Libertarian Troll Bingo
Sabotabby posted
this terrific graphic* at Punkassblog last year, yes. But it would seem
that no-one has given the rabid Randians a heads-up about their dire
need for some fresh, as-yet-undebunked talking points (and especially,
some talking points that don't immediately inspire howls of derisive
laughter among thinking people).
Thus, Libertarian Troll Bingo can be as much fun as it ever was. I mean, take the comments on Ezra's latest health care post--it's uncanny! I'm on my way to WIN, I tell you.
*Unless you're blessed with a Super Best Friend's laserscope eyesight, I'd recommend clicking the image to enlarge it.
Also at litbrit.
My personal motto is that "when it comes to Hayeks, I'll take Salma."
Posted by: Sir Charles | July 23, 2008 at 01:35 PM
Hilarious!
Posted by: Lisa Simeone | July 23, 2008 at 01:35 PM
HA HA! "Works in IT" is my favorite. This would explain the massive support Ron Paul enjoyed on the internet.
Agreed, Sir C, but when it comes to Selmas, I'll take Blair.
Posted by: Trevor J | July 23, 2008 at 01:38 PM
You guys got "Salma" and "Selma" going on here. CBNG.
Posted by: Lisa Simeone | July 23, 2008 at 01:43 PM
Lisa, they're guys talking about women, both of whom are pretty, petite brunettes. 'nuff said. ;-)
Posted by: litbrit | July 23, 2008 at 01:49 PM
Brilliant!
Posted by: Nicholas Beaudrot | July 23, 2008 at 01:49 PM
"Salma" with an "a" is the proper spelling for young Ms. Hayek -- I am not only aware of all internet traditions, I see to the important details.
Posted by: Sir Charles | July 23, 2008 at 01:51 PM
O Dio! My friends, I know you're talking about women. I know who Salma Hayek is and I know who Selma Blair is.
Posted by: Lisa Simeone | July 23, 2008 at 01:55 PM
Lisa, I meant, the guys are bound to confuse two pretty, petite, brunette women with similar-sounding names because they are guys and therefore don't get any further than pretty, petite, brunette, and woman.
Sheesh--I know you know who the actresses are. BTW, if you haven't seen Hayek in Frida, rush out and buy the DVD. You will want to see it over and over. Gorgeous film.
Posted by: litbrit | July 23, 2008 at 02:08 PM
Sorry, mon ami, my attempts at Bingo metaphor humor are clearly murky. In any case, BINGO!
Posted by: Lisa Simeone | July 23, 2008 at 02:15 PM
Gotta say, I resent the "Works in IT" slam. Didn't like it when Amanda Marcotte pulled it out (albeit in a different context) and don't like seeing it here. Maybe the particular realm of corporate IT that I work in is different, but I've seen little evidence that Wingers or Glibertarians are more prevalent in my line of work than any other. Just another lazy, unfair generalization.
Posted by: Toast | July 23, 2008 at 03:10 PM
Toast darling, the chart is not talking about you, nor is it slamming our dear Nicholas or any of our readers who work in IT (I know there are at least a few, because they've helped me in the past).
Also, I'd disagree with the chart's "white male" thing in the middle, since I know rather a lot of female libertarians--far more of them than male, in fact. They're all under the age of 30, though, with college educations paid for by wealthy fathers, and they've no husbands or families to worry about and no fears of losing their healthcare--yet--because they're in careers they believe to be magically recession-proof. Oy.
Yeah, yeah, I tell my young friends, We boomers all read Atlas Shrugged, too. Then we celebrated our seventeenth birthdays and moved on.
Posted by: litbrit | July 23, 2008 at 04:34 PM
Actually, the place where I have found the most glibertarians is in the financial services arena. These are people who are strangly well rewarded for not doing much and they confuse it with it being some measure of merit.
Posted by: Sir Charles | July 23, 2008 at 05:26 PM
"Yeah, yeah, I tell my young friends, We boomers all read Atlas Shrugged, too. Then we celebrated our seventeenth birthdays and moved on."
YES!
I'm dumbfounded that grown men and women can claim Rand's work is some kind of achievement. I mean, forget about the politics for a minute -- just on a literary level, her stuff is crap. It's embarrassing.
Posted by: Lisa Simeone | July 23, 2008 at 06:10 PM
Toast darling, the chart is not talking about you
Well, obviously, but this isn't me being knee-jerk defensive for egotistical reasons. I really think there's a misperception on the left that guys who work in IT are disproportionately libertarian neanderthals. And I'm just calling bullshit on it.
Posted by: Toast | July 23, 2008 at 06:12 PM
I confess I never heard that claim. Computers are now so pervasive, and therefore the people who work on them so numerous, I can't imagine anyone taking seriously any notion that said workers fall disproportionately on any part of the political spectrum.
Posted by: Lisa Simeone | July 23, 2008 at 06:16 PM
Toast,
No offense intended to you and Nick and our many computer literate friends. As I say, I tend to see this phenomenon far more among financial services types -- people of, shall we say, amorphous skills who nonetheless seem to fare very well in our society.
Posted by: Sir Charles | July 23, 2008 at 07:39 PM
I think there was a time when libertarians were disproportionately - though perhaps not overwhelmingly so - represented in IT, kind of like other engineering fields.
As far as Ayn Rand goes, I read Atlas Shrugged to impress a hot girl. It worked, so yay and stuff. And then I went to college and grew up a bit.
Posted by: Stephen | July 23, 2008 at 08:37 PM
Extremism (or even bad literary taste) in the purusuit of hot girls is no vice.
Posted by: Sir Charles | July 24, 2008 at 03:59 AM
That would be pursuit.
Posted by: Sir Charles | July 24, 2008 at 03:59 AM