Eloelable
collection of enticements from TheAtlasphere.com, a
libertarian Ann Rand fansite. They're all posted by men, needless (if you know anything about this "movement") to say.
dpvabc, Edmonton, Canada
My name is Daniel. I consider myself to be a born-again egoist and I have dedicated the rest of my life to self-improvement. People see me as a socially inept loner because I tend to avoid superficial conversation but actually I love talking to people who like to think (the problem being I don't know very many).
Zak, Long Island, New York
I am rational, integrated, and efficacious. So far, I’ve never met a person who lives up to the standard I hold for myself (except online).
I take my relationships seriously. I am simply not attracted to many of the women in this world. I do not "hook-up" with girls. I only kiss those who deserve, and so far I have only encountered one who did. I would love to find someone I can learn something from; someone who challenges me to think; someone I can feel like I've won, rather than lowered myself to.
Lewis, London, U.K.
I love intelligent, sassy girls, particularly those working in consulting or investment banking (but other fields are great too). Really, nothing is hotter than an accomplished girl in a suit, as long as she is willing to settle down and have my children. I want a girl who will support my ambitions against the naysayers in society.
I'll forgo a whole
objectivist rant today, and simply submit the men who wrote these personal ads as perfect case studies in 1) why it's a bad idea to derive a self-flattering, hermetically-sealed, reality-ignoring ideology from two of the worst novels ever written in the English language, and 2) when this is the type of person who's going to be drawn to it.
I used to be perplexed by the continuing prevalence (or even growing popularity) of various cults on this earth. Organized monotheisms, Scientology, Objectivism, etc. Couldn't/wouldn't people eventually see how silly their supernatural foundational myths and assumptions about human nature were, and how nonfunctional they were if practiced as written? Eventually, I realized that wasn't the way to evaluate a belief system. People don't choose or adhere to their religions or philosophies based on any logical, reasonable, rational, pros-and-cons system (especially not when the system itself pretends to do so, as is the case with the one these personal ad fellows ostensibly adhere to). People develop their personal beliefs as a reaction to the world around them, as seen when viewed through the lens of their own psychology. I won't say that no two people see the world the same way, but everyone interprets what they experience through their own mental filters, and two people can (and usually will) arrive at very different conclusions based on the same stimuli. Especially when the issue at hand is emotional or psychological. (The proper application of science and math can somewhat cut through this human coloring, but that assumes agreement can be reached on the input data.)
In that light, it's no surprise that people embrace belief systems that promise a happy immortality, or punishment of dissidents, or a destiny guided by fate (whether from the stars or Heavens), or what have you. Whatever a person needs, there's a religion or cult designed to welcome them in. Of course a belief system that tells people (most of them white, middle-class, and male) who are cut off (often intentionally) from family support and social activities that they are smarter and stronger than the lowly milling herds, rather than that they're a self-absorbed, anti-social loser, is growing in popularity. (Which isn't to say that such people necessarily
are losers, just that that's been the label traditionally applied, which is why this is more of a rebranding than any larger change.)
There have always been plenty of people (predominately young men from and of the suburbs whose disaffected ennui allows them no appreciation of how truly blessed by privilege their lives are) who went through a phase that inclined them in that direction, but reality, or a girlfriend, usually snapped them out of it. Nowadays, thanks to the succor provided by the Internet, that's no longer the case. Thanks to the succor and guidance provided by the Internet, it's now quite possible to live an utterly mediocre life, while simultaneously maintaining a sneering contempt for the milling herd that is the rest of humanity.
Belief systems that encourage non-supernatural solipsism should remain a growth industry for the foreseeable future, especially with the worldwide financial distress providing additional incentive to scapegoat others for one's own perceived emotional and/or financial hardships.
Labels: libertarianism, philosophy, psychology
