5 ms·

> Ayn Rand anarchy of bullies Ayn Rand has absolutely nothing to do with this, and you shouldn't use her name as a form of generic insult. That is just stupid.

by javert 12y ago

> Ayn Rand anarchy of bullies Ayn Rand has absolutely nothing to do with this, and you shouldn't use her name as a form of generic insult. That is just stupid. Also, Ayn Rand wrote at length against anarchy, so your insult doesn't even make sense. She also wrote at length against the arbitrary use of force, which is what bullies use.

LyndsySimon 12y ago
As an Anarcho-Capitalist who formerly considered himself an Objectivist, I agree. Rand's Objectivism pretty much says that government is a necessary evil, then goes out of its way to try to put together a system that is minimally invasive. Rand herself hated self-described libertarians and anarchists.
- javert 12y ago
  True. But let's not get off topic. The point is: it's trashy to use someone's name as a generic insult on HN.
  - byonic 12y ago
    It's trashy to use someone's name as a generic insult anywhere.
tokenadult 12y ago
You seem to be unaware that Jimbo Wales was an avowed Rand disciple when he set up Wikipedia. Her views of how societies should be organized were very much the model for how Wikipedia initially was organized.[1] (For once, a link to Wikipedia is probably the best I could do for sourcing this statement.) Mr. Wales may not have exactly the same point of view today as he had then, and FOR SURE he is quite interested in deepening ties between the Wikipedia editing community and actual expert scholars to further improve the encyclopedia's content quality, but as an editor in the trenches that is the editorial culture I encounter as I try to improve the encyclopedia. Wikipedia's editing culture is not a professional editing culture--I've been a professional editor, and I can tell the difference. It may be that Wikipedia's internal organization will have to change for the Wikimedia Foundation to meet its goals for article content quality. Other commentary on the writings of Ayn Rand, who definitely has some of the most dedicated fans I have ever met, can be found in a famous blog post by John Rogers.[2] I invite all the participants here to read it and see what you think. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_Wales#Political_and_economic_views https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_Wales#Political_and_econ... [2] http://kfmonkey.blogspot.com/2009/03/ephemera-2009-7.html http://kfmonkey.blogspot.com/2009/03/ephemera-2009-7.html
- javert 12y ago
  I was aware that Wales is a fan of Ayn Rand. I don't see any connection between that and the organization of Wikipeida. (And again, Rand was not an anarchist.) As for your other link, let's be clear: you are simply name-calling. The slander you are referring to (quoted below) does not describe me. Nor does it describe a great many other Objectivists. I know you have way more karma than me, but please keep this trashy behavior off of HN. None of this has anything to do with the subject at hand. > One is a childish fantasy that often engenders a lifelong obsession with its unbelievable heroes, leading to an emotionally stunted, socially crippled adulthood, unable to deal with the real world.
  - melloclello 12y ago
    > please keep this trashy behavior off of HN You might get more mileage by keeping trashy derails off of HN, instead. OP had some interesting things to say, who cares about the Ayn Rand thing.

by javert 12y ago

LyndsySimon 12y ago

As an Anarcho-Capitalist who formerly considered himself an Objectivist, I agree. Rand's Objectivism pretty much says that government is a necessary evil, then goes out of its way to try to put together a system that is minimally invasive. Rand herself hated self-described libertarians and anarchists.

javert 12y ago
True. But let's not get off topic. The point is: it's trashy to use someone's name as a generic insult on HN.
- byonic 12y ago
  It's trashy to use someone's name as a generic insult anywhere.

tokenadult 12y ago

You seem to be unaware that Jimbo Wales was an avowed Rand disciple when he set up Wikipedia. Her views of how societies should be organized were very much the model for how Wikipedia initially was organized.[1] (For once, a link to Wikipedia is probably the best I could do for sourcing this statement.) Mr. Wales may not have exactly the same point of view today as he had then, and FOR SURE he is quite interested in deepening ties between the Wikipedia editing community and actual expert scholars to further improve the encyclopedia's content quality, but as an editor in the trenches that is the editorial culture I encounter as I try to improve the encyclopedia. Wikipedia's editing culture is not a professional editing culture--I've been a professional editor, and I can tell the difference. It may be that Wikipedia's internal organization will have to change for the Wikimedia Foundation to meet its goals for article content quality. Other commentary on the writings of Ayn Rand, who definitely has some of the most dedicated fans I have ever met, can be found in a famous blog post by John Rogers.[2] I invite all the participants here to read it and see what you think. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_Wales#Political_and_economic_views https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_Wales#Political_and_econ... [2] http://kfmonkey.blogspot.com/2009/03/ephemera-2009-7.html http://kfmonkey.blogspot.com/2009/03/ephemera-2009-7.html

javert 12y ago
I was aware that Wales is a fan of Ayn Rand. I don't see any connection between that and the organization of Wikipeida. (And again, Rand was not an anarchist.) As for your other link, let's be clear: you are simply name-calling. The slander you are referring to (quoted below) does not describe me. Nor does it describe a great many other Objectivists. I know you have way more karma than me, but please keep this trashy behavior off of HN. None of this has anything to do with the subject at hand. > One is a childish fantasy that often engenders a lifelong obsession with its unbelievable heroes, leading to an emotionally stunted, socially crippled adulthood, unable to deal with the real world.
- melloclello 12y ago
  > please keep this trashy behavior off of HN You might get more mileage by keeping trashy derails off of HN, instead. OP had some interesting things to say, who cares about the Ayn Rand thing.