[extropy-chat] Brian Alexander shooting fish in a barrel

[Mike Lorrey]

--- Anders Sandberg <asa at nada.kth.se> wrote:
> 
> Damien Broderick quoted Brian Alexander:
> > It sometimes sounded as if they were
> > plotting a future world in which they could take revenge on every
> > jock who ever made fun of the smart kids.
> 
> This is true in my case. When I was mobbed in school, I decided to
> change the world so that the kind of people who taunted me would be
> at the bottom and have to learn the stuff they taunted me for
> learning. The irony is that Bill Gates beat me to it.

I recall a movie from the late 80's about three television reporters,
which started with them as kids in the late 60's. The smart one is
shown getting beat up by his catholic school peers, when he says to the
leader,"You'll never earn more than $19,000 a year!" The leader
says,"Nineteen grand? Hey, that's pretty good money! Leave him alone...
"

One of my favorite movie lines.

> 
> But isn't Alexander's description of the early extropians (sounds
> very mid-90's) spot on, in terms of how we did look? These days
> transhumanists
> are less flamboyant and a bit less prone to overstatements (with some
> fortunate/unfortunate exceptions). Probably because we are getting
> mainstream. Yay! ;-)

Well, early extropians were highly Californian... ;) 

> 
> Transhumanist with a suit and tie, and proud of it.

Yes, Richard Boddie, the black libertarian writer, speaker, and former
candidate, spoke at the LPNH convention in November. He said that when
he walked in the door, his first thought was, "COOOL! Libertarians in
suits and ties! These guys have got it together!"

So extropes aren't the only people getting a clue.

=====
Mike Lorrey
"Live Free or Die, Death is not the Worst of Evils."
                                       - Gen. John Stark
"Fascists are objectively pro-pacifist..."
                                       - Mike Lorrey
Do not label me, I am an ism of one...
Sado-Mikeyism: http://mikeysoft.zblogger.com

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