Who is your favourite magnificent bastard?
“Rommel, you magnificent bastard. I’ve read your book!” — from Francis Ford Coppola’s “Patton”
A magnificent bastard is, roughly translated, a person with whom you might not agree, who may in fact be a mortal foe — but for whom you have a grudging respect, in the way that sometimes a good enemy can be better than a bad friend.
Who would you consider to be at the top of your list of magnificent bastards?
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To answer my own question, I think Fidel Castro would have to go at the top of my list. His authoritarianism, arrogance, and willingness to “disappear” anarchists who question his rule makes him an evil son of a bitch… but anyone who can tell the United States to kiss his ass for 50 years — and make it stick — has my respect. Fidel, you magnificent bastard!
First off, Franklin J. Schaffner directed Patton, which was written by Francis Coppola. Ridley Scott had nothing to do with it. You may be confusing him with the actor who played Patton, George C. Scott.
But that doesn’t make you my magnificent bastard.
Steve Jobs got his start making a machine that could help you defraud the phone company.
He found out his girlfriend was pregnant, and dumped her, and denied parentage of the child.
He screwed over his business partners, costing them millions of dollars.
Yet he was a visionary, an oracle, and an incredible salesman.
Steve is my magnificent bastard.
@filmfann You are of course correct. I’m getting this sent back to editing to fix the mistake.
Sorry, this damn time machine has the jitters.
This guy I know.
Incredibly brilliant, incredibly witty, incredibly amazing, and can be incredibly kind… but despises any compliment and seems to be reclusively misanthropic. He defines his distances firmly.
He’s easy to love but also annoyingly exasperating. I have high respect for him, but at the same time, I know our friendship is on his terms and on his time.
Once I understood the exact nature of this guy, he wasn’t that had to accept—at least he’s clear on where the rest of the world stands with him. He’s not an enemy, at any cost, but definitely a “magnificent bastard.”
Stephanie Meyers. The Twilight books are terribly written, and they send a really bad message to every person who reads them regardless of age, gender, sexual preference or any other factor, really yet she has made a huge amount of money off them and there are four major motion pictures of her books and a fifth on the way. She really is a magnificent bastard.
so this thread isn’t about @Fiddle_Playing_Creole_Bastard?
@linguaphile ”...reclusively misanthropic…”
Your word craft is nonpareil.
@RealEyesRealizeRealLies Whilst a certain sequipedalian predilection can be demonstrative of erudition, I do not esteem it perforce meritorious.
Of course @SmashTheState. Those on the outside of an inside jest typically wouldn’t. ;)
Newt Gingrich is a magnificent bastard. In his political and personal life he is a veritable slimeball, but I have grudging respect for his knowledge, political acumen, persistence and ability to think on his feet. He pretty much runs circles around the rest of the Republican candidates. If he becomes the Republican nominee, I look forward to debates between him and Obama. I hope that old Newt will have met his match.
You, @SmashTheState. Well, in the Flutherverse, anyway. We’ve tangled quite a few times, but I still admire your passion and commitment to your cause(s).
@Fiddle_Playing_Creole_Bastard Yep, about time you showed up here. :D
Somehow, I think the adventurer in your avatar could easily have been considered a ‘magnificient bastard’ by some, eh?
@linguaphile I’ve totally been monitoring this thread for a while in hopes of an opportune moment.
And you could say that, probably. I have gotten into arguments with both modern liberals and conservatives about TR in this sense, before. The libs I’m talking about would probably consider him a “magnificent bastard” because his love of hunting and guns and kicking ass upset them, but they love his progressive social policies. As for the conservatives, they would probably think of him in the same light because of they love his billy-badass nature, but get butthurt over his presidency. From my perspective, he’s just magnificent. No bastard clause required.
Jim J. Bullock.
he knows why
Oh, I know who. Kierkegaard. Fuckin Kierkegaard. The guy has a way of being fascinating and erudite as he talks utter nonsense.
In a philosophy cage match I pit him against Hegel. I just want to see if either of them has it in them to make a direct hit without endlessly circling round their target and hopelessly diluting their attack with pseudo-intellectual fooferaw.
@fundevogel . . . I’ll buy tickets to that bout as long as Gurdjieff is the ref.
Germany/Germans. They’re just so efficient in everything they do. (wince)
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