Saddled with tyranny

[baxil]

 
Alright, so: this OKCupid profile got linked on Twitter. The greatest highlight is that the "proud conservative American and brony" who "work(s) very hard to enmesh the philosophy of Ayn Rand within the framework of tolerance and love espoused by Pink Pie and friends" is "trying to finish the first draft of (his) e-book entitled Serfdom in

Comments

[elynne]

can't... stop... giggling...

[xviith_et_seq]

The title is the best part.

[bossgoji]

"Is a colt not entitled to the sweat of his brow? No, says the alicorn from Canterlot; it belongs to the state. No, says the alicorn from the moon; it belongs to me. No, says the alicorn in pink; it belongs to everyone. But I chose to reject them. I chose something different. I chose... Appleloosa!"

[baxil]

... Upvote? Where's the upvotes? Why can't I give you all of my upvotes ever? AAH IT'S LIKE WEB 3.1 BY NOW WHY DOESN'T LIVEJOURNAL HAVE AN UPVOTE BUTTON

*ehem*

So, er, instead I'll just have to spout the praises of the most consistent Objectivist on the show: Discord.

He, um, (tries to keep a straight face) rejected institutionalized violence and bureaucracy in all its forms, and was the absolute pinnacle of enlightened self-interest. His reign brought great benefits to Equestria, such as chocolate rain, not through benevolence but through simply transforming the world into one which was more bountiful and productive.

Also note that Great Objectivist Villain™ Luna was the driving factor behind shutting down his reign the first time, when she convinced her sister to wield the Elements of Harmony against him.

[bossgoji]

Actually, no. The true Objectivist Hero is Chrysalis. By exerting her personal will over the unwashed masses, she was leading them to a better world, a better world only their small minds would oppose. Is it not the nature of the great to rise to power over their inferiors?

[baxil]

I don't know, arguably Chrysalis failed in her ideals because she had to resort to the violence of the state in her effort to eradicate the state. That she was better in wielding it doesn't make her morally superior.

But Trixie? Pulled down by the weak and small-minded after she demonstrated her inherent superiority. Her entertainment was a valuable service for the ponies of Equestria, boosting morale, and in fair exchange for a fair wage. She's a capitalist icon, and the jealous masses couldn't abide that.

Troll Account?

[ext_1377607]

That profile doesn't look like a real account. There are too many blatant discrepancies. Notably, Ayn Rand was both a militant atheist and an opponent of disability programs, and I doubt someone with great familiarity with the show would call Pinkie 'Pink Pie'. Meanwhile, pretty much everything that isn't self-contradictory is one or another loud negative stereotype.

This looks like someone playing a mean-spirited joke by combining several straw men together. It looks like the sort of person who can't handle the idea that people they disagree with are capable of intelligence, so they work way too hard to present a picture of cognitive dissonance.

Re: Troll Account?

[baxil]

I'd love to think that that sort of hypocrisy is a sign of insincerity, but America's joke of a modern conservative movement makes that an untenable assumption.

(I realize that this tilts me dangerously close to "the sort of person who can't handle the idea that people they disagree with are capable of intelligence", but seriously, movement conservatism of the sort idolized -- though not represented -- by our case study has been marching for a decade or more in anti-intellectual lockstep into a dangerous, dysfunctional wasteland. For instance, only 1 in 4 Republican voters thinks that Obama was born in the US despite all official documentation to the contrary. Simply by the law of averages, a lot of IQ 100+ people believe that, which is testament not to their idiocy but the virulence and danger of the memetic turf they're in.)

If I had to lay down money, I'd bet on sincere, but I'll grant that this is a textbook case of Poe's Law (and/or Corollary).

Re: Troll Account?

[circuit_four]

Man, speaking as an experienced student of "psychoceramics"... I could flip a coin on this one, I really could. I sympathize with Deskairn's points, but I think I'm with you on this one -- all you have to do is read a few pages of Snopes to confirm that, yes, there really are lots of people in this society -- liberal, conservative, and What I Don't Even -- whose worldviews are THAT disordered. D: D: D:

Re: Troll Account?

[circuit_four]

Also, HI! Miss ya. Best to Luna. <3