Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Best Description Ever!

Gavin M. at Sadly,No! on Instaputz Glenn Reynolds:

which is as a shifty and vain provincial lawyer orbited by a growingly despised resource of fools, one indeed that seems to be purifying through self-attrition into an n-dimensional hyperturd of elemental Duh.

My cap is doffed. Well done, sir! I say, well done.

Update: In the same thread, one of the best comments I have seen in a while:

James K. Polk, Esq. said,

March 25, 2009 at 5:25

There are two novels that can change a bookish fourteen-year old’s life: The Lord of the Rings and Atlas Shrugged. 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.

The other, of course, involves orcs.

10 comments:

  1. My father is a big Ayn Rand fan, and considers himself a libertarian, even though nowadays he just seems like he wants to opt out of politics of any kind. A few years back, I mentioned to him that I was reading "The Fountainhead". He then started talking about Rand's other books, with obvious enthusiasm. He described John Galt's rebellious withdrawal from compromised, needy society, and how it ends with cities burning or whatever happens, I forget.

    One thing he focussed on, and seemed to find amusing, was the sex. He said that, in Rand's books, the sex was really, really great, but if you read the sex scenes closely, it was not exactly clear what precisely was happening to whom and how they got there. They sounded wonderful, but somehow idealized- not earthbound. He ended up chuckling and shrugging.

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  2. Thanks for that link! Those were some excellent comments.

    I confess I've never read Rand myself. One day, when I was perhaps 14, I was perusing my mom's bookshelves for something to read. I saw her copy of Atlas Shrugs, and asked her if it was any good. (I was a big fan of Greek mythology and was intrigued by the title.) Without looking up from her crossword, she replied, "Nah. Just a mean lady writing about how good it is to be selfish." I think I read Rebecca instead.

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  3. Candy, is Rebecca a Bible book? I always feel like I should have read more of the Bible, like it's a hole in my education.

    The odd thing to me about Ayn Rand is that I can see the point of her basic idea, which is to re-evaluate selfishness. The problem is, she does this in such a completely adolescent, mean way that she ends up with the bizzarre conclusion that selfishness is better than altruism, and altruism is some kind of disease to be eradicated. When, it seems to me that the reality is, altruism and selfishness are like two spouses who ought to reconcile and act together. Or, they are like two roles played by the same actor as part of an overall performance.

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  4. I like your new portrait picture, by the way. Who is she? Who painted that? I like that the girl looks a bit like a jester.

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  5. is Rebecca a Bible book?

    I think it is, but in this case I'm referring to Daphne Du Maurier's delightful gothic romance, made into a wonderful movie starring Olivia DeHaviland and Laurence Olivier.

    I should ask the wonderful feminist, activist, New York born and bred Jewish attorney at my work about the bible's Rebecca. Ms. Frank teaches a class on women in the old testament, giving a feminist slant to it. I think last week they were looking at Jezebel.

    As to the painting, I was looking at art online and found this, and really liked it. It's called "Pinkie" and was painted in 1794 by Thomas Lawrence. I'm glad you like it!

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  6. And you're right, she does look a bit like a jester. I hadn't realized that.

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  7. Oh, this is sad. I did a bit more digging about Pinkie and discovered this on Wiki:

    Sarah Goodin Barrett Moulton was born in 1783 in Jamaica.[2][4] She was the daughter of Charles Barrett Moulton, a wealthy plantation owner. Lawrence's portrait was a commission by her grandmother at the time Sarah left Jamaica with her brothers to complete her education in England. The portrait's title and obvious visual puns refer to Sarah's family nickname, "Pinkie". She died the year after the portrait was completed, probably of tuberculosis.[4][5

    She was only 11 when painted. How sad.

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  8. I'm referring to Daphne Du Maurier's delightful gothic romance, made into a wonderful movie starring Olivia DeHaviland and Laurence Olivier.

    Ahh, makes sense. However, it might be a good idea to check out your freind too. Examination of books in the Bible can certainly be interesting... lots of history in that tome.

    That is sad about Pinkie, though.

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  9. Feminist analysis of women in the Old Testament is fascinating. I'd refer you to some books I've read on the topic, but that would require some serious Googling, and I have to make a living.

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