tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2222630007427380394.post2754502901658973998..comments2023-12-20T04:18:41.617-06:00Comments on The Hunting of the Snark: Atlas Shrugged: The Mocking Part 5Susan of Texashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00076915322771385454noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2222630007427380394.post-86079325547422719472011-08-26T00:11:31.686-05:002011-08-26T00:11:31.686-05:00In her twenties and thirties, she would construct ...<i>In her twenties and thirties, she would construct a universe of moral principles built largely on the scaffoldings of some of these defensive childhood virtues.</i><br /><br /><i>like the martyr of some dark religion</i><br /><br />These passages really do capture Rand well, doesn't it? The arrogance, the megalomania, the feelings of persecution, the rigidity, the zealotry, the nastiness. It's not surprising that Reardon/Rand would dedicate themselves to business/the cult of Rand respectively, hating actual human beings as they did.Batocchiohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02193752396025012825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2222630007427380394.post-37640873022448926172011-08-24T13:08:09.657-05:002011-08-24T13:08:09.657-05:00"The more people know about the book the less..."The more people know about the book the less they will think of it." True, if you learn about the book by actually reading it, or at any rate, trying to. Most people will not, however... they'll prefer to be told what the book means by think tanks and institutes dedicated to gussying up Rand's philosophy into an easily digestible mush that confirms the views they already have.satchnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2222630007427380394.post-40464401775217713132011-08-23T16:52:11.913-05:002011-08-23T16:52:11.913-05:00It's pretty obvious that Rand's kinkiness ...It's pretty obvious that Rand's kinkiness was driving the whole thing.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2222630007427380394.post-82532356290563895392011-08-23T15:50:56.084-05:002011-08-23T15:50:56.084-05:00I find that I simply cannot (re)read the stuff any...I find that I simply cannot (re)read the stuff any more, and it's the way Rand describes Dagny and the way Rand talks about desire and sex that really puts me off. (Yeah, the morally repellent philosophy sucks, of course.) As you note, Rand cannot seem to imagine a sexual relationship based on partnership, equality, etc., only one based on domination, and, specifically, male domination of females. Embody the patriarchy much?Naryahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05369280617520806983noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2222630007427380394.post-19530706538122234762011-08-23T14:36:39.766-05:002011-08-23T14:36:39.766-05:00she knew what he felt: he wanted to slap her face
...<i>she knew what he felt: he wanted to slap her face</i><br /><br />Ye Gods. That's... Oh, man, she was one messed up Russian emigree.<br /><br /><i>The more people know about the book the less they will think of it.</i><br /><br />I wish I could believe that. Somehow, there exists such a thing as a "Christian Objectivist", despite the fact that just about everything Jesus said disagrees with Objectivism AND the fact that Rand came right out and said Christianity was evil. I don't think they actually read Rand, anymore than they read the Gospels. They're both just something to hammer on while denouncing The Other.Lurking Canadiannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2222630007427380394.post-91310448987900412302011-08-23T14:29:10.183-05:002011-08-23T14:29:10.183-05:00The more people know about the book the less they ...<i>The more people know about the book the less they will think of it.</i><br /><br />What continually amazes me is how the devotees of Atlas Shrugged seem oblivious of how blatantly awful it is. It isn't a case of adequate prose in the service of repellent ideas. It's as though its fans have literally never read a good book. They read all that bombast, one-dimensional characterization, BDSM-for-beginners sex, endless rhetorical yakking, and relentless humorlessness, and think it's profound.<br /><br />You can't debate ideas under such conditions. I want to say to them, If THIS is your sacred text, then you're pre-qualified as an idiot, and we need not waste our time pretending to respect each other's views.Mr.Wonderfulnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2222630007427380394.post-75695615506584907482011-08-23T14:21:31.617-05:002011-08-23T14:21:31.617-05:00Sure, you had your robber barons but they also sta...<i>Sure, you had your robber barons but they also started philanthropies and considered the public good.</i><br /><br />Meh. We still have our Gateses and our Buffetts.<br /><br />And back in the day they had their millionaires who didn't give a damn about anyone but themselves. We don't remember their names because they didn't build foundations to rehabilitate their images.NonyNonynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2222630007427380394.post-35658807061446641842011-08-23T13:42:10.664-05:002011-08-23T13:42:10.664-05:00People used to be more balanced. Sure, you had you...People used to be more balanced. Sure, you had your robber barons but they also started philanthropies and considered the public good.Susan of Texashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00076915322771385454noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2222630007427380394.post-27739280206431657002011-08-23T13:33:48.910-05:002011-08-23T13:33:48.910-05:00Cool it on Coolidge!
http://www.calvin-coolidge.o...Cool it on Coolidge!<br /><br />http://www.calvin-coolidge.org/html/the_business_of_america_is_bus.html<br /><br /><i>The quote is really: "After all, the chief business of the American people is business." However, Coolidge goes on to say that, "Of course the accumulation of wealth cannot be justified as the chief end of existence." He discusses journalism and the thought that the business interests of newspaper owners should not taint reporting. He continues, "American newspapers have seemed to me to be particularly representative of this practical idealism of our people." <br /><br />His last paragraph in the speech shows what he really believes motivate Americans: <br /><br />We make no concealment of the fact that we want wealth, but there are many other things that we want very much more. We want peace and honor, and that charity which is so strong an element of all civilization. The chief ideal of the American people is idealism. I cannot repeat too often that America is a nation of idealists. That is the only motive to which they ever give any strong and lasting reaction. </i><br /><br />Yes,by modern standards Coolidge was a Socialist.Downpuppyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10312490198813632190noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2222630007427380394.post-30205110711216702352011-08-23T13:30:48.052-05:002011-08-23T13:30:48.052-05:00I think Randians made a big mistake by promoting t...I think Randians made a big mistake by promoting the book as much as they have the last 20 years. The more people know about the book the less they will think of it.Susan of Texashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00076915322771385454noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2222630007427380394.post-8898751826474274212011-08-23T13:20:18.993-05:002011-08-23T13:20:18.993-05:00Rand's novels are just cheesy S&M stories....Rand's novels are just cheesy S&M stories. It's telling that it's so appealing to the GOP.Phil Perspectivehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13540815981930702517noreply@blogger.com