this post was submitted on 28 Feb 2024
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Political Memes

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[–] chuckleslord@lemmy.world 41 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I'm neurodivergent and fell for this shit hard. It's actually pretty embarrassing to look back on. Luckily, I got better

[–] sebinspace@lemmy.world 17 points 1 year ago

This is good. Many people fall into this trap and never realize they’re trapped; they’re convinced it’s everyone else that’s trapped

[–] not_again@lemmy.world 30 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I've read several books in the Objectivists library, including Atlas shrugged, the fountainhead, and the virtue of selfishness.

For a certain kind of person, I do think they have value in showing a different ethical/moral framework. To wit, if you have been raised on the principal that you must always sacrifice your own happiness for others, then Onjectivist philosophy is quite novel and can actually be helpful in moving towards a more self-actualized thought mode.

For most others, however, it can turn you into a raging a-hole.

In terms of how tenable the overall principles are in practice, just remember that Rand herself went on social security.

[–] Potatos_are_not_friends@lemmy.world 9 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I really like this take.

I think about those who like American Psycho or Breaking Bad, and even see themselves as those characters, unaware that those characters were assholes and emulating them makes you a bad person.

Where others see how f'd up the system is and these two are pushing the limits of what's acceptable.

[–] Tenthrow@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago (3 children)

I mean, are there people who see themselves as Patrick Bateman? Walter white is a bit of a stretch too, but Bateman.

[–] dangblingus@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Not really people who see themselves as those characters (except the terminally delusional) but people who just idolize those characters because they appear cool or witty or have agency, despite being terrible humans.

[–] JasonDJ@lemmy.zip 3 points 1 year ago

I wouldn’t say I respected Walter as a protagonist…he’s quite clearly an anti-hero.

But I will say that I hated Skyler the first time around. Second time, though, it was like she’s the only rational person in the whole show. Especially towards the end.

Welcome to the fabulous world of the edgelords!

[–] Drivebyhaiku@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

Yyyyyup. He's kind of got it all. The outsized toxic masculinity, the focus on self improvement, a self centric sense of superiority, money and the power to commit cathartic violence. There are people who look at that toonish parody of a miserable violent financial bro and instead of seeing horror they see a life goal.

Some people are held at bay from becoming a Bateman not by empathy but by potential curtailment of freedoms if they get caught.

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[–] teft@lemmy.world 27 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I commend you for posting this meme in the correct order. A lot of times I see this posted with the frames reversed so it looks like taking off the glasses is what lets you see the craziness.

[–] littlebluespark@lemmy.world 20 points 1 year ago

"A lot of times" this is posted by children that have never seen They Live and don't know what it is to be all outta bubblegum.

[–] Eldritch@lemmy.world 21 points 1 year ago (2 children)

There's only one thing American libertarians hate more than poor people. And it's actual libertarians.

My favorite part was Ayn Rand's last years of her life was getting government handouts.

[–] DragonTypeWyvern@literature.cafe 7 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

"No true Scotsman, REEEE!" motherfuckers when I deny the legitimacy of Scotland itself 😎

[–] lennybird@lemmy.world 18 points 1 year ago

Ugh.. Embarrassing memories of having read Atlas Shrugged when I was 17 and thinking it was deep...

Francisco D'Anconia was kind of inspiring with his, "I can do that," attitude but the strawman caricature of bad guv'mint was comical.

[–] Nougat@kbin.social 15 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I read The Fountainhead instead, and it was interesting enough to keep me reading. "Okay, there's a lot of setup of characters and circumstances going on, I am curious to know how this plays out," and then it just ... doesn't. It was all a lead-up to a long, weakly written, and plainly stupid monologue about how completely ruthless all people should be at all times, only ever thinking in the shortest term about themselves.

I closed that book wondering why Ayn Rand was famous for anything beyond being a shitbag, when I was young enough to be kind of a shitbag myself.

[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 7 points 1 year ago

But there is the rape scene which Rand thought to paint in a positive light to read about.

[–] sxan@midwest.social 14 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (4 children)

There's a tech recruiting company called "John Galt Staffing." I don't know if they're run by Libertarians or it's just an unfortunate name conflict, but whenever they contact me, I respond with an email saying that I won't do business with them.

If I had that name, I'd change it. "I just don't know why little Adolf is having trouble with his classmates."

Edit Fixed the spelling of the company name.

[–] SlopppyEngineer@lemmy.world 8 points 1 year ago

It's like the companies calling themselves Skynet.

[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 8 points 1 year ago (1 children)

If it's 'Gault,' it's probably coincidental. If it's Galt, almost certainly Randroids.

[–] sxan@midwest.social 6 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

It's "Galt" (and LinkedIn). Reviews on GlassDoor remind me of BioShock.

[–] VindictiveJudge@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

I have a relative who was named Adolph (with that spelling) immediately before the rise of Hitler. I think he kept it on the, "Why should I change my name? He's the one who sucks," logic, but I'm not sure.

[–] gedaliyah@lemmy.world 9 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Wtf is going on with his hand? Is this an AI image or something?

[–] lennybird@lemmy.world 14 points 1 year ago (2 children)

To be fair it's a universal truth that artists hate drawing hands lol

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[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

If you mean "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, it's all muscle.

[–] lugal@lemmy.world 8 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Ayn Rand was the villain all along?

Ayn Rand was the villain of her own novels, ho died on welfare.

[–] Colonel_Panic_@lemm.ee 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

The real villains were the friends we made along the way.

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[–] RizzRustbolt@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago

"How to commit to the bit" by Ayn Rand.

[–] PugJesus@kbin.social 4 points 1 year ago

"Everyone on this train deserves to die"

[–] beebarfbadger@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

"Why being a selfish prick is ACTSHUALLY GOOD so stop treating me like the asshole that I am acting like"

I feel dumb because I read this book only because of BioShock, and a and was like, "pretty neat." I didn't really think too much about it after that. So I love when I read about people's critiques of it!

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