We put the LOVE in r3VOLution!

October 21, 2009 1:16 PM

Ron Paul Singles

Welcome to Ron Paul Singles, the online dating community for freedom-loving individuals.We're here for single men and women who want to make a connection with those who share the values of liberty, honesty and limited constitutional government.

posted by empath (121 comments total)

I read "Ron Paul Shingles" and thought "Hmmm...yeah that's probably what it feels like to be him".
posted by Avenger at 1:18 PM on October 21, 2009 [3 favorites]

Total Male Members: 605
Total Female Members: 153
posted by Avenger at 1:19 PM on October 21, 2009 [34 favorites]

Google Ron Paul Singles!
posted by ericb at 1:20 PM on October 21, 2009 [2 favorites]

If this is real it is my favorite thing ever.
posted by shakespeherian at 1:20 PM on October 21, 2009

Read this as "Ru Paul" - either way I love it.
posted by jalexei at 1:21 PM on October 21, 2009 [2 favorites]

I'd prefer dating something from there to dating someone from this.
posted by brundlefly at 1:22 PM on October 21, 2009 [2 favorites]

*resists urge to link to BeastMatch site in Germany*
posted by Unicorn on the cob at 1:24 PM on October 21, 2009

Never, even on the day of my wedding, have I been so happy to not be dating anymore.
posted by tommasz at 1:24 PM on October 21, 2009 [4 favorites]

Apparantly you CAN seach for people interested in male/male and female/female hookups on Hannidate!
posted by muddgirl at 1:25 PM on October 21, 2009 [1 favorite]

How much self-loathing would you have to possess to look for a date on Hannidate if you were ACTUALLY gay, muddgirl, and not just, say, Senator Craig? Boggles the mind.
posted by bitter-girl.com at 1:27 PM on October 21, 2009 [2 favorites]

My first thought was thinly sliced Ron Paul, each in it's own plastic wrapper, ala Kraft.
posted by doctor_negative at 1:27 PM on October 21, 2009 [28 favorites]

Total Male Members: 605
Total Female Members: 153

*shrugs*
Women just don't like freedom as much as men, I guess.
posted by frecklefaerie at 1:29 PM on October 21, 2009 [9 favorites]

The whole LOLRonPaul meme is getting a bit, um, overdone. That said, I vote for a "Ralph Nader Single Payer Singles" website.
posted by HP LaserJet P10006 at 1:29 PM on October 21, 2009

This is truly the gold standard for online dating.
posted by dersins at 1:29 PM on October 21, 2009 [34 favorites]

This can't be real. There's not a single smug looking college student wearing a fedora to be found.
posted by cmonkey at 1:29 PM on October 21, 2009 [15 favorites]

When I saw "Ron Paul Singles" I thought it was going to be a music post.
posted by amyms at 1:30 PM on October 21, 2009 [1 favorite]

Man, I love me some Ron Paul. I also love me some dates. Two great tastes that taste great together!
posted by christhelongtimelurker at 1:31 PM on October 21, 2009

This is not as hot a party as I had anticipated.
posted by Joe Beese at 1:31 PM on October 21, 2009 [3 favorites]

I, very actually, cannot stop laughing
posted by Damn That Television at 1:31 PM on October 21, 2009

...permanently reigning [sic] in our government.

Hmm. When I googled Ron Paul, I didn't see jack (pun intended) about his quest to become King of the United States of America. I think mah googs is broken.
posted by nosila at 1:32 PM on October 21, 2009

Is this the part where we ridicule a bunch of artless souls with unfashionable political beliefs?
posted by kid ichorous at 1:33 PM on October 21, 2009

i am guessing this is gold if you're into Cougars With Guns.
posted by empath at 1:33 PM on October 21, 2009 [2 favorites]

Is this the part where we ridicule a bunch of artless souls with unfashionable political beliefs?

Yes?
posted by empath at 1:34 PM on October 21, 2009 [10 favorites]

"Bad dates..." *squishes date in fingers*
posted by brundlefly at 1:37 PM on October 21, 2009 [5 favorites]

Gosh, I wonder what they'll talk about over dinner.
posted by XQUZYPHYR at 1:38 PM on October 21, 2009 [2 favorites]

bitter-girl, I guess if you were gay and wanted to have some really nasty, freaky-ass sex, you could count on Hannidate or Ron Paul Singles. I mean, most out gay men, in my experience, have the sexual tastes of straight dudes, except directed at the same sex instead of the opposite.

But you know if you have sex with some deeply closeted conservative Christian type, you're in for some freaaaaaaky shit. Crack-smoking barebacking bloodplay, breathplay, ritualistic sodomy on the altar of a church, etc. That kind of thing.

I used to think I was some kind of deviant hedonist gay because I can sorta get into spanking once in a while. Man I'm so filthy because I talk dirty to my boyfriend. Tee hee. All the while some Repub politician is swinging by his ankles begging to be punished for being SUCH A NAUGHTY GIRL HIT ME HIT ME OH GOD
posted by Avenger at 1:38 PM on October 21, 2009 [41 favorites]

kid ichorous: "Is this the part where we ridicule a bunch of artless souls with unfashionable political beliefs?"

It is.

February 2010 - All 153 female members of Ron Paul Singles are now engaged to like-minded males who, after all, didn't have a surplus of choices.

June 2010 - Dr. Paul mass-marries the couples via webcam.

November 2010 - The first divorce proceedings are filed after each of the libertarian spouses refuses to do any housework.
posted by Joe Beese at 1:40 PM on October 21, 2009 [2 favorites]

Ron Paul responds.
posted by thewittyname at 1:40 PM on October 21, 2009

This is not as hot a party as I had anticipated.

I read that in Apu's voice. Kudos to you!

What I want to know is, does being a Randroid count as a fetish on their site?
posted by Talanvor at 1:41 PM on October 21, 2009

I read "Ron Paul Shingles" and thought ...

Q. How many libertarians does it take to shingle a roof?

A. Depends on how thinly you slice them.
posted by peeedro at 1:41 PM on October 21, 2009 [5 favorites]

I bet when Ron Paul orgasms, he screams out "NO! NO! NO!"
posted by Damn That Television at 1:43 PM on October 21, 2009 [12 favorites]

This is the kind of thing where you want to make a bunch of hilarious fake profiles but then realize you will never be able to top this.
posted by zoomorphic at 1:44 PM on October 21, 2009

I bet when Ron Paul orgasms

He doesn't.
posted by Avenger at 1:45 PM on October 21, 2009 [1 favorite]

The silhouettes for those who have not posted pictures are wildly different from what I think of when I think Ron Paul Singles.

Then again, I'm not sure the words "Ron Paul Singles" have ever occurred together in my thoughts before I saw this post.
posted by Pragmatica at 1:48 PM on October 21, 2009

I can't wait until the same is done for my favorite fringe politician, Dennis Kucinich.
posted by biggity at 1:49 PM on October 21, 2009 [2 favorites]

The whole LOLRonPaul meme is getting a bit, um, overdone.

Not.. quite... yet. It'll be overdone when Ron Paul turns from toasty caramel to crusty black, stick the meme under the broiler on high for a few more years.
posted by edgeways at 1:49 PM on October 21, 2009

Must be really awkward to try to split the bill at a romantic dinner when the place only takes cash and you only have grain, rock salt, tar, cobalt, and a bunch of wrenches.
posted by Damn That Television at 1:50 PM on October 21, 2009 [18 favorites]

It's hard being so lonely.
posted by EarBucket at 1:52 PM on October 21, 2009

I bet when Ron Paul orgasms

He doesn't.

He never leaves a deposit in the federal reserve iykwimaityd
posted by empath at 1:53 PM on October 21, 2009 [6 favorites]

Merh, I wouldn't make much of the gender disparity. It's the same with practically every other dating service in the world. If you want to mock something, I think the Randroid sex they would be having is sufficient.
posted by adipocere at 1:54 PM on October 21, 2009

I think the Randroid sex they would be having is sufficient.

Tag added.
posted by empath at 1:56 PM on October 21, 2009

Practical tip for the ladies: bring money on your date. It's pay your own way, all the time, don't even think of asking for handouts!
posted by naju at 1:57 PM on October 21, 2009 [1 favorite]

adipocere: " I think the Randroid sex they would be having is sufficient."

Not as vanilla as you might expect.
posted by Joe Beese at 1:59 PM on October 21, 2009

Metafilter: iykwimaityd
posted by jabberjaw at 2:02 PM on October 21, 2009 [2 favorites]

I am a [man] seeking a [man] who is from [18] to [90] : 605 results
I am a [woman] seeking a [man] who is from [18] to [90] : 605 results
I am a [group] seeking a [man] who is from [18] to [90] : 605 results

I am a [man] seeking a [woman] who is from [18] to [90] : 153 results
I am a [woman] seeking a [woman] who is from [18] to [90] : 153 results
I am a [group] seeking a [woman] who is from [18] to [90] : 153 results

Hmmm, not the most sophisticated matching algorithm I've ever seen.
posted by Combustible Edison Lighthouse at 2:03 PM on October 21, 2009 [9 favorites]

GOOGLE RAY ALLEN!
posted by drezdn at 2:03 PM on October 21, 2009

If you want to mock something, I think the Randroid sex they would be having is sufficient.

Ugh. The sex scenes in Ayn Rand's books were, across the board, depictions of violent rape. I don't even want to think about what kind of flamewar would result around here if we mocked that.
posted by deadmessenger at 2:05 PM on October 21, 2009

The upcoming iPhone app is written in Objectivist-C.
posted by ryoshu at 2:06 PM on October 21, 2009 [15 favorites]

" I think the Randroid sex they would be having is sufficient."

Not as vanilla as you might expect.

The comments on that YouTube link are a fine, fine example of Randroid batshittery:

tawny624 (6 days ago) Show Hide
The Rothschild banking empire has been installing puppet politicians like Obama (sotoro, or whatever his name is) for a long time. Although I loathe him, the real pity is that young people are so stupid and brainwashed to actually support him,


soco13466 (1 week ago) Show Hide
Read the book, folks, Read "Atlas Shrugged," too. Understand the ugly, gray socialists. Understand what they stand for.
Obama is the enemy of true progress. Look at those he surrounds himself with. Understand his outright falsehoods. He is nothing but a narcissistic Power Pig.
Damn those who seek power for power's sake! They are sick in the head. We shouldn't have to pay the price for one man's inflated ego.


You can smell the lunacy from here.
posted by deadmessenger at 2:07 PM on October 21, 2009 [1 favorite]

Q. How is Ron Paul like Jesus Christ?

A. He's not so bad but his followers are fucking nuts.
posted by Mick at 2:08 PM on October 21, 2009 [15 favorites]

deadmessenger: "You can smell the lunacy from here."

More than usual for YouTube comments?
posted by Joe Beese at 2:10 PM on October 21, 2009

Yes?

Okay. I didn't expect that linking to personals ads and ridiculing their creators would be cool around here. I guess we'd feel the same about dating sites that favored other lifestyles or demographics?
posted by kid ichorous at 2:12 PM on October 21, 2009

OGLE RON PAUL
posted by The Card Cheat at 2:15 PM on October 21, 2009 [22 favorites]

Am I the only person who came in here expecting it this to be a product marketed to compete directly with Kraft Singles?

Color me disappointed.
posted by orville sash at 2:16 PM on October 21, 2009

Ron Paul singles, Ayn Rand takes third on the hit and run.
posted by Horace Rumpole at 2:18 PM on October 21, 2009 [6 favorites]

I did a MetaChat post about Ayn Rand Power Dressing and apparently several people were expecting a salad dressing.
posted by Joe Beese at 2:20 PM on October 21, 2009 [2 favorites]

I bet when Ron Paul orgasms

I close my eyes and look away usually.
posted by fire&wings at 2:21 PM on October 21, 2009

The LOLRonPaul meme won't be finished until he and his supporters stop making fresh lulz. We don't want there to be a backlog.
posted by freshwater_pr0n at 2:25 PM on October 21, 2009

CANCEL MY GOOGLE RON PAUL
posted by DU at 2:27 PM on October 21, 2009 [2 favorites]

I have no problem with like minded singles meeting up and perhaps even getting married. The real problem is that they will bring their spawn into the world and produce more troopers and trooplets for the tea parties.
posted by Postroad at 2:28 PM on October 21, 2009

More than usual for YouTube comments?

I think so. The average youtube commenter is well into the double-digit IQ range. The folks posting on that YT link are clearly literate and intelligent, but are instead completely fucking nuts. Crazy trumps stupid in my book.
posted by deadmessenger at 2:30 PM on October 21, 2009

The whole LOLRonPaul meme is getting a bit, um, overdone.

If LOLing at Ron Paul is a sin, then let me be guilty!
posted by Halloween Jack at 2:31 PM on October 21, 2009 [1 favorite]

Anyone want to bet on how many usernames are variations on JohnGalt?
posted by electroboy at 2:33 PM on October 21, 2009 [9 favorites]

I did a MetaChat post about Ayn Rand Power Dressing and apparently several people were expecting a salad dressing.

CONQUER DRY SALADS USING YOUR SUPERIOR BUYING POWER!
posted by The Whelk at 2:43 PM on October 21, 2009 [4 favorites]

I love you, Avenger. That's pretty much where I was going with that... in our house, we're convinced that the conservatives keep voting against same sex marriage, you name it because once it's legal, it's no longer "deviant" and doesn't fit their need for forbidden kinky goodness. Sigh.

Still, I suppose Ron Paul Singles has got to be better than Hannidate. I bet Hannidate is filled with guys like a friend's former friend, a nearly 40-year old loser Republican virgin who couldn't even keep a secretarial job, and whose landlady wanted to throw him out for hygiene that would put the Vikings to shame (let's not even get into his ULTRA-WINNING personality), yet thought some hot young blonde should just fall into his lap and be thankful to date a star like him...shudder.
posted by bitter-girl.com at 2:47 PM on October 21, 2009

You guys are clever. I've never heard people make fun of Ron Paul before.
posted by TheFlamingoKing at 3:00 PM on October 21, 2009 [1 favorite]

I ain't sayin' she's a gold digger.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 3:15 PM on October 21, 2009 [2 favorites]

You guys are clever. I've never heard people make fun of Ron Paul before.

Don't you see? When it happens at Reddit, it's LULZ-farming douchebaggery. But when it happens at Metafilter, it's a sip from the fucking Hippocrene.
posted by kid ichorous at 3:26 PM on October 21, 2009 [3 favorites]

are you worried that we're going to find your profile there or something?
posted by empath at 3:32 PM on October 21, 2009 [1 favorite]

This can't be real. There's not a single smug looking college student wearing a fedora to be found.

Not a college student, but 2 outta 3 ain't bad.

From Ron Paul Responds: :The neophyte yenta said he didn't know who was responsible for creating the Web site" ... Neophyte I understand, but yenta?

Oh, I stopped reading at "Yiddish female name." Reading on: the word has also come to mean "matchmaker" in modern usage.
posted by filthy light thief at 3:32 PM on October 21, 2009

are you worried that we're going to find your profile there or something?

That's a tremendous comeback that really addresses the problems with this post. You pwned me. Is that how it's spelled? Man, I humbly submit to you et al as the superior internet fratboys.
posted by kid ichorous at 3:35 PM on October 21, 2009 [1 favorite]

kid ichorous: "when it happens at Metafilter, it's a sip from the fucking Hippocrene."

If only there was some way that you could avoid any further reading of or participation in this thread.

But apparently there isn't.
posted by Joe Beese at 3:37 PM on October 21, 2009 [1 favorite]

Also: putting LOVE into r3VOLution like that makes me think of Evol Intent.
posted by filthy light thief at 3:38 PM on October 21, 2009

I get that Metafilter has a strong collectivist bias. Every community is going to praise and deride according to the standards that in part, brought them together. And I don't have any desire to change that, or to see Metafilter become more "neutral" (whatever that might mean), but a little more civility sure would be nice.

Q. How many libertarians does it take to shingle a roof?

A. Depends on how thinly you slice them.

Isn't this a bit much?
posted by BigSky at 3:42 PM on October 21, 2009 [2 favorites]

Total Male Members: 605
Total Female Members: 153

I don't know which party this is, but it looks like it's a Sausage Party
posted by chambers at 3:43 PM on October 21, 2009 [2 favorites]

sonic youth, me.
posted by waraw at 3:44 PM on October 21, 2009

Okay. I didn't expect that linking to personals ads and ridiculing their creators would be cool around here. I guess we'd feel the same about dating sites that favored other lifestyles or demographics?

Yes.
posted by filthy light thief at 3:45 PM on October 21, 2009 [1 favorite]

yeah, I'm all for making fun of the concept as a whole - but the individual personals? I mean really, give them a break.
posted by Think_Long at 3:50 PM on October 21, 2009

I get that Metafilter has a strong collectivist bias.

Most of us here have a thing against racist elected officials, too. So it goes.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 3:51 PM on October 21, 2009 [5 favorites]

I get that Metafilter has a strong collectivist bias.

Why, just the other day tehloki and I were arguing about when the proper time for the dissolution of state-control would be: after the proletariat integrates into a fully classless society or after the means of production are fully controlled by the proletariat. We both had to agree to disagree on that one.

But, yeah, Metafilter: totally collectivist.
posted by Avenger at 4:12 PM on October 21, 2009 [9 favorites]

Jon Stewart and the Daily Show tackled the conservative dating phenomenon back on Valentine's Day 2007. Correspondent reporting was Mr. Samantha Bee himself, Jason Jones, and the sketch featured a cameo appearance by Joe Scarborough as well as his wife.
posted by The Confessor at 4:13 PM on October 21, 2009

strong collectivist bias
. . .
a little more civility sure would be nice

physician, heal thyself.
posted by mokuba at 4:21 PM on October 21, 2009

i am guessing this is gold if you're into Cougars With Guns.

Well, I wasn't before, but now you've put it in my head.
posted by Bookhouse at 4:35 PM on October 21, 2009 [1 favorite]

I get that Metafilter has a strong collectivist bias.

*self-parody alert*
posted by empath at 4:42 PM on October 21, 2009 [5 favorites]

Q. How many libertarians does it take to shingle a roof?

A. Depends on how thinly you slice them.

Isn't this a bit much?

I'm not sure the roof can bare the weight if we just lay them end to end.
posted by Mick at 4:44 PM on October 21, 2009 [2 favorites]

Everyone needs love.

Which, of course, wouldn't be a problem if we just went back to the gold standard.
posted by Flunkie at 4:46 PM on October 21, 2009 [1 favorite]

That's a tremendous comeback that really addresses the problems with this post.

The problem here is that is what metatalk is for. You registered your objections, then repeated yourself. If you want the post taken down, go start a metatalk thread about it or flag it.
posted by empath at 4:46 PM on October 21, 2009 [1 favorite]

My friend did a write up in New York Magazine of various profiles from TheAtlasphere.com, an Ayn Rand centered dating site. This one is my favorite:

lostpainting, Hagerstown, Maryland
Please note: If you’re overweight, I won’t date you. If you believe in God, I won’t date you. If you vote for Democrats, I won’t date you.
posted by PostIronyIsNotaMyth at 5:03 PM on October 21, 2009 [3 favorites]

I bet when Ron Paul orgasms, he screams out "NO! NO! NO!"

I wish I could unread this
posted by Jaltcoh at 5:38 PM on October 21, 2009

Total Male Members: 605
Total Female Members: 153

You're laughing, but maybe you didn't realize that 604 of those male members are on the same guy.

Which is to say, you should be cringing and giggling instead.
posted by evidenceofabsence at 5:56 PM on October 21, 2009

from the Atlasphere article:

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).

As much as this makes me cringe reading it, I am like this far away from being that guy. The only thing that keeps me from saying that kind of thing out loud is that I know how terrible it sounds.
posted by empath at 5:59 PM on October 21, 2009 [9 favorites]

The only thing that keeps me from saying that kind of thing out loud is that I know how terrible it sounds.

It's those little things that make all the difference in the world.

For instance, let's say you ate some Cat today. Now, is that really any different than pig or cow or goat?

Yes. Yes it is.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 6:12 PM on October 21, 2009 [9 favorites]

My first thoughts were "Ron Paul Singles" like "Kraft Singles" and would it taste good on a sandwich.
posted by Never teh Bride at 6:15 PM on October 21, 2009

For instance, let's say you ate some Cat today. Now, is that really any different than pig or cow or goat?

Well, it tastes better.
posted by dersins at 6:15 PM on October 21, 2009

Is this going to be like that scene from that movie?
posted by b1tr0t at 6:30 PM on October 21, 2009

Compare/contrast.

Personally, I'm holding out for the Scorpio Death Match dating site. Oh boy, am I ever....
posted by halcyon_daze at 6:45 PM on October 21, 2009

Groundhog Day?
posted by fourcheesemac at 7:07 PM on October 21, 2009

I was thinking of that other movie with that guy in it, and that other guy.
posted by b1tr0t at 7:32 PM on October 21, 2009

Motto Fail... Actually, they put the "EVOL" in "REVOLUTION".
posted by Mike D at 7:50 PM on October 21, 2009

Ooops. Nod to Filthy Light Thief.
posted by Mike D at 7:52 PM on October 21, 2009

I thought Ron Paul fans got their dating tips from Ayn Rand or chose to be self-reliant.

Also, I never got the Revolution with the backwards love. Wouldn't backwards love mean the opposite? And why would I want a Texan politician who I only know through cursory Google searches and Digg to love me? Frankly, I prefer to keep policy and friendship separate, and I'm definitely not sure I could both be dating someone and vote for them at the same time.

We all have our hangups. That's mine.
posted by mccarty.tim at 8:56 PM on October 21, 2009

While we're in an Objectivism thread, I though I'd ask: A lot of the objectivists I see online claim that Democrats and other liberals are power hungry. Since objectivism is all about being self-centered and putting your interests before others, wouldn't that mean those accusations would be compliments? Or are politicians not allowed to be objectivists? I mean, don't they think similar behavior from a person running a factory is good?

True, the politician sets national policy, but the actions of a CEO certainly affects his employees, and the lives of people outside the company indirectly, as well.

And how can they trust a politician who selflessly promotes small government? As he doesn't answer to objectivism, but answers to his rational self interest by nature, wouldn't that mean he'd eventually go rogue and start cheating and stealing just like the politicians they hate?
posted by mccarty.tim at 9:08 PM on October 21, 2009 [1 favorite]

mcc -- that's a category error. Ignoring the objectivist angle which bores me sufficiently not to want to get into, the basic libertarian position is that the bundle of rights we should afford to our fellows on this planet includes the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of wealth.

Government, via the levy of taxation, is one mechanism employed to forcibly seize someone's wealth for someone else's benefit. Libertarians rightfully object to this on first principles.
posted by mokuba at 9:23 PM on October 21, 2009

Government, via the levy of taxation, is one mechanism employed to forcibly seize someone's wealth for someone else's benefit.

get off my roads motherfucker
posted by Pope Guilty at 11:20 PM on October 21, 2009 [3 favorites]

^ Speaking as a left-libertarian I'd say public goods can be something of a trojan horse for a more all-encompassing redistributive regime.

I consider myself quite radical in desiring equality of access to all that which is necessary to become and remain a productive member of society -- sliding-scale, government-run education, daycare, health care, local transportation

But if the libertarians would give me my Georgist taxation on ground rents, resource extraction, and patents & licenses, I'd like to think a less explicitly redistributive system would work in the real world.
posted by mokuba at 11:58 PM on October 21, 2009 [2 favorites]

Capitalism is a redistributive regime in and of itself. I notice that when people condemn something for being redistributive, they only ever mean that it redistributes wealth downward. Structures that redistribute wealth upward tend to be referred to as "free", paradoxically.
posted by Pope Guilty at 12:11 AM on October 22, 2009 [9 favorites]

^ that's why I'm a left-libertarian and not a right-libertarian; the inter-generational concentration of capital issue that appears inherent in the basic minarchy (where capital is free to capture rents from what should be the commons, eventually replacing the notional meritocracy with feudalistic pre-determined "haves" & "have nots"). If capital were not able to buy up land, natural resources, patents, spectrum (and other rent-seeking BS) I'd like to think the resulting utopia would be stable if not optimal in terms of freedom and economic justice, since I do think overall capitalism is pretty sweet in providing for our wants. For our needs, I'd want to see the invisible hand checked by democratic socialism.
posted by mokuba at 2:11 AM on October 22, 2009

While we're in an Objectivism thread

Fringe candidates are certainly lightning-rods for what we might call 'crazy,' but while politicians are relatively few, crazy still comes in the same thirty-seven flavors. It is not one-to-one, and I'd strike this association of atheistic Rand with crypto-theist Ron Paul on that ground alone: it is not the same person who finds a manifesto in gold-standards and pocket constitutions, or in a battered Anthem. We are only "in an Objectivism thread" inasmuch as we choose to be, inasmuch as we see the internet as one big freakshow, and its metabolism into lulz the safest way for the intellect to dispose of crazy.

I disagree of course. What I'm especially interested in is not the bandwidth of crazy but the narrowness of our mainstream. They are related, but this may not be the thread for that particular derail.

Capitalism is a redistributive regime in and of itself. I notice that when people condemn something for being redistributive, they only ever mean that it redistributes wealth downward.

Police confiscating the house and estate along with the bag of weed is a kind of upwards distribution perfected by Roman centurions. I'm fairly sure libertarians condemn that. But I'm also fairly sure that the class-warfare metaphors break down when the demagogues of every class and ethnicity unite to stage a war against plants and chemistry.

A notion of absolute private property of some kind - say, extending at least to my kidneys and my coat, my means of transport and the floor under my feet - is a pretty excellent way of keeping honest centurions honest.
posted by kid ichorous at 2:51 AM on October 22, 2009

"Total Male Members: 605
Total Female Members: 153"

Fortunately, lots of Ron Paul fans secretly worship Bruno.
posted by markkraft at 3:07 AM on October 22, 2009

"Wouldn't backwards love mean the opposite?"

*cough!* *cough!* *cough!*
posted by markkraft at 3:28 AM on October 22, 2009

You know, for being self-reliant autobootstrappers who would rule a postapocalyptic, skulls-and-gold-backed America, libertarians and Paulites sure are ENORMOUS FUCKING BABIES when you make fun of their personal ads.
posted by Optimus Chyme at 5:31 AM on October 22, 2009 [16 favorites]

get off my roads motherfucker

A segment on the Demenski and Doyle show, aired on Detroit's WCSX, characterized bicyclists as "jerks" and expressed a desired to "lob something at their heads" and "go grand theft auto on them" - a reference to a violent video game where characters are beaten to death.
Here's the details: http://bit.ly/PqJ7i
(via http://www.bikeforums.net/archive/index.php/t-573565.html)

But if the libertarians would give

If one is going to have a 'world without government', a working court system would seem to be step #1.

The Republican/Democratic parties are 'able' to 'deliver' some 'value' to the voters. The Libertarians could set the groundwork for their vision AND deliver a few court workers scalps via an actual court watching program. Show that they, as a party, can deliver on something. Yet somehow doing actual boring work like watching the courts is rarely done.
posted by rough ashlar at 5:41 AM on October 22, 2009

Yelling about the gold standard and Ron Paul on internet fora and at rallies is way more fun.
posted by Pope Guilty at 6:16 AM on October 22, 2009

If one is going to have a 'world without government', a working court system would seem to be step #1.

what
posted by EarBucket at 6:36 AM on October 22, 2009

lostpainting, Hagerstown, Maryland
Please note: If you’re overweight, I won’t date you. If you believe in God, I won’t date you. If you vote for Democrats, I won’t date you.

Hey now, he's probobly just cranky about having to live in Hagerstown.
posted by The Whelk at 7:05 AM on October 22, 2009

dating tips from Ayn Rand
.
*Registers WaitAroundForAnArchitectToRapeyou.com*
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 8:05 AM on October 22, 2009 [7 favorites]

Ron Paul Singles makes me think of Kraft Cheese Singles.
posted by theora55 at 12:48 PM on October 22, 2009 [1 favorite]

I get that Metafilter has a strong collectivist bias.

Dude, seriously?
posted by joe lisboa at 3:51 PM on October 22, 2009

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).

I'm like 87% sure that I dated this guy. I'm. not. joking. either.
posted by FelliniBlank at 5:12 PM on October 22, 2009

...ritualistic sodomy...

Why must everything be ritualized? Can't we just be casual sodomites like our forefathers?
posted by turgid dahlia at 9:37 PM on October 22, 2009 [1 favorite]

Why must everything be ritualized? Can't we just be casual sodomites like our forefathers?

I know! Can't it just happen organically between friends without all the paperwork and crying?
posted by The Whelk at 9:59 PM on October 22, 2009 [1 favorite]