Conservatives and "Atlas Shrugged."

[Captain Hilts]

This is from the Washington Times, of all papers, and is an interesting read:

http://washingtontimes.com/news/2009/may/15/edge-conservatives-and-atlas-shrugged/

...

The Ayn Rand Institute this week announced that sales of the novel "Atlas Shrugged" by the eponymous high priestess of capitalism have tripled in the first four months of 2009 compared to the same period last year — all but guaranteeing a new annual record to top last year's benchmark of 200,000.

That this turgid, tedious novel, published in 1957, has continually found fellow travelers on the right is a great oddity of American intellectual life. In his dismissive review of the book, Whittaker Chambers, then at National Review, called it "remarkably silly" and "preposterous" — which no doubt suited Miss Rand just fine.

...

Conservatives' embrace of "Atlas Shrugged" today is nothing more than blinkered escapist fantasy — rather like a besieged army turning to Norse mythology or J.R.R. Tolkien to boost morale.

More at link.

[billyoc]

1. Turner Diaries for the rich.

[Captain Hilts]

4. That's a good one!

[billyoc]

6. Not too "over the top"?

:rofl:

[DinahMoeHum]

2. IMO, it's a POS book on par with L. Ron Hubbard's "Dianetics".

:evilfrown:

[Captain Hilts]

3. Well, this guy admits it's a tough/lousy read. The movie is an unintentional laugh riot.

I've never attempted to read it despite folks thinking I might find it interesting.

I refuse to work at liking things. That's why I didn't watch DS9 for very long. After about 4 episodes I realized I just didn't like it, even if a lot of folks did.

[RandomThoughts]

5. LOL That is so funny.

Conservatives' embrace of "Atlas Shrugged" today is nothing more than blinkered escapist fantasy — rather like a besieged army turning to Norse mythology or J.R.R. Tolkien to boost morale.

Zing....

:rofl:

Note: And we were the defenders, go back and read LOTR, It was Sauron on the march at both Gondor and Helms Deep. No wonder the guy, (although I agree Rand is wrong), doesn't have a clue about the other battle, he doesn't even know who is manning the walls.

However it is not turning to any one set of stories, it is to show a cumulative repeated story through many different stories, showing a consistency in the human condition, and who people want to be.

The consistency in story, is the dream of what we stridently wish for, in that the stories we embrace show the world we want. and those stories are only missing the actual 'actions' to put the themes of the worlds, told of in those stories, into practice in our own world. And that is merely a choice. People can also choose to put the themes of Rand's stories into action and make that kind of world if they wanted.

In that way, Ann Rand does the same thing. But she tells it from a different set of philosophies, I would assume, that are also mirrored in many other tales from that side of the argument. However, there are questions of feasibility. Questions shown to have merit in our own history. Ghandi-"think about it, every empire, every tyrant ever created has failed"-Paraphrase.

To answer Ann Rand, I leave you with the story that has both sides, Star Trek's "Miror Miror", and a paraphrasing of a question from Kirk to the alternative Spock from the 'anything goes' mirror world. "If you know your method of rule is doomed to fail, based on its own flaws, how can your logic defend it"?

[Tesha]

7. Well, it was actually Saruman's army on the march at Helm's Deep,

but because he was Sauron's proxy, we'll let you get away with it.

Tesha

[RandomThoughts]

9. Nice catch.

It reveals partly how I think on things,

the thoughts that when we do good, many times we are doing the work of the source of good, and when we do evil, many times we are doing the work of the source of evil.

For me, it makes the choice of what we do, matter that much more.

It reveals something of the thought process on a bigger topic.

[OHdem10]

8. Atlas Shrugged--Character had ethical standards . Unfortunately

Capitalism can be played either ethically or unethically.

The Current GOP gave us Enron and all those corrupt players,
the Wall Street Meltdown--The Financial Crisis--absence of
any regulation or standards. The list goes on and on.
Oh yes, the crooks in Forecloser of Homes.

Ayn Rand is turning over in her grave.