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Peter Thiel -- noted gay Silicon Valley libertarian, PayPal co-founder, and the one of the first Facebook investors -- recently penned an essay in which he suggests that the last time one could be "genuinely optimistic" about U.S. politics was just before dames got the right to vote. In Cato Unbound, a site run by libertarian-ish Cato Institute, Thiel suggests the following.
The 1920s were the last decade in American history during which one could be genuinely optimistic about politics. Since 1920, the vast increase in welfare beneficiaries and the extension of the franchise to women - two constituencies that are notoriously tough for libertarians - have rendered the notion of "capitalist democracy" into an oxymoron.
That is to say, women are prone to illogically vote with their feelings, especially when catching the vapors.
Silicon Valley gossip scribe Owen Thomas suggests one reason for Thiel's anti-XX-chromosome mindset: drugs. All kids of them, it seems. Read more about it at Valleywag.
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When slightly more than half the human race is a tough sell for your political doctrine, maybe you should rethink your doctrine.
what an asshole. i know of some gay men who are as masogonistic and sexist as the worst straight man.
I know of some misogynistic dudes who can still spell.
hey! i was in ESL as a child!
anyway, the spelling of words is so arbitrary sometimes. especially in english.
Er... no. Spelling is not arbitrary. That's like saying, "the adding-up of numbers is so arbitrary, especially in math." Do you want our future history (future history? What?) to be written like a Facebook posting? Do you? Would you like some more question marks? Would you? Really? Question marks? Lots of 'em? One after another? Like this? Should I stop now? Should I?
I'm still sore at the suffragettes for the Temperance movement. Prohibition never would have passed without their meddling.
But I keep that sentiment to myself, usually.
I can't knock prohibition. It provided my bootleggin' Irish family a pretty decent living.
Glad it's over, of course, since I have no idea how to run a still and the idea of crafting gin in a bathtub is icky.
"gay Silicon Valley libertarian, PayPal co-founder, and the one of the first Facebook investors" Hey Petey, we know where that thumbs been...
actually mr thiel, what you're describing is exactly what a capitalist democracy would look like. People voting their self-interest.
if you were saying a capitalist republic were an oxymoron, I'd agree, because republics tend to balance out the hysteria of the masses, and in so doing protect the rights of minority opinions.
I bet he has a big poster of Ron Paul above his bed.
covered with semem stains
I mean, I guess it's okay if they can vote. But they shouldn't hold office. You want them making decisions during that time of the month? I think not.
Also, some gay men are really into being libertarian -- or, I should write, Libertarian. Sort of the flip side to gays being way too into indie-rock, if that makes sense. Always chasing that straight dick, those boys.
i hate to bring her up again, but isn't ayn rand a hero to these fools? technically she was a "woman."
womyn WOMYN!!! and no I am not PMS'ing omg, somebody get me a Midol!
You know, if you actually knew any real live women, you'd know we don't take Midol anymore.
I live with one and she takes Excedrin for her back and neck pain and Midol because diphenhydramine (sp?) helps with her allergies when she has cramps. Thanks for making baseless assumptions. You've done well to advance the blogosphere for the newbies.
Yeah, I'm the one responsible for the downfall of the blogosphere. That's me.
Peter loves Ayn Rand. That's why he's excited about the Seasteading project, where a bunch of rich people build themselves a raft and live in international waters without the hindrance of government. Never mind the pirates, who will necessitate some sort of organized defense force, which will necessitate some sort of organized fund raising mechanism, which will require lawyers to produce bylaws and some other way to enforce said bylaws...sooner or later, they'll have themselves a government.
Wait, wait, you mean the rich will willingly strand themselves in the middle of inetrnational waters? I don't see the problem here, as long as we get the pirates on our side first...
Peter Loves Ayn Rand? Hell, Even Ayn Rand hated Ayn Rand. Therefore Peter hates his mother for naming him Peter.
This made me realize that I've never met a woman who claimed to be a libertarian.
And the fact that the group includes members like Thiel should probably explain why.
That's it, I'm dropping this guy from my friends list.
This just goes how far down the toilet conservatives have gone - they have to be bitter and full of hatred about shit that happened 80 years ago.
What's next, re-legalize slavery?
What an a**hat. This is a great way to get over 50% of the population to join your cause. Show that you are misogynistic and insult them. This dude is clueless. And I know plenty of women who are both feminists and consider themselves libertarian. however, I doubt they would want o be associated with this kind of jerk.
What this fool simply ignores is the fact that massive expansion of federal social welfare programs were the direct result of the gigantic disaster known as The Great Depression, caused in large part by an economy that was seriously unregulated by the federal government. Leave these capitalists to their own devices and the short term greed that motivates their self interest will eventually blow up in everyone's faces.
His entire premise makes zero sense. "Capitalist democracy" is an oxymoron regardless of who has the franchise. Unregulated capitalism leads to massive inequalities in the distribution of resources and a concentration of wealth in the hands of a very few people, a lot of whom are profoundly stupid but ruthless. Only idiots engaged in any kind of democratic system would continue to vote against their own self interest by voting to protect the rights of a few to the detriment of the many.
Anyone with half a brain can read the insipid mewling of that Ayn Rand creature and realize that she didn't understand the most basic of economic principles.
Not only. The gold standard and Smoot-Hawley tariff had a whole lot to do with it too.
I've luckily only met a few misogynistic gay men in my life: not just the women-hating but women-loathing kind - - - and they just seem to be hurting so bad that they don't care who else they hurt --- and they do not realize they are way OFF the deep end. Sociopathic as all get-out.
...rich or not...they bode no one any good.
"This just goes how far down the toilet conservatives have gone - they have to be bitter and full of hatred about shit that happened 80 years ago.
What's next, re-legalize slavery?"
Isn't that pretty much what our system of illegal immigration is - legalized slavery? Not the conservatives sponsoring this one!
Despite his dress sense, can you really argue that the massive welfare state hasn't been an abject failure? After over 40 years and $10 trillion, has anything really improved for afro-americans? Has welfare done anything other than create a permanent welfare-class?