Pitting Amateur Barbarian

[Kimballkid]

Heat must be getting to you.

[erysichthon]

@RobDog

Agreed. I don’t understand why he linked to it at all. Why didn’t he make the arguments in a normal post? It’s not like he’d have to worry about copyright or plagiarism issues.

What fun is that? It’s much cooler if you bolster your arguments by citing something formatted to look like an academic paper! Unfortunately, it’s somewhat less convincing when people notice that it’s a self-published paper parked on the website of your own vanity press.

What’s really hilarious is the clumsy verbal sleight-of-hand he employs; he actually says, “This paper makes…” as if it’s the paper making the arguments, not him. He can cite himself and have some deniability if he gets caught! This is tantamount to setting up a sock puppet account and saying “I never said that other username wasn’t me.”

AB has made it abundantly clear that he considers himself the world’s preeminent Heinlein expert, so it’s a bit disingenuous for him to insist that he wasn’t making an argument from authority. After all, this is the guy who whines and complains that the Wikipedia editors won’t bow down to him.

[Fotheringay-Phipps]

ISTM that the paper was much longer than you could reasonably post.

@erysichthon

AB has made it abundantly clear that he considers himself the world’s preeminent Heinlein expert, so it’s a bit disingenuous for him to insist that he wasn’t making an argument from authority.

I don’t see how this follows. The whole issue is that he didn’t identify the author of the linked paper as himself - “the world’s preeminent Heinlein expert” - it was just a paper from a guy whose name presumably meant nothing to anyone.

[Guinastasia]

Well, all I can say is that Amateur Barbarian has killed off any interest I might have had in reading Heinlein.

[wonky]

@Guinastasia

Well, all I can say is that Amateur Barbarian has killed off any interest I might have had in reading Heinlein.

You aren’t missing anything.

[dropzone]

Yeah! The early stuff was better than average, but the later stuff was libertarian, even objectivist, hogwash. Completely unreadable.

[Sarahfeena]

@VinylTurnip

“Moreover, I confess I am, for better or worse, an online ‘personality’, as they say, of some renown,” he informed the stranger, visibly inching away on her seat. “I won’t go into details, but suffice to say that on a certain message board whose stated objective is to fight ignorance,” here he chortled, "quixotic as that goal may be—I, and a small cadre of my intellectual disciples, apply our formidable talents toward that end. A thankless job, as you may no doubt imagine, but not without its rewards.

“In fact,” he told the back of her head, “I am, as we speak, being fêted in a sort of text-based ‘roast’, one might say. If you are unfamiliar with the term, outside of its culinary sense, of course,” he paused, waiting for a laugh, “it’s a tradition in which a noted public figure or celebrity— or in this case, both— is subjected to several rounds of good-natured needling and related hijinks by a group of his peers and admirers. On its face it may seem like criticism, even abuse, but it is among the highest of honors that a man may achieve, and I assure you,” he assured the now empty seat, “I know whence I speak, having achieved a respectable number of honors in my brief lifetime.”

Impressive.

[PlainJain]

@Guinastasia

Well, all I can say is that Amateur Barbarian has killed off any interest I might have had in reading Heinlein.

This is a pitting, don’t be thanking him.

[ElvisL1ves]

Heinlein deserves it much more, since he’s negatively affected far more lives. So yes, you can thank **AB **for not being even worse.

The number of people who think they are experts in political science from reading Heinlein, and economics from reading Ayn Rand, is frightening, although most of them grow out of it by their junior year - of high school. The few who continue to think either are worth serious consideration are simply pathetic - and that is enough reason to Pit any of them.

[CinnamonBabka]

AB doesn’t believe in Economics.

[lieu]

@jsgoddess

You aren’t missing anything.

Can I quote you on that?

[wonky]

@lieu

Can I quote you on that?

Sure. But don’t just take my word for it. Here is a cogent argument in support of my argument!

[AncientHumanoid]

@CinnamonBabka

AB doesn’t believe in Economics.

McCoy: “That’s okay. I don’t believe in you, either.”

[AncientHumanoid]

@jsgoddess

Sure. But don’t just take my word for it. Here is a cogent argument in support of my argument!

Did you write that? :dubious:

[Claverhouse]

@VinylTurnip

“Moreover, I confess I am, for better or worse, an online ‘personality’, as they say, of some renown,” he informed the stranger, visibly inching away on her seat. “I won’t go into details, but suffice to say that on a certain message board whose stated objective is to fight ignorance,” here he chortled, "quixotic as that goal may be—I, and a small cadre of my intellectual disciples, apply our formidable talents toward that end. A thankless job, as you may no doubt imagine, but not without its rewards.

“In fact,” he told the back of her head, “I am, as we speak, being fêted in a sort of text-based ‘roast’, one might say. If you are unfamiliar with the term, outside of its culinary sense, of course,” he paused, waiting for a laugh, “it’s a tradition in which a noted public figure or celebrity— or in this case, both— is subjected to several rounds of good-natured needling and related hijinks by a group of his peers and admirers. On its face it may seem like criticism, even abuse, but it is among the highest of honors that a man may achieve, and I assure you,” he assured the now empty seat, “I know whence I speak, having achieved a respectable number of honors in my brief lifetime.”

If I close my eyes I could recall the Incomparable Max across the table.

( Had he not died before I was born, of course… )

[kayaker]

@AncientHumanoid

Did you write that? :dubious:

I believe that is her blog. Your dubious should probably be retracted.
ETA: OMG. I was whooooooooooooooshed?

[lieu]

@jsgoddess

Sure. But don’t just take my word for it.

Actually, I had no problem whatsoever taking your word for it.

[ElvisL1ves]

@Fotheringay-Phipps

ISTM that the paper was much longer than you could reasonably post.I don’t see how this follows. The whole issue is that he didn’t identify the author of the linked paper as himself

“My cite is my post!”

[Drunky_Smurf]

@Crotalus

Thus confirming that you are a drooling moron.

@Fotheringay-Phipps

That’ll probably get you a bit more popular with the cool kids. Good luck …

swoons at Crotalus

[Really_Not_All_That_Bright]

@CinnamonBabka

AB doesn’t believe in Economics.

That’s not quite what he said. He said (largely correctly) that modern economic theory only makes sense if you plan for more or less permanent growth.