Why are objectivists hyping "The Incredibles"?

Danny Taggart's Blogarama ^ | 12/06/2004 | Danny Taggart

[Rightwing Conspiratr1]

I'm breathlessly awaiting a detailed thesis on SpongeBob Squarepants as John Galt.

[hobbes1]

But the worship of the very talented was disturbing.

I would amend that to say the worship of the very talented and driven......

Rand pointed out that some of the talented do not necessarily have the grit and determination to max out their talents.

[escapefromboston]

He was the villain because he was emotionally disturbed. He had everything but lost it all because of his obsession. Plus their are non-powered superheroes.

[hobbes1]

I'm breathlessly awaiting a detailed thesis on SpongeBob Squarepants as John Galt.

Why do you think he moved to the bottom of the ocean ?

Or did i mean, Who is John Galt?????

[lbmorris11]

Were all going to die. AAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH

[the invisib1e hand]

I would amend that to say the worship of the very talented and driven...... Rand pointed out that some of the talented do not necessarily have the grit and determination to max out their talents.

I suppose, though I hadn't seen it this way. Rand was all about "motive power," which, to my way of thinking, is just another definition of "life." Talented and gritless? Not Jim, though. Gritless, yes, but if he had a talent, it was mouching.

I happen to think that a high regard for drive is not worship, any more than a high regard for breathing is worship. It's essential.

[zook]

Actually, for about the first 25 minutes or so, I thought to myself, "This could be a kids version of 'Atlas Shrugged.'" The the plot quickly turned away from that.

[hobbes1]

I suppose, though I hadn't seen it this way.

To me it seems to be the reason that both Henry Cameron, and then later on Steven Mallory, were imbued with some essential weakness, to contrast with Roark......

[montag813]

The proper dichotomy should be, they argue, between the strong and the weak, the able and the incompetent....One of the regular people dares to rise above his station through hard work and innovation.

Huh? this guy must have read a different "Atlas Shrugged" (or "Fountainhead") than did I. Since when is this the "Randian" philosophy?

[SlowBoat407]

Don'tforget that there are those who can create, but they do not have the morality (in the objectivist sense) to use it properly. Syndrome was creative, brilliant, and motivated, but his morality was flawed. It is the morality of your activities that determines whether your other attributes will be a positive or a negative. He could have just as easily created all of his wonderful gadgets and used them properly.

[Kerfuffle]

Point taken... and why did he have to kill off all the superheroes if they were in forced retirement anyway? BTW, has anyone ever noted that the bad guys in James Bond films all seem like Randian heroes (geniuses, rich, knowing that they're superior to most of humanity, believing that they owe the world not a fig, creating cool new technology, etc.?)

[r9etb]

Wow I was wondering what objectivist would think about this.

Bwahahahahahaaaa!!!! That pretty much sums it all up.

[billybudd]

The first part of your quote does apply to Randian philosophy. Ayn Rand's ideal society was one in which the able and strong are free and revered above the incompetent and weak. The second part about "one of the regular people" refers to Syndrome in The Incredibles.

[escapefromboston]

He killed off the superheroes testing his evil destruction machine spider . He knew the superheroes were retired but if a giant evil robot thing attacked they would still try to stop it. He wanted to be the only one to be able to stop it.

Also he is crazy.

In comics when they try to explain what happened to the old war world 2 superheroes they always say it was HUAC that shut them down. In this movie it was scummy lawyers , which seems more realistic to me.

[hobbes1]

Don'tforget that there are those who can create, but they do not have the morality (in the objectivist sense) to use it properly

Well put. In the more obvious sense,and had the author REFLECTED on the movie instead of opining with the stench of popcorn still emaniating from his breath he would have relaised that, Syndrome = Ellsworth Toohey.

[hobbes1]

see above.

[Hildy]

I agree, and I usually hate when people do this after an article like this...but here goes...We went to see The Incredibles a few days ago and I have to say I was bored silly the first 1/2 hour. After that, the sound went off for about 10 minutes and when nobody did anything, I said to my husband, "Let's get our money back and go." I'm assuming the second half was much better than the first.

[sober libertarian]

Not to spilt hairs but The Incredibles is not a cartoon. A cartoon is drawn by hand on a 2D cell (the x and y axis). Bugs bunny is a cartoon, the smurfs is a cartoon. The incredibles is 3D animation. Other than the rules of animation 2D and 3D are completely different! First and most important 3D computer animation is developed with an X, Y, and Z axis!!!!

Again, I dont mean to sound like I am splitting hairs here, but as a 3D animator, I kinda take offense to hearing such amazing cutting edge technology and special effects being called cartoons.

[AmericanChef]

What underlies their confusion is their reflexive attempt to fit cultural narrative of the proper dichotomy between the superficialities of presentation in the fundamental objectivism.

OR, you can just enjoy some animated entertainment.

[Malleus Dei]

Gee, and I thought Syndrome represented Marxism. :)