The Ayn Rand Appreciation Thread

[God23]

Tell us the ways you hate the beyatch's novels and how much you disdain the way she influenced today's neocons.

Did anyone else hear Speedy Gonzales (john Bolton) deny he was a neocon to Chris Matthews the other night?????

[mitchum]

1. Alice Rosenbaum was a rotten philosopher, rotten novelist, and rotten human being

[annabanana]

2. (probably copied from another DU poster)

Ella turned towards the window, folded her arms, and said, "Kent, I cannot understand why you read that drivel. If there's anything worse than a bad political philosopher, it's a bad political philosopher who writes bad novels to present her flawed ideas. It's bad enough when she writes nonfiction works that foist assertions and conjecture on the reader and tries to pass it off as 'reason', but when she tries to dress it up in a fictional work with one-dimensional characters and a cheesy plot, it's downright putrid. I'd go so far as to say that her writings dishonor the thousands of years of evolution required for humans to develop language skills.

"The worst element of her 'writing' is how utterly ridiculous the dialogue is. In real life people converse with one another, they don't take turns delivering speeches to one another. If she'd ever spent anytime actually interacting with another human being who wasn't clinically insane, she'd know this and it would be reflected in her writing.

"Furthermore, don't you think she could go to more effort to be a bit more terse? I mean, Jesus Christ, I've seen bumperstickers that are more nuanced than one of her novels, so I don't see why she can't be more succinct in the exposition of her cheap little 'ideas'. Does it really take an 800 page novel to say "guvmint bad, capitalism good"?

"Face it, Kent. She's a second-rate hack that makes Jackie Collins look like Dostoevsky. Put that shit down and do something a bit more intellectually engaging. For instance, there's a Dukes of Hazzard marathon on the country network. Try watching that instead."

Kent set the book on the table and glanced up at Ella.

"Ella," he said, "I see your collectivist friends have poisoned your mind with these bizarre ideas about word economy and multi-dimensional characters. Such things are only devices to enslave the Individualist. Every word the Individualist says is a gift to the universe, so the universe benefits the more he speaks. Hence all this silliness about being brief when trying to make a point does not apply to the Individualist.

"Let's be clear, Ella, that when I say the Individualist gives a gift to the world by expressing his thoughts, it is not altruism that motivates the giving of this gift. No. No. No. Altruism is an evil sentiment that only results in atrocities like child labor laws and homeless people being fed. Thus the Individualist is ego-driven. By satisfying my own desires and showing complete contempt for the needs of others, I make the laissez-faire capitalist system work as it should and the benefits rain down on everyone. Although many economists prefer to use the term 'trickle down.'

"For instance, when I enriched your life last week by giving you a 45 minute lecture on the necessity of abolishing the capital gains tax, I didn't do it because I wanted to please you. Rather I did it because I love the sound of my own voice. The fact that you were enlightened by my observations is only secondary. Nevertheless it demonstrates my point about how being selfish is superior to being altruistic. Had I been altruistic and payed heed to you wish for me to...what was that phrase you used repeatedly? 'Shut the fuck up', I believe it was? Well, had I done that, then you'd have spent the rest of your life unaware of the great thoughts that course through my mind on an hourly basis.

"Yes, Ella. It amazes me how unwilling the collectivist mind is to accept the truth. Why wasn't it just last week when you were claiming that society should chain down the Individual by using some of his resources to aid victims of Hurricane Katrina? After I was able to overcome my feeling of horror and disgust that you would suggest denying the Individual his Freedom, I successfully rebutted your point by observing that A equals A, therefore it logically follows that the so called victims should fend for themselves and not depend on the altruism of collectivists. Rather than daring to challenge this impenetrable logic, you simply dismissed my comments by calling me an asshole. Were I a petty collectivist, I might have taken offense at that remark. However, I am a noble Individual and know that your hurtful words were motivated by your envy of my superior intellect. For it is individuals such as I who propel society forward.

"Um...the Individual's freedom should be regarded as...um...Egoism is the one true...um...er...what was it we were talking about, Ella?"

[hlthe2b]

3. Yes... I did hear Bolton, despite his being an original signatory

of PNAC.

Ayn Rand, aka, "I got mine, so F_ck YOU," brand of "compassionate conservatism."

[MisterP]

4. here's where rightism and Rand's psychoticism intersect:

http://michaelprescott.net/hickman.htm

[EstimatedProphet]

5. She was an embarrassment to philosophy, for one thing

All image, no substance. She had followers who would claim (still do, too) that she was the smartest person to ever walk the planet, and was always right. Of course, nothing could be further from the truth. Part of her "reputation" cam from her claim that she solved the philosophical problem of Identity, but what really happened is that she never understood the question. Add to her destruction of philosophy the fact that she spawned a never-ending spooge of brainwashed idiot followers appropriately called "Randroids" and you end up with someone completely vile.

[God23]

6. "RandRoids," I love it!

Kinda sounds like hemorrhoids.

[UTUSN]

7. The need for appreciation is WHAT, exactly?!1 n/t

[Orwellian_Ghost]

8. ATLAS SHRUGGED: THE ABRIDGED VERSION (with spoilers)

This is making the rounds on the internet:

ATLAS SHRUGGED: THE ABRIDGED VERSION (with spoilers)

AYN RAND
Hello, I'm Ayn Rand. I wrote a novel based on my Objectivist philosophy called The Fountainhead, but I don't think 700 pages was quite enough to get my point across, so I will write the exact same novel, only it will take 1100 pages this time.

READERS
Hey, great.

HEROINE
I'm Dagny Taggart. I am a railroad tycoon, woman-in-a-man's-world, stunningly beautiful heroine. I am the only person capable of running this railroad. I am the only woman in the universe worth a damn. I am also the only woman in the universe with a real job. I am basically the only woman in this novel.

LOVE INTEREST #1
I have worshiped you, the only woman in the universe worth a damn, from afar for my whole life.

HEROINE
That's nice.

LOVE INTEREST #2
I have worshiped you, the only woman in the universe worth a damn, naked on the forest floor. Yet I will nobly step aside in the name of noble idealism, despite the fact that I love you and want you, the only woman in the universe worth a damn, desperately.

HEROINE
Okay.

LOVE INTEREST #3
I worship you, the only woman in the universe worth a damn. Let us have creepy rape fantasy sex now. I will not ask permission to do all these kinky things to you, but luckily you want to be forced into all the kinky things, you dirty bitch.

HEROINE
This is clearly true love! Stick it in me.

ALL
Who is John Galt?

AYN RAND
I am not telling. Instead, please listen to someone pontificate about my Objectivist philosophy for a while.

SOMEONE
(Pontificates)

VILLAINS
There are many of us, but we are all exactly the same. We are caricatures of evil socialists and embodiments of pure evil. Let us create a perfect socialist world order ruled by the inept! We all suck! Socialism sucks! Ha ha!

HEROES
We are all exactly the same. We are noble and perfect and have very angular and insolent faces. We can read each other's minds and the minds of everyone else in this novel, leaving less room for misunderstanding and more room for pontificating. And we are all in love with Dagny Taggart, the only woman in the universe worth a damn.

ALL
Who is John Galt?

VILLAIN
(Threatens hero.)

HERO
(Flips coin)
If it's heads, I will gaze apathetically. If it's tails, I will laugh heartily.

VILLAIN
Although these are the only two things any of you heroes have done for the past 800 pages, I am shocked at this response! How could you! How dare you!?!

HERO
I will now pontificate about Ayn Rand's philosophy. It has been at least 50 pages since you've heard it.

AYN RAND
It is so convenient that all of my heroes are in perfect agreement about my philosophy so that their pontificating is so interchangeable.

ALL
Who is John Galt?

JOHN GALT
Hello. In this, the culmination of all the pontificating, I will explain Ayn Rand's philosophy for a full 57 pages. No, I am not kidding. This one monologue will last for 57 pages. Oh and also, I love Dagny.

DAGNY
I love you too. Man, this is really going to suck for Love Interest #3.

LOVE INTEREST #3
Despite my passionate love for you and enjoyment of our rape sex, and the fact that there is no other woman on earth worth a damn, and the fact that I sacrificed my life's passion on your behalf, and that I spent my entire fortune to get a divorce to be with you, I will now nobly step aside in the name of noble idealism.

DAGNY
Great! I will miss our creepy rape sex. Farewell.

LOVE INTEREST #3
Bye.

READER
Wait, what?

ATLAS
(Shrugs)

THE END

http://www.mopie.com/blog/2006/01/atlas-shrugged-by-ayn-rand.html

[God23]

10. Oh my God, I love it!!!!

Thanks. I'm sending it to all my Rand acquaintances!

[tammywammy]

13. Oh, that's great

The one thing I liked about reading Rand, is you can just totally skim and barely read like 20 pages at a time.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

16. ROFLMAO! I love it!!!

[Didereaux]

9. Ayn Rand was a very emotionally disturbed person...

the writings are to looked upon from the same viewpoint one looks at a Van Gogh painting...there exists truths, but they are distorted by the creators lens.

[GOPBasher]

11. She's a friggin moron. n/t

[pansypoo53219]

12. i tried reading it once.

not knowing anything about her. i think i failed at page 1 of atlas shrugged. somebody bought this crap?

[question everything]

14. I only read "We the Living" and really liked it

I think that this was more of a novel and less of a manifesto.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

15. First, I've never in my life been so F bored as reading her novels....

I had to read two of them in college (not out of choice) and it was torture. Anyone who can get through even one of her pro-laissez-faire crap novels without wanting to burn it and roast marshmallows over it, is frikkin' insane. Her characters are downright clownish and excessively non-believable.

Second, she brings to mind Jim Jones. She had (and has) some very dedicated MALE followers (tho God knows it wasn't because she was either attractive, charming, or original) These male followers were (and are) eagerly accepting of her every word and questioned (and question!) nothing. Thank goodness her followers are male. If they were female, I'd be downright embarrassed. The most famous of these male followers, I guess, is Nathaniel Branden (actually, his real name is Nat Blumenthal and I'm not kidding - he is Jewish; so was she), with whom she committed adultery while both were married, under the noses of their spouses, all of which seemed oh so intellectual to the whacko Ayn Rand.

Third, one of her admirers was Alan Greenspan, which pretty much sums up what this whacko female stood for.

I could go on, but why bother. This sociopathic female was a complete waste of oxygen. The males that admire her need to have their heads checked, preferably not by Nat Blumenthal, who still lives, in California, and is a Libertarian. No wonder I hate Libertarians!