xkcd

by **noname** » Wed Jul 15, 2009 4:00 am UTC

http://xkcd.com/610/

Alt-text: Hey, what are the odds -- five Ayn Rand fans on the same train! Must be going to a convention.

I like Ayn Rand. Nice reference

by **Aeetlrcreejl** » Wed Jul 15, 2009 4:02 am UTC

Aw, only beaten becuase my computer is slow.

by **Sir-Taco** » Wed Jul 15, 2009 4:03 am UTC

I've always wondered if others think the same as me.

by **toysbfun** » Wed Jul 15, 2009 4:03 am UTC

That line of thought sounds more symptomatic of a psychopath than a Randian.

by **nahtanoj999** » Wed Jul 15, 2009 4:03 am UTC

I find it unlikely that all five people would think "automatons" instead of "automata".

by **scwizard** » Wed Jul 15, 2009 4:04 am UTC

I know some folks who accuse me of being a sheep because I believe that Islamic extremists perpetrated the September 11th attacks.

by **noname** » Wed Jul 15, 2009 4:04 am UTC

Well I won

. Interestingly on a comic that i can make educated comments on. Now what are the odds is the real question.

by **Iluvatar** » Wed Jul 15, 2009 4:05 am UTC

I used to be one of the sheeple who thought everyone else was a sheeperson. Now I've seen the light, though, and am aware that people such as I used to be are totally shee- crap!

More seriously, I used to be a Rand fan, but I got better. Still think she's a great writer and I like a few of the ideas, but I no longer self identify as a strict libertarian, much less an objectivist.

On the subject of sheeple, one sure sign of nutjobbery is when someone proclaims that everyone else is being duped by the man / the establishment / academia / corporate interests / etc, and only they + a few others know the truth. Aspartame, the fed, moon landings, timecube.com, etc.

by **dasada122** » Wed Jul 15, 2009 4:07 am UTC

You mean... you mean I'm NOT special?

by **scwizard** » Wed Jul 15, 2009 4:09 am UTC

dasada122 wrote:You mean... you mean I'm NOT special?

Define special.

I mean you're certainly unique.

by **aion7** » Wed Jul 15, 2009 4:10 am UTC

dasada122 wrote:You mean... you mean I'm NOT special?

It's like Ender's Game syndrome all over again.

by **TheHomoSapiens** » Wed Jul 15, 2009 4:10 am UTC

hahaha, yeah, everyone thinks they're so individual, but there are millions of other people that have much the same lifestyle and are exposed to the same things...so many, many of us think completely alike. edit: Ayn Randall is a hilarious name.

by **scwizard** » Wed Jul 15, 2009 4:12 am UTC

TheHomoSapiens wrote:hahaha, yeah, everyone thinks they're so individual, but there are millions of other people that have much the same lifestyle and are exposed to the same things...so many, many of us think completely alike. nice one randall-such a simple joke

Just because two people share the same culture doesn't mean that they've both been exposed to exactly the same things, just most of the same things.

by **ryan** » Wed Jul 15, 2009 4:12 am UTC

Yup, everyone is "The One" in their own mind.

by **Warll** » Wed Jul 15, 2009 4:14 am UTC

You mean... you mean I'm NOT special?

Oh your SPECIAL alright.

The older I get the more I manage to convince myself that all humans share a lot between them. For instance how can it be that my one site constantly averages 6-7 minutes on average per visit since I last added a bunch of content, even with %50 new users a day. I can only derive that it is quality of the content and site with "chance" taking a back seat when it comes to usage.

by **drx** » Wed Jul 15, 2009 4:14 am UTC

That's pretty funny.

I often wonder -- how many times have I passed people who may have been similar to me?

by **Steve the Pocket** » Wed Jul 15, 2009 4:14 am UTC

toysbfun wrote:That line of thought sounds more symptomatic of a psychopath than a Randian.

What's the dif-*gets shot*

Hey, somebody had to say it.

by **abstractpotato** » Wed Jul 15, 2009 4:15 am UTC

I often wonder in public places such as on a train or a waiting room where everyone is just staring silently whether we are all thinking similar things.

I think I might get some odd looks if I actually asked them what they were thinking, though.

by **Not Like This** » Wed Jul 15, 2009 4:15 am UTC

I enjoy this comic, simply because it has a twang of naturalism, as in: this is exeptionally universal. Although, I find Ayn Rand rather intrusive.

On a side note, I finally made a post! Splendid.

by **jdmulloy** » Wed Jul 15, 2009 4:15 am UTC

dasada122 wrote:You mean... you mean I'm NOT special?

Yes you're special, just like everybody else.

by **scwizard** » Wed Jul 15, 2009 4:16 am UTC

Very soon some of the objectivists on this site are going to get annoyed.

EDIT: Wow I suck at English.

by **Zero51423** » Wed Jul 15, 2009 4:18 am UTC

Lies, I am special, all you other people are just predetermined puppets of a sadistic deity/deities. I alone have broken their/its web of predictions and control(insert interrobang here)

Or maybe I'm just crazy......

by **includemaliciousintent** » Wed Jul 15, 2009 4:19 am UTC

Who here was surprised it wasn't a Harry Potter themed comic? *raises hand and looks around sadly* Anywho, very funny. ^^

by **scwizard** » Wed Jul 15, 2009 4:20 am UTC

Zero51423 wrote:Lies, I am special, all you other people are just predetermined puppets of a sadistic deity/deities. I alone have broken their/its web of predictions and control(insert interrobang here)

Or maybe I'm just crazy......

No you're not crazy. It's actually pretty normal to think that.

by **Commodore** » Wed Jul 15, 2009 4:20 am UTC

Ahaha! How dumb those other people are, all thinking they're special when they aren't. Makes me glad I'm not them!

by **scwizard** » Wed Jul 15, 2009 4:21 am UTC

Commodore wrote:Ahaha! How dumb those other people are, all thinking they're special when they aren't. Makes me glad I'm not them!

Indeed, welcome to the half of the population that doesn't think they're special. It feels good to be part of the superior half ^^

by **mchainmail** » Wed Jul 15, 2009 4:23 am UTC

And I just started reading Atlas Shrugged today...

by **joee** » Wed Jul 15, 2009 4:26 am UTC

Brian: You're ALL individuals!
The Crowd: Yes! We're all individuals!
Brian: You're all different!
The Crowd: Yes, we ARE all different!
Man in crowd: I'm not...

HI GLASNT

by **scwizard** » Wed Jul 15, 2009 4:27 am UTC

mchainmail wrote:And I just started reading Atlas Shrugged today...

Its style is quite unique isn't it

Some people can't stand it. I was able to tolerate it. I liked some aspects of it, and the parts I didn't like I could forgive because of how unique the whole thing was.

by **tmbg002** » Wed Jul 15, 2009 4:30 am UTC

Reminds me of the "Personal Fable" From my first psychology class.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_fable

by **Not Like This** » Wed Jul 15, 2009 4:31 am UTC

Ugh. Atlas Shrugged. 1000 pages of bad philosophy are swirling back into my brain. Ha. No, in reality, it WAS very unique. But good God, I contemplated throwing it out the window multiple times.

by **scwizard** » Wed Jul 15, 2009 4:33 am UTC

Not Like This wrote:Ugh. Atlas Shrugged. 1000 pages of bad philosophy are swirling back into my brain. Ha. No, in reality, it WAS very unique. But good God, I contemplated throwing it out the window multiple times.

What did you find so bad about the philosophy? What parts made you so angry you wanted to throw it out the window?

by **Eternal Density** » Wed Jul 15, 2009 4:36 am UTC

Get out of my head, Rand!

by **Not Like This** » Wed Jul 15, 2009 4:42 am UTC

scwizard wrote:
Not Like This wrote:Ugh. Atlas Shrugged. 1000 pages of bad philosophy are swirling back into my brain. Ha. No, in reality, it WAS very unique. But good God, I contemplated throwing it out the window multiple times.

What did you find so bad about the philosophy? What parts made you so angry you wanted to throw it out the window?

Well, personally, I found it very..."cookie-cutter", as far as the philisophical elements. A great deal of authors write about such topics as individuality and feminist expression, and I thought Rand did it well, but not nessesarily originally. And of course you have the fact that it's dreadfully long, and the story telling is a bit sub-par for a book that long. Which is where my frustrations stemmed.

I much favor Rand's 'Anthem', mostly because:

1. It's essentially quite similar, except 'Anthem' is devoid of any intrusive feminist views.
and
2. It's considerably shorter.

That's also not to say I have a problem with longer books, it's just. I like to not feel that reading them is a chore.

by **aleflamedyud** » Wed Jul 15, 2009 4:47 am UTC

scwizard wrote:I know some folks who accuse me of being a sheep because I believe that Islamic extremists perpetrated the September 11th attacks.

9/11 WAS AN INSIDE JOB, WAKE UP SHEEPLE!!111!!!!11!!!!!1|

Anyway, I really am different from anyone I know. That doesn't make me better, just different. People who think they're better than everyone else because they're a little different in a way easily pigeonholable into some known subculture are just douchey, goddamned vampire kids.

NOBODY CARES IF YOU'RE A PSI VAMPIRE PER SAY. I am going to stake you in the heart, per say!

by **Jahoclave** » Wed Jul 15, 2009 4:49 am UTC

Not Like This wrote:Ugh. Atlas Shrugged. 1000 pages of bad philosophy are swirling back into my brain. Ha. No, in reality, it WAS very unique. But good God, I contemplated throwing it out the window multiple times.

Here's a gun. Do with it as you like. But it only has one bullet. It's the only cure I can afford for the pain that I know you're now suffering.

On another note, given current circumstances, I'd say they're much more likely to go teabagging than to a convention.

by **TunezNZ** » Wed Jul 15, 2009 4:54 am UTC

I ask the question all the time, Is that person a /b/tard?

by **ellbur** » Wed Jul 15, 2009 4:58 am UTC

I feel that this kind of unoriginal/uncreative thoughts is not entirely bad. If an experience means something to you, I don't think it has to mean less because it's common.

This comic reminded my Crossing Brooklyn Ferry by Walt Whitman, which I think shows the lighter side to shared experience

I am with you, you men and women of a generation, or every so many generations hence,
just as you feel when you look on the river and sky, so I felt,
Just as any of you is one of a living crowd, I was one of a crowd

Or perhaps the following story:
A man dies and discovers that there is an afterlife. He is somewhat surprised, because it's always been such a deep mystery. Then he realizes that everyone else must make the same discovery, so he feels uncreative.

by **pyromuffin** » Wed Jul 15, 2009 5:05 am UTC

I guess I'm the only person in this thread that is aware of the recent Objectivist Conference that happened in Boston last week, let alone the only person in this thread that actually went to it...

This comic pretty much exactly happened to me. Hanging out with objectivists in the subway was prettttttttttty awesome.

by **aleflamedyud** » Wed Jul 15, 2009 5:19 am UTC

pyromuffin wrote:I guess I'm the only person in this thread that is aware of the recent Objectivist Conference that happened in Boston last week, let alone the only person in this thread that actually went to it...

This comic pretty much exactly happened to me. Hanging out with objectivists in the subway was prettttttttttty awesome.

Why, did you all try to privatize the T?

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