John Oliver Demands to Know How Ayn Rand Is ‘Still a Thing’

[Quixote1818]

[dhill926]

1. K & R the hell outta this….

[shenmue]

2. Hilarious

[paleotn]

3. Simple really.....

intellectual cove to make sociopathic assholes culturally acceptable.

[TheVisitor]

6. Thank you

[Cayenne]

4. The obsession is with the left, not the right

Ayn Rand, never ever comes up at Freeperville or anywhere else I lurk. If it weren't for DU hating on Rand I would never have tried to read the book (only read a fifth of 'Atlas Shrugged' it before getting bored). She is not actually held up as an icon anywhere except here.

[Quixote1818]

5. Well, she obviously came up plenty when Paul Ryan, Glenn Beck, Rand Paul and Ted Cruz

praised the crap out of her. All those nuts and millions of other wealthy Republican's still love her because she allows them to feel good about being greedy and looking down upon people with less money and power than they have. She doesn't come up as much any more because they all know the Atheist thing doesn't fly with the religious base but secretly they still LOVE what she stood for.

[BobTheSubgenius]

8. Yes, I'd say she was quite a topic in the Paul household.

They actually named a child after that pig.

[Jim Lane]

12. Randal Howard Paul was not named after Ayn Rand.

According to his Wikipedia bio, as a child he went by "Randy" but his wife liked "Rand" better.

If he follows in the footsteps of so many other Republicans and gets caught in a sex scandal, we can go back to "Randy".

[beerandjesus]

15. I actually think "Randy" would be an improvement....

..."Rand" sounds like a form of anal sex.

[enki23]

7. Well, sure. It's not like Rand Paul or Ted Cruz or Alan Greenspan have any influence on the right.

Or Paul Ryan, or Charles Murray, or the Cato Institute (formerly: Charles Koch foundation)...

[Raine1967]

11. You didn't watch the video, did you?

John Oliver never mentioned DU.

just saying.

[davidthegnome]

13. I seriously beg to differ.

Okay, so you lurk at Freeperville? Have you ever tried typing the name "Ayn Rand" into the search box? You'll come up with all sorts of stuff. She most certainly IS held up as an icon by various and popular conservatives. Also, if you watch the video, you've got some well known teabag asshats promoting her book and praising her.

The left's obsession is similar to the question posed by the curiosity of John Oliver... why is Ayn Rand still a thing? For anyone? Rational, intelligent people, just can't figure out how anyone but a complete and utter douche bag could praise this person or use her and her work as a sort of foundation for various ideals and opinions regarding politics, government... and how to live our lives.

Any reasonable person in this day and age should do one of two things in regards to Ayn Rand. Consider her as a prime example of how NOT to be a decent human being, or ignore her and everything she stood for. Myself, I think it's important to study the history of assholes and lunatics so we learn how not to behave.

[MisterP]

9. yeah, if anyone's writing laws based on a deranged, chain-smoking, hunchbacked, cruel, antisemitic,

atheistic, racist maniac who celebrated and rewarded the most inhuman, sociopathic and psychopathic amorality whose own friends called her "relentlessly ugly," it ought to be Patricia Highsmith

[Tom Ripley]

10. +1000

Hah!

[redruddyred]

14. I've got to admit

I rather enjoyed her comments about reagan.