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The Six Degrees of Separation theory was conceived by Frigyes Karinthy in 1929, suggesting that we are just six people connections away from any other person on this planet. The theory never hit pop culture until a play by John Guare came out in 1990. Six Degrees of Separation won the 1990 New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Play, as well as the Hull Warriner Award and the Obie. After the play’s popularity soared it was made into a movie starring a young Will Smith.
I will admit that I didn’t know that it was a movie or a play until I started researching for this blog. I thought that it was just a sociology theory that everyone was talking about.
According to AI, the play/movie “explore the premise that any two people are connected by a chain of six or fewer acquaintances. Inspired by a true story, the play centers on a con artist named Paul who charms his way into the lives of wealthy Upper East Side art dealers“. Since hearing of the theory back in the 90’s, I’ve been fascinated by it.
What do you think? Is the theory possibly true? I do. And in fact I think it’s possible that I am in the center of that invisible web of humanity. Can I prove it? Absolutely not. Who can? Why do I think that I’m the center? Because I want to.
There is also the 6 Degrees of Kevin Bacon theory which posits that every actor/actress in Hollywood can be connected to Kevin Bacon through six or less movie/TV shared appearances. I can’t claim that but…oddly enough, I can be connected to Kevin Bacon through Kevin’s actress wife Kyra Sedgwick who starred with Richard Gere in the film Time Out Of Mind. I connect to Richard Gere because my high school biology lab partner married his sister.
I can also be connected to a jazz pianist, Earl Hines, that was very popular as far back as the late 1920’s. (On the show Two and a Half Men they had a poster of him on the wall for several years.) I met him in person once in the 70’s. And one of my more odd connections is Fidel Castro because in the 60’s my mom spoke to his brother on the phone. It’s too bad they didn’t really hit it off. Oh and there’s my brother who worked TSA in Vegas for twenty years, so that puts a lot of famous folks only two connections from me. He’s a talker, so he’s had conversations with so many people. Once me, Michael Vick, George Thorogood, and most of the nations media were all in a hotel lobby at once. That was an interesting day.
Don’t even get me started on the music industry! I could go on all day, but what fun is that? I already know that I had a ten minute conversation about fireflies with the guy that sang 867-5309. I’ve also done a bunch of interviews for this blog that has expanded my web infinitely. So what’s your best six degrees of separation story? Put it in the comments and maybe we can pull them all together for a fun blog full of quirky stories. Chances are that we already be connected to each other! It would be fun to find out!
