedian people have never heard of? His answer was Luisa Omielan. https://youtu.be/_0qteovFXzg?si=Z0BlZfLm-LUAq6mh What followed was a conversation about influence, recognition, success and why some people shape entire industries without receiving the credit they deserve. Along the way, it led me into Abraham Wald's famous work on survivorship bias during World War II, Daniel Kahneman's research on how we create stories about success, and a much bigger question: What if meritocracy isn't wrong because talent doesn't matter? What if it's wrong because we've confused talent with visibility? This is the first in a series about meritocracy. What we get right about it. What we get catastrophically wrong about it. And what the science actually says about how success works. Sources Referenced Wald, A. (1943) - A Method of Estimating Plane Vulnerability Based on Damage of Survivors Taleb, N.N. (2007) - The Black Swan Kahneman, D. & Tversky, A. (1974) - Judgment Under Uncertainty: Heuristics and Biases Kahneman, D. (2011) - Thinking, Fast and Slow Duckworth, A. et al. (2007) - Grit: Perseverance and Passion for Long-Term Goals #meritocracy #survivorshipbias #danielkahneman #behaviouralscience #psychology #inequality #success #BarrysEconomics I’m Barry Ferns – a comedian whose personal journey through failure, homelessness, and rebuilding led me to explore the socio and behavioural economics of inequality. This channel digs into how systems of power shape our identity, behaviour, and beliefs, and how we can shift the stories we tell ourselves and each other about poverty, inequality, and who’s to blame. How to Support Barry’s Economics Help us stay independent and keep making videos like this. https://www.buymeacoffee.com/barryseconomics https://ko-fi.com/barryseconomics https://www.patreon.com/barryseconomics Subscribe for future videos: https://www.youtube.com/@barryeconomics More about me: https://barryferns.co.uk/ You can also follow me on Tiktok: tiktok.com/@barryseconomics Instagram: instagram.com/barryseconomics Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0vgya63dtCFD5tjODr7BEK?si=Bb6ftvByR1-6vG0Q2BTmMg Twitter: twitter.com/barryseconomics Substack: https://substack.com/@barryseconomics BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/barryseconomics.bsky.social Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/user/barryferns/ If you’re new to this, check out @garyseconomics first – his channel gives the structural and financial perspective. This one adds the lived, social and emotional side. Support Gary's Wealth Tax Campaign Here: https://buy.stripe.com/dRm4gs9Nl1L6eqWbUydjO00 Want to see the stand-up side of all this? Find my live comedy and storytelling here: https://www.youtube.com/@mrbarryferns To learn more about my comedy club, Angel Comedy, and buy tickets for shows head here: https://www.angelcomedy.co.uk/