Quite right. I don’t give a shit what he does for a living, or if he’s a good father, or how much money he makes, or whether he’s happy with his life; he’s an ass.
[SUB]I got better![/SUB]
Thanks! It’s official, folks!
What do you do? Accountant that does transfer pricing?
Also, anyone feel like getting a Chidope together? It would be fun to have a beer with some of you.
Ever notice that none of Rand’s characters have pets?
None of them ever go to the bathroom either. Also, no one on TV ever watches TV. Ever. Weird.
You believe, and correct me if I’m wrong, that we basically choose our station in life. If you’re poor, it is because you’ve made bad decisions. If you’re rich, it is because you’ve made good ones. And yet, you are not rich. Or at least not as rich as you could be given your other preferences. You’re somewhere in the middle, working in a job not known for its quality of life. The contrast seems to raise some natural questions, no?
For me, the explanation of your lot is easy. We don’t actually control all aspects of our lives. Individual choice is important, but not everything. There are elements of luck, accidents of birth, and various factors outside our control that can make it so that corporate tax lawyer is our best available option. But that explanation is unavailable to you, because you don’t think outside factors play a role in a person’s life. So I’m curious to hear what explanation you give yourself. From our discussion so far, it seems that you’ve invented some self-justification about risk aversion. When you reflect on that, does it really ring true to you?
Yeesh, what dreck. Some of you guys just love sleuthing around for something that could be somehow twisted into an inconsistency to throw in my face like so much bad high school debate.
I do not think that outside factors etc. do not have an impact on people’s lives. I just think choices play a larger role. If someone is unemployed for a week then I’m not going to get on their case. If someone is unemployed for 10 years and complains about not being able to find a job, then I’m going to suspect they have made choices that led them to where they are.
I already acknowledged that I perhaps could be richer if I had made different choices. So, if you think this is an inconsistency in my personal philosophy, then you’ve won. Game over.
No offense, but I’d rather discuss it with someone who understands the material and can remember things that happened yesterday.
I don’t even recall a mention of a dog or anything in Dagney’s childhood. For that matter, were there livestock animals in the valley? I remember a tobacco patch being mentioned.
I’m not trying to sleuth around about anything. I just think your response to Quartz makes you the mookiest “attorney” I’ve ever had the misfortune to come across. This is a pretty big accomplishment in a profession glutted with mooks and dweebs. I mean, seriously, mssmith managed to give the guy helpful advice sans hugz. Our resident incarnation of Bender managed to coin a more appropriate response than you did, for crying out loud. And then you managed to follow up crowing about how you were a lawyer…no, wait, a tax lawyer. Your lack of self-awareness is kind of…astonishing? I very rarely comment in the pit but I consider you to be an embarrassment to the profession.
I am seriously waiting for you to start [strike]boring[/strike] regaling your fellow attorneys with stories of how you went to a Tier 1/Top 14. That’s usually the next step for dweeby lawyers.
And honestly, if you are such a genius, why didn’t you go work for private equity or investment banking or a hedge fund? You know that you don’t need to be entrepreunerial for that, right? You’re also aware they consider attorneys to be high-end support staff, right? And that you don’t need an MBA? That you can cross over with a law degree provided your quantitative skills are strong enough and you’re not socially dysfunctional?
Excuse me while I sit here and weep softly to myself because an ass on the internet thinks I don’t understand Ayn Rand. Stick a couple of these :rolleyes::rolleyes: where the train comes out.
God, you and Ekers have such a hard-on for me it’s ridiculous. I’m already married and I don’t like guys.
Well, hell, its not like its complex philosophy, or anything. A three year old understands it perfectly when a playmate reaches for his toy firetruck, he snatches it away, clutches it to his chest and screams “Mine!” Not exactly deep.
Just stop telling everyone you’re a lawyer and we’ll quit. You’re damaging our brand and that’s saying a lot 
Nah, I know Friends at least had a couple of episodes where they watched some TV. Possibly Cheers as well.
You make it sound as if this thread weren’t started in response to comments you made. No one asked your opinion. You offered it in the most assholish way. And now you’re being questioned about it. If you’d prefer people not question you about your personal philosophy, stop fucking posting about it in every thread about the economy. When you constantly deride people seeking a little sympathy, you need to be prepared to be questioned about the basis for your derision. You might even need to be prepared to demonstrate some personal consistency. Imagine that.
Since you apparently now concede that one doesn’t control every bad thing that happens, maybe you’ll stop thread shitting every time someone seeks a little sympathy.
What were the properties of Rearden Metal again? Lighter than steel, stronger that steel, really hig melting point and high copper content?
If Atlas Shrugged ever get film-adapted, I think they should update it so it’s Rearden Nanotube or something. And instead of communism destroying individual freedom, make it religious fervor (no real difference, as far as I can tell). Heck, Rand wasn’t just opposed to communism, there’s a nice passage in Fountainhead where she points out that communism and fascism are effectively identical. Toohey’s speech is way better than Galt’s.
Not true. Gale Wynand had a cat. In fact Rand herself had cats . . . and peacocks.
Yes, that’s right, thank you.
Incidentally, some characters did go to the bathroom, or at least there was a scene where Jim Taggart and Betty Pope fght for the bathroom mirror after a night of indifferent (i.e. nonobjectivist) sex.
But you offered no help. Dissing someone for something that was chosen in the past offers absolutely nothing productive with regard to the current situation. A big brain like you should understand that basic point. So you come in here all smug to rub a person’s nose in the shit that is the economy (not his life choices) rather than offering helpful suggestions.