Randian Doom
All quotes appropriately researched and sourced.
Ayn Rand, for those unfamiliar, is the pioneer of Objectivist thought. I’ll try to keep my personal feelings out of Objectivist philosophy, but, oh fuck, I just compared her to Dr. Doom so go figure where I stand on her beliefs.
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-COF
March 30th, 2011 at 4:52 pm
LOL!!!!
how did you know how i, too, felt about ayn rand?
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March 30th, 2011 at 4:53 pm
oh, by the by, that is a bad-ass DOOM in the first panel
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March 30th, 2011 at 5:06 pm
An Atlas Shrugged movie, eh?
Gosh, I can feel my ass cramping already.
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March 30th, 2011 at 5:15 pm
I would absolutely buy a comic where Ayn Rand plots revenge on that damnable Richards. Moleman Shrugged.
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March 30th, 2011 at 5:37 pm
But Doom is awesome … Does this mean you think Ayn Rand is awesome?
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March 30th, 2011 at 6:57 pm
Stop hating on my m-Ayn, ok. If I hated everything that hipsters ruined for everyone else, I would make fun of converse and mustaches and neck tattoos and, um, oops nevermind.
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March 30th, 2011 at 7:15 pm
In the immortal words of The Beaglez: Politics has gone to the dogs!
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March 30th, 2011 at 9:08 pm
I am calling this a wrap on all webcomics every where, because the art form clearly peaks right here with this strip.
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March 30th, 2011 at 9:24 pm
lookin’ forward to 2013 when I don’t have to hear hipsters whine about rand anymore
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March 30th, 2011 at 9:31 pm
wahts a hipster….. ????
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March 30th, 2011 at 9:32 pm
maybea car or something i guess…??
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March 30th, 2011 at 9:32 pm
or dog
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March 30th, 2011 at 9:34 pm
who is ann rand.. i kno dr dooms
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March 30th, 2011 at 9:35 pm
y does a dog whine about ann rand
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March 30th, 2011 at 9:36 pm
is it dr dooms dog?? he has robots not dogs wtff
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March 30th, 2011 at 9:37 pm
go fetch this stik doombots lol
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March 30th, 2011 at 9:38 pm
peace..
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March 30th, 2011 at 9:40 pm
This is the most amazing thing that I have ever seen. Ever.
Seriously, fantastic job!
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March 30th, 2011 at 11:21 pm
why is “Rand” upside down?
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March 30th, 2011 at 11:52 pm
Anonymous – What happens in 2013? Is it going to become illegal to talk about Ayn Rand then or will we all be given powerful, mind altering drugs that make us all forget that she ever existed? Or is this about the world ending in 2012? If it’s a world ending kind of thing, I guess you’d technically be right, but you also wouldn’t have to worry about hearing anyone complain about anything… because we’ll all be dead.
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March 30th, 2011 at 11:54 pm
Kim – It’s like those puzzles and trivia questions in comics and magazines (or wherever) where they put the answer upside down to make it harder to look at the answer for about half a second.
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March 31st, 2011 at 12:04 am
Thank you, Haley. My brain isn’t working today. I thought maybe Rand spelled upside down was Doom’s name. Hahaha <3
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March 31st, 2011 at 5:38 am
Eyeroll. So many of Rand’s detractors (and so many of her “fans”) really do not understand the lady and her work at all.
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March 31st, 2011 at 7:48 am
@Jaye – I agree. It’s especially frustrating when you know a particular critic hasn’t even read Atlas Shrugged prior to dismissing it (even if you think a particular critic is super awesome in every other way, <3).
But, then, defending Ayn Rand also makes you look lame, since everyone just dismisses you as a hipster right off and uses all their preconceived ideas about things to decide that you're a particular type of crazy.
THAT'S WHY I STICK TO TALKING ABOUT BRITNEY SPEARS
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March 31st, 2011 at 9:13 am
that’s a pretty bad ass looking dr. doom in both panels. the shading and coloring in this strip is outstanding. your best yet.
i really don’t know that much about ayn rand except that glenn beck digs her and that in some circles she’s considered a bit of a cunt. most hipsters are a bit of a cunt as well.
but you guys…still awesome.
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March 31st, 2011 at 9:50 am
First off, this is totally funny, and pretty dead on. That said, both Rand and Doom have their good points. (Since Rand has never been a dictator or killed anyone that I know of, I’d say she is more easily redeemed.) Both tend to use reason and logic in their decision making, both value the self very highly, and both take a certain amount of pride in being intellectual outsiders.
Doom as a flawed objectivist is a very interesting take. Lex Luthor has very much fallen into that mold. Batman, albeit less overtly so. And of course Ditko’s creations, Mr. A and the Question, and their progeny, Rorschach.
She’s a very interesting character, Ayn is.
btw, the last one is actually Doom for comedic effect, right?
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March 31st, 2011 at 10:31 am
This is brilliant. Philosophers, myself included, will love this. Well done, Curt and Chris!
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March 31st, 2011 at 10:48 am
Wait, Hipsters are into Ayn Rand?
I am so out of touch.
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March 31st, 2011 at 11:14 am
Joel – I couldn’t tell if that anonymous commenter was saying hipsters like Ayn Rand or don’t.
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March 31st, 2011 at 5:43 pm
Guys, we’re all missing the point here:
Hipster Doomdogs whine about Ayn Rand
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March 31st, 2011 at 9:44 pm
Instead of a Jack Kirby character, we really should use a Steve Ditko villain here…
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March 31st, 2011 at 11:46 pm
Is it unhealthy that I have ALWAYS wanted a Doom-Cloak?
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April 1st, 2011 at 2:31 am
I first learned of Ayn Rand when I was 15. It was in an issue of Frank Miller’s Dark Knight Strikes Again.
[IMG]http://i53.tinypic.com/oac414.jpg[/IMG]
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April 1st, 2011 at 10:18 am
Locke – Not at all.
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April 1st, 2011 at 11:30 am
If only Ayn Rand had channeled her emotional scars into building a machine that summons the devil instead of writing 500 page straw man arguments. What might the world have been?
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April 2nd, 2011 at 11:33 am
I think it’s interesting that the last quote is clearly not an Ayn Rand quote, but an attempt to smear Ayn Rand by implying that it is. Ayn Rand believes in individual rights and in each individual pursuing life and happiness without encroaching on the rights of others. So, that is a fundamentally dishonest cartoon strip. The other quotes are hers, and ask your self what the alternative is to either of them. If you believe in dictatorship, where others rule your life, then you would hate those quotes. However, if you believe you have the right to your life, you would love them. So, take your pick.
I call this cartoon weasely, due to its inherent dishonesty. Sad commentary on the cartoonist.
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April 2nd, 2011 at 11:48 am
I agree with John Alway. The cartoonist lies in the final frame. If you confuse Ayn Rand with Dr. Doom, you are simply ignorant. As if a desire to be free constitutes a desire to be a rule all mankind! By this logic, if you don’t want to live *by permission of others*, you are a villain.
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April 2nd, 2011 at 2:45 pm
Yo dudes, have a sense of humor. This is a joke comic, not a grad thesis.
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April 2nd, 2011 at 2:51 pm
Actually, I just looked up Rand quotes about having a sense of humor and found this.
“. . . humor is a destructive element—which is quite all right, but its value and its morality depend on what it is that you are laughing at. If what you are laughing at is the evil in the world (provided that you take it seriously, but occasionally you permit yourself to laugh at it), that’s fine. [To] laugh at that which is good, at heroes, at values, and above all at yourself [is] monstrous . . . . The worst evil that you can do, psychologically, is to laugh at yourself. That means spitting in your own face.”
Jeez. That does not sound like a fun philosophy.
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April 2nd, 2011 at 7:15 pm
She’s just saying: “Have some self-respect, man. You are not a joke — don’t treat yourself as one.” Where’s the fun in believing: “I’m a joke.” ?
Take yourself seriously. Yes, laugh at the jams you might get into, but get out of them and move on with pride. If you laugh too much at yourself, you might end up believing you are too much of a joke to be worthy of finding your way out of a jam.
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April 2nd, 2011 at 9:09 pm
As a long time comic collector, I saw a link to this on Facebook, and wanted to check it out, it sounded funny. Now honestly, it’s pretty lame since THERE ARE NO QUOTES FROM THE ACTUAL DR. DOOM to compare to the Ayn Rand Quotes- And to think you want to lampoon and highlight the difference, you need to actually put the good Doctor’s quotes out there, or why not just call this Ayn Rand Vs. Cobra Commander, or Ayn Rand Vs. Starscream? So for the sake of people that actually read and appreciate comics- here are some real quotes from Dr. Doom…..
“I require accommodations for a few days. Nothing too elaborate. The Royal Suite will suffice!”
“Do you know why men call me DOOM?”
“You dare to impugn my honesty? I, the Lord of Latveria? The mightiest of monarchs?”
It is beyond belief! The flower of my robot corps going down in dismal defeat!
My hounds lust for the taste of warm, wolfish blood!
They will do as they are told! The hounds know their master! And you, Gretchen! do you know?
But now Doom will be avenged, cur, by tearing you apart with my own armored hands!
I could slay you in an instance for entering my presence unannounced.
“You dared lay a hand upon the sacrosanct person of your lord and master??!”
“I have been informed that my devoted subjects actually dance in the streets at the merest mention of my name!”
“The World itself belongs to — Doctor Doom!”
“You insufferable — unspeakable blot on the escutcheon of humanity–
Prepar to me the fate you sorely deserve!”
“Never again will you be able to strike your master!”
“I am possessed of power which defies description–and yet you dare lecture to me?!”
“Your fortuitous arrival is most welcome! Now, I am spared the bother of hunting you down!”
“And so Doctor Doom is supreme once more–as he shall ever be!”
“There can be no greater punishment for you than the knowledge that you are totally helpless!”
“You unselfish concern touches me deeply, you unearthly clod!”
“I am too powerful–too totally supreme — to give vent to common anger!”
“On your knees, you sentienceless savage!”
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April 3rd, 2011 at 12:16 am
I’m not sure the cartoonist is being dishonest in the last panel. He seems to think what Doom says lines up perfectly with what Rand says in the prior panel. And since it’s so over the top, we’re supposed to know that’s Doom, not Rand.
He just doesn’t understand Rand at all, but has the pretentiousness to critique her without the faintest idea of what she represents. The whole point of Rand, in terms of ethics is that people should neither be slaves nor masters. But the cartoonist takes the idea “I need to warrant for my existence” (i.e. I do not need permission from anyone to exist, if “warrant” is too hard for you to grasp) as a declaration of domination over others. The cartoonist is stuck in the idea that everyone must either be a master or a slave; a sheep or a wolf – which is the age-old view that Rand is arguing against.
I’ll bet the cartoonist(s) have never actually read anything by Rand – they just know they don’t like it, googled up some good quotes, and made a pretty cartoon around it. It’s easy when you’re drawing a picture to think that you understand an issue. It’s much harder to fake it if you have to actually write a few sentences about why you think your viewpoint holds water.
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April 3rd, 2011 at 9:01 am
Thank goodness someone finally called you guys out and provided some content for people who actually read and appreciate comics. That’s what’s been missing, around here.
The declarations of your dishonesty and lameness, however, are old news.
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April 3rd, 2011 at 3:17 pm
Y’all’re just being jerks.
This is funny.
I still love you LBFA. Don’t stop. Never Stop.
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April 3rd, 2011 at 3:51 pm
Thank god for Randroids.
Someone has to have even more impoverished senses of humor than we Marxists.
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April 3rd, 2011 at 3:59 pm
I like how dudes are talkin’ about Curt and Chris like this isn’t their website or something
“The cartoonist(s)”
hahaha
These comments sure turned “Um, Actually” fast, didn’t they
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April 3rd, 2011 at 4:27 pm
The comments section on a webcomic: the perfect place to post your massive political/philosophical broadside!
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April 3rd, 2011 at 4:28 pm
Who would have guessed that Rand acolytes would lack a sense of humor?
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April 3rd, 2011 at 10:24 pm
Those “the cartoonist” references make it. Who writes an essay on Ayn Rand in the comments thread of a webcomic?
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April 3rd, 2011 at 11:13 pm
Randroids giving you engraved invitations.
As they say on 4chan . . .
Bueno.
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April 4th, 2011 at 12:47 am
LOL, i go away for a few days and come back to the most epic webcomic comments thread ever :p
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April 4th, 2011 at 1:38 pm
[...] on MondaysMartiniManJoe on Shane’s Sick
kay west on Shane’s Sick 
SexyBlackPat! on Randian DoomAndrew on Randian DoomAnthony on Randian DoomDin on Shane’s Sick 
Dylan on Randian [...]
April 4th, 2011 at 1:57 pm
So, uh… All you Rand fans out there.
You are aware that Ayn Rand is unequivocally documented as eating kittens, right?
That’s a Flash Fact.
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April 4th, 2011 at 5:39 pm
You forgot Rand’s other quote !
“YOU DO UNDERSTAND? YOU MEAN NOTHING TO ME! YOU’RE A FAT PIECE OF FURNITURE I MIGHT NEED FOR TRADE! SO SHUT YOUR COW’S MOUTH OR I’LL REMOVE YOUR FACE BY HAND BEFORE I STOP YOUR WHORE’S HEART!”
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April 4th, 2011 at 7:44 pm
hey guys, it’s been a while. i just thought i’d drop in and sa-WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?!
seriously, the overt hypocrisy of saying someone’s opinion isn’t valid because you assume they aren’t informed when you yourself have no knowledge of those you accuse?
painting a good picture for why i should support your argument there, buddy
please stop sullying the name of Steve Rogers with your humorless anger
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April 5th, 2011 at 2:16 am
The actual Doom quotes provided by Jason Lenox really ruin the joke. I realize that I’ve read such a small portion of the Dr Doom stories out there that my vision of him is a bit divorced from reality.
Sigh… at least I’ll always have Doom 2099.
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April 10th, 2011 at 10:52 pm
[...] Let’s Be Friends Again: It’s a comic… about comics! These guys are tied to references to the whole medium of comics and, moreover, to the various mythologies of these comic franchises. It’s a pretty great comic and has got some pretty great one-shots and attempts at interlinking posts. The link is to their comic which compares Dr. Doom to Ayn Rand (totally fair). [...]
April 11th, 2011 at 1:44 am
Rand can be a bit much at times, but then, so, too, is this. There is a difference between insisting that you are your own property and not the property of others and plotting to take over the world. One might even say they are opposites.
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April 11th, 2011 at 7:20 pm
AHAHAHAHAAAH~
Oh yes, I remember reading Atlas Shrugged.
It was… eloquent.
That eloquence allowed people to accept its messages as the truth, without realizing that it had passed over several gaping holes in its hypotheses. Ah, well, that’s the power of well-made media.
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April 11th, 2011 at 10:45 pm
[...] And lastly, a quiz. Is it Ayn Rand or Dr. Doom? [...]
April 12th, 2011 at 1:34 pm
Michael Shermer was into Rand before becoming a skeptic. He’s got a very nice debunkination of her, if you are interested. Run google dat. And he knows her quite well. But I’m confused. Liking Rand is yes-hipster or no-hipster? Because Alan Greenspan and most libertarians are into her, and are they hipsters? The best way to spot a Rand-hater is look for the folks with philosophy degrees.
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April 12th, 2011 at 5:41 pm
Rand’s philosophy of individualism highlights personal responsibility, the power of reason, and the importance of morality. This is a bad thing how?
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Curt Reply:
August 10th, 2011 at 3:03 am
you cherry picked ideas. not acceptable.
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April 15th, 2011 at 4:39 pm
“There are two novels that can change a bookish fourteen-year old’s life: Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings and Rand’s 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.”
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May 3rd, 2011 at 10:23 pm
@eve poker `…highlights personal responsibility, the power of reason, and the importance of morality’ did we read the same book? All her heroes were selfish a#$%holes and the badguys were barely two dimensional strawmen, the only thing Atlas Shugged highlights is that some people are amazingly simplistic in their thinking and confuse that with being `logical’.
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May 20th, 2011 at 10:25 pm
i guess the author was trying to make us think rand sucks by comparing her to dr. doom? welp, sorry to say but I think both ayn rand and doctor doom rule and this webcomic author is a hack. go diaf
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Curt Reply:
August 10th, 2011 at 3:04 am
gotta say: doctor doom? rules. ayn rand? not so much. the use of “diaf” as a pejorative? owns. +1.
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May 21st, 2011 at 12:45 pm
Hear that, Curt? You’re an author!
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May 25th, 2011 at 8:42 pm
[...] goes the dynamite. Quiz and comic from Let’s be Friends Again. Ayn, ayn rand, dc comic, doom doom, dr doom, dynamite, Guess, Objectivist, philosopher, Quiz, [...]
June 5th, 2011 at 7:02 pm
[...] Randian Doom [...]
August 9th, 2011 at 3:08 am
This is hilarious. Anything that brings the Randroids out in force against you means you said something right.
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August 9th, 2011 at 8:10 pm
You guys sticking up for Rand are dipshits.
John Alway: “Ayn Rand believes in individual rights and in each individual pursuing life and happiness without encroaching on the rights of others. So, that is a fundamentally dishonest cartoon strip.”
Bullshit. Ayn Rand’s personal hero and prime inspiration was a serial killer. A serial killer! His name was William Hickman, and she wrote all about him in her journals, about how much of a superman he was and how he was refusing to live for others by refusing to follow their morals. He kidnapped a 12-year-old girl, murdered her, removed her internal organs, and returned the rest of her dismembered body to her family. Was Ayn Rand against encroaching on the rights of that girl to keep her organs intact? No. What about her right not to be kidnapped? Nope. Ayn Rand claims to support individuals respecting the rights of others, but the more you read her work and analyze it deeply, the more obvious it becomes that she actually believes in each individual pursuing life and happiness REGARDLESS of whether doing so encroaches on the rights of others. The fact that people want incompatible things is no hindrance to Rand: when all pursue their wants at once they will have to fight it out and the powerful will win, which is Rand’s ultimate goal. She never cared one whit for the rights of the weak.
John Paquette: “If you confuse Ayn Rand with Dr. Doom, you are simply ignorant. As if a desire to be free constitutes a desire to be a rule all mankind!” Yes, a desire to be free to do whatever you please, even when what you please involves using the economic system to make others unfree and have them do your bidding, and even when what you please involves murdering other people, yeah, that’s pretty similar to a desire to rule all mankind. Can you spot the difference? I can’t. And those two things I just mentioned were things Ayn Rand actually, in real fact, supported real people’s freedom to do. So how is it a smear to compare that to Doom, exactly?
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August 22nd, 2011 at 8:59 am
Agreed. I’m reading Atlas Shrugged right now, and I swear it sounds like the eulogy to a supervillain. Phegh.
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August 23rd, 2011 at 8:16 pm
I want it on record that I am deeply offended at your portrayal…of Dr. Doom.
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October 18th, 2011 at 1:49 pm
funniest videos…
[...]Randian Doom | Let's Be Friends Again[...]…
May 10th, 2012 at 9:24 pm
[...] Doom goes the dynamite. Quiz and comic from Let’s be Friends Again. [...]
June 3rd, 2012 at 1:26 pm
make your own solar panel…
[...]Let's Be Friends Again » Archive » Randian Doom[...]…
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