Ayn Rand Takedowns
I know, I know. Its like shooting fish in a barrel. But the Gods of Humor demand it! Hitchens on a roll Scalzi on Atlas Shrugged ( " Objectivism: the spongy white bread at the Great Buffet of Human Ideas" ) That said, it’s a totally ridiculous book which can be summed up as Sociopathic idealized nerds collapse society because they don’t get enough hugs. (This is, incidentally, where you can start your popcorn munching.) Indeed, the enduring popularity of Atlas Shrugged lies in the fact that it is nerd revenge porn — if you’re an nerd of an engineering-ish stripe who remembers all too well being slammed into your locker by a bunch of football dickheads, then the idea that people like you could make all those dickheads suffer by “going Galt” has a direct line to the pleasure centers of your brain. I’ll show you! the nerds imagine themselves crying. I’ll show you all! And then they disappear into a crevasse th...