Tumblr Users Declare Oscar Isaac Problematic for His 2009 Ayn Rand T-Shirt

Jessica Lachenal

Published: Jan 5, 2016 03:27 pm

This article is over 8 years old and may contain outdated information

oscar isaac has an atlas shrugged tshirt and i feel deeply betrayed! pic.twitter.com/h0BR0YW4Gd

— fiona (@presscolour) January 3, 2016

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So … okay. Let’s unpack this one slowly. Apparently, a photo of Oscar Isaac has surfaced wherein he’s wearing one of those book cover t-shirts featuring Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged. This represents a problem because of Rand’s strong Objectivist philosophy, which is nearly parallel with libertarian ideals combined with capitalist leanings—something that Tumblr (as well as many people in general) find distasteful.

The reactions from various people on Tumblr have really run the gamut, encompassing every feeling from, “It’s okay, just focus on Poe,” to complete betrayal. Perhaps most interesting are the Tumblr users who don’t quite get why others might find Atlas Shrugged problematic. Typically assumed to be from a younger subset, they’re reblogging the photo asking just what exactly is wrong with the t-shirt.

The Daily Dot has rounded up the best reactions and threads, and you should definitely head on over there to check them out. Take note of the tags on the photos, where a lot of the reactions reside.

This isn’t just confined to Tumblr, mind you. Twitter has caught wind of the photo and, more importantly, Tumblr’s reaction to said photo, which they find kind of funny.

i’m still thinking about how tumblr is acting like they would not smash oscar isaac just bc of ayn rand. YOU’RE ALL LIARS

— arabelle sicardi (@arabellesicardi) January 5, 2016

in the space of less than 24 hours, the Oscar Isaac/Ayn Rand discourse has gotten OUTTA CONTROL. tumblr, i salute u.

— Gavia Baker-Whitelaw (@Hello_Tailor) January 4, 2016

The real winner, though?

I call this “Atlas Shrugged First”, inspired by @tumblr and @ericgeller #StarWarsForceAwakens #aynrand pic.twitter.com/hj8hgM1BJE

— Challenger (@bakedinapie) January 5, 2016

Damn it, BB-8. We trusted you.

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Author

Jessica Lachenal

Jessica Lachenal is a writer who doesn’t talk about herself a lot, so she isn’t quite sure how biographical info panels should work. But here we go anyway. She's the Weekend Editor for The Mary Sue, a Contributing Writer for The Bold Italic (thebolditalic.com), and a Staff Writer for Spinning Platters (spinningplatters.com). She's also been featured in Model View Culture and Frontiers LA magazine, and on Autostraddle. She hopes this has been as awkward for you as it has been for her.