A thread for stupid things to say which sound really smart

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ScrotieMcB wrote:

Well, I'm pretty sure Andrew Ryan was like Anakin Skywalker to many of Rapture's citizens as well. I do think the first BioShock would have been an even more interesting story is they had painted "early Ryan" in a more heroic light, serving both as homage to the real-life inspiration and to make his descent all the more tragic.

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ScrotieMcB wrote:

Edit: I have mixed feelings on the whole "selfishness" thing. I do think there was a huge linguistic problem with the use of the word "self" in such a derogatory term as "selfish," doubled by the abasement of self in the term "selfless." While Rand was trying to single-handedly rewrite the dictionary, psychologist Nathaniel Brandon (that name again!) took the path of less resistance and coined the term "self-esteem" which we now see fucking everywhere and has, for the most part, solved the problem. I kind of admire Rand's tenacity in her fight to glorify the self, but ultimately Brandon's solution makes hers look like immature petulance.

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Aim_Deep wrote:

Obama says it all the time "right (or wrong) side of history" empty meaningless prattle. History has no sides. History flows onwards. Sometimes pretty sometimes very ugly.

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If you must read Ayn Rand, start with Anthem. It's awful, but it's wicked short and it'll give you an idea about what Rand's like. (She is awful.) Move on (if you still must) to The Fountainhead, which is her least bad book, and just look this up on Wikipedia. It's way too long. There's a famous 70-page speech by John Galt near the end that's famous because literally no one has ever read it. You know who writes 70-page political screeds? The Unabomber and Ayn Rand and that's it.

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Ayn Rand

When he saw Bill Belichick in the hallway before the press conference, Tom Coughlin’s face contorted into a whine. “It isn’t fair!” he shrieked. “You have all the best players!” he whimpered. “What happened to helping your fellow man?!” he mewled. “You … all you care about is winning!” he sniveled.

The muscular coach set his prominent jaw, and his hard, handsome eyes glistened. “Why, Tom,” he asked with a smile, “isn’t winning what the NFL is all about?”

Coughlin’s face turned bright red as he flapped his effeminate hands in hysterical gestures. By this time, a large crowd of reporters had gathered. “But, but … your players are the best in the league! Your offense is unstoppable! How am I supposed to go on the field with my weak players or my simple, predictable playcalling?? We’ll be destroyed! I tell you it isn’t fair! We deserve to be helped! This is social treason!”

Belichick squared his broad shoulders as he stared Coughlin in the eye. The smaller man cowed and threw his hands to his face in a pathetic flail. “Tom,” said Belichick, “I bet nobody has been honest with you in your entire life, so let me be the first. I was taught in the ways of strength. Yes, my men will win today. But it’s because we’ve had the courage to act on our judgment, and the fortitude to trust our decisions. Long ago, we were faced with a choice—the same choice you faced. We chose conviction. You chose impotence. And now, today, you ask me not only to cut my wrists and bleed on your behalf … oh no. You would also have me fund, design, and build the knife. You accuse me of social treason, and yet you beg me to betray myself.” The beautiful man laughed a throaty, attractive laugh. “You are a coward, Tom, and a coward in this world deserves nothing.”

With a great cheer, the reporters stood in unison and applauded.

Prediction: Patriots 326, Giants 27