The Hoopiest Atheist?

The Atheist said:
Anyone wanting to play, please list your three hoopiest atheists, along with reasons for their hoopiness - all in your purely subjective opinion!
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Would like to. But apart from the problem to find out whether a given person is atheist or not, what exactly means "hoopy"? Kinda "funny"?

So, for my better understanding, instead of assigning this attribute to such a complex system like a human being, would you be so kind to help me by applying it to a much, much simpler system - music!

Could you sort these three samples by hoopiness and explain why?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6mIk90ORmw (3rd movement only, ending 06:10 or so)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSEqQsAXbJw (skip to 10:00 (no much further), if you don't recognize the melody by around 10:30 you're a moron :D)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qb_jQBgzU-I

Thanks in advance, mate

herzy
 
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Herzblut:

Have you read the original English version of Douglas Adams' The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy?

I don't know what they would have put in the German translation, but 'hoopy frood' is a colloquialism coined by Adams in that book - part of a kind of 'hip' interstellar lingo. If someone calls you a 'hoopy frood', that is a compliment. Hence, The Atheist is a hoopy frood who really knows where his towel is.
 
Herzblut said:
Would like to. But apart from the problem to find out whether a given person is atheist or not, what exactly means "hoopy"? Kinda "funny"?
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:eye-poppi

Mobyseven said:
Herzblut:

Have you read the original English version of Douglas Adams' The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy?

I don't know what they would have put in the German translation, but 'hoopy frood' is a colloquialism coined by Adams in that book - part of a kind of 'hip' interstellar lingo. If someone calls you a 'hoopy frood', that is a compliment. Hence, The Atheist is a hoopy frood who really knows where his towel is.
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Cheers, Moby.

Herz, Moby has explained it right. I am amazed that you, of all people, didn't know it as you have a quote from the same book in your sig!
 
Herzblut said:
Could you sort these three samples by hoopiness and explain why?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6mIk90ORmw (3rd movement only, ending 06:10 or so)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSEqQsAXbJw (skip to 10:00 (no much further), if you don't recognize the melody by around 10:30 you're a moron :D)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qb_jQBgzU-I

Thanks in advance, mate

herzy
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No problem! I terms of music, having Gilmour at #2 should have been a giveaway - I am a musical Philistine.

Of the three you picked, you did well, putting in one I do like, although whether for the ultra-violence or the music, I'm not sure.

Beety boy's Ninth is a magical piece I could listen to all day, while the other two leave me cold, but my intense dislike of Eine klein Nachtmusik was always going to mark it third of any three pieces.

I'm a lot more La Fortuna than La Traviata.

Plus, the bad news is that for "hoopiness" factor, Beethoven only makes it on the back of Malcolm McDowell's Alec in Kubrick's Clockwork Orange.


And for everyone's enjoyment, here is Comfortably Numb!

​
 
The Atheist said:
:eye-poppi
Herz, Moby has explained it right. I am amazed that you, of all people, didn't know it as you have a quote from the same book in your sig!
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Well, that book on my shelf is in German. Don't wanna make stress here but would somebody point me to where in da book the 'hoopy frood' shows up? This way, I can could cross-check my German version.

The whole issue reminds me of the astonishing fact, that many words and phrases lack a counterpart in another language with exactly the same meaning. And language forms thinking, only the expressable is thinkable. Germans think unlike Brits who in turn think unlike Spanish and so on. Anyways...

Thx herz
 
Herzblut said:
Well, that book on my shelf is in German. Don't wanna make stress here but would somebody point me to where in da book the 'hoopy frood' shows up? This way, I can could cross-check my German version.
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I think it was near the mattresses, but I'll check back on that.

Herzblut said:
The whole issue reminds me of the astonishing fact, that many words and phrases lack a counterpart in another language with exactly the same meaning. And language forms thinking, only the expressable is thinkable. Germans think unlike Brits who in turn think unlike Spanish and so on. Anyways...

Thx herz
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Abolutely.

That's why we're ensuring English is the world's lingua franca - so you'll all think like us!!!!
 
The Atheist said:
Youm mean Howard Stanton Levey?

Or, as he has been referred to, "Anton Oy Vey"!
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That's the one. Though I do believe he's better known by the name I used.. Howie doesn't really cut it for a Satanist.

Interested to see how promoting Satanism makes him have a "hefty pair"? Of chalices?
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Gonads. And for creating a "religion" that attempts to be the opposite of Christianity. Earns points in my book anyway, successful or otherwise. *shrug*
 
I'd play, but I hate references to that crappy book so much I just can't do it. The Hitchhikers Guide to Overrated Snoozeville, USA.
 
Kilgore Trout said:
Gonads. And for creating a "religion" that attempts to be the opposite of Christianity. Earns points in my book anyway, successful or otherwise. *shrug*
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Well, he borrowed it from elsewhere, there's absolutely nothing new in Satanism. As with any brand of certain philosophy like christianity, there will always be young and gullible people to sell the antithesis too.

Sure, I'd give him a few points for being successful and more widely-known than should have been his rite of passage, but I still see no gonads in it. Appealing to the lowest common demoninator [sic!] doesn't take a great deal of testicular fortitude. Thick skin, maybe.
 
Wheezebucket said:
I'd play, but I hate references to that crappy book so much I just can't do it. The Hitchhikers Guide to Overrated Snoozeville, USA.
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I can understand your not liking the book.

You're quite welcome to just give your three favourite atheists while shredding a towel in dishonour of Towel Day, even. I'm sure Douglas himself would have been quite happy for people to take a stance that his trilogy in five parts was naught but a pile of foetid dingoes kidneys.

This may have already happened.
 
The Atheist said:
I can understand your not liking the book.

You're quite welcome to just give your three favourite atheists while shredding a towel in dishonour of Towel Day, even. I'm sure Douglas himself would have been quite happy for people to take a stance that his trilogy in five parts was naught but a pile of foetid dingoes kidneys.

This may have already happened.
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Well I DO share his love of towels, so I guess our spirits CAN hug a little.

1) Sagan
2) Randi
3) Jem (of Jem and the Holograms)
 
In no particular order:

David Hume (gotta love a guy who could eat a side of cow at a sitting, philosophize with the best of them, and then throw up his hands, say "wasn't that fun" and play backgammon for the rest of the night).

Ambrose Bierce (I assume he was atheist, but the Devil's Dictionary should get him on the list whether or not he was)

and a tie between Richard Feynman ('cause he's Feynman) and Steven Weinberg (because I went to med school with his daughter)
 
grayman said:
3) Christopher Hitchens
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Does angry drunk count has hoopy?

He sure does give me lots of joy in watching the videos of him appearing on Faux News Channel to tout his book and to dis Jerry Falwell in death though.
 
Here are some hoopy froods who really know where their towels are:

Joseph Stalin - Stalin was not a model atheist. In fact he was an insane dictator who slaughtered millions on paranoid suspicion alone, and tried to replace the church with his personality cult. But I do enjoy it when certain religious people try to discuss atheism it all turns into "AAAAAGH! STALIN STALIN STALIN STALIN STALIN STALIN!" I mean, if communism is based on so much atheism, no wonder it has a whole lot in common with the early church practices of property sharing as described in the New Testament... Great Boogeyman Stalin cannot be ignored or trivialized, only flung into conversations when it's time to abandon all sense.

Madalyn Murray O'Hair - More commonly known as "Satan," or "The Antichrist." Tried to defect to the USSR, and when that didn't work, she banned prayer in schools. Helped perpetuate a thousand myths that atheism was actually communism and that banning prayer from schools was one step in the Evil Atheist Conspiracy to take God away from everybody. Considering that she was an evil communist with atheist agenda, they're not far off. By the way, her rebellious son became a fundie.

Voltaire - He once that in a couple centuries or so, nobody would read the bible anymore. Not only was he right, but nowadays nobody reads anything else, either. Best known for crushing infamous things, organized religion among them. I could have sworn Catholics still hate the Enlightenment because of Voltaire...
 
c4ts said:
Voltaire - He once that in a couple centuries or so, nobody would read the bible anymore. Not only was he right, but nowadays nobody reads anything else, either. Best known for crushing infamous things, organized religion among them. I could have sworn Catholics still hate the Enlightenment because of Voltaire...
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Seconded. I almost put Voltaire too.
 
Ichneumonwasp said:
David Hume (gotta love a guy who could eat a side of cow at a sitting, philosophize with the best of them, and then throw up his hands, say "wasn't that fun" and play backgammon for the rest of the night).
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Good call!

Of the older time philosophers and atheists, he was definitely one with a sense of humour.

c4ts said:
Voltaire - He once that in a couple centuries or so, nobody would read the bible anymore. Not only was he right, but nowadays nobody reads anything else, either. Best known for crushing infamous things, organized religion among them. I could have sworn Catholics still hate the Enlightenment because of Voltaire...
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Can't agree he was right; lots of people still read the bible and read nothing but the bible and religion in some parts [read: USA] is as strong as ever. I thought about Voltaire but figured he had enough kudos with electricity. ;)
 
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