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Sarah Ibarruri

(21,043 posts)
Sat Apr 26, 2014, 09:04 PM Apr 2014

Ayn Rand - Her mentally ill world where good consists of worshiping the one percenters

Over the past year, I've been reading and reviewing Ayn Rand's massive paean to capitalism, Atlas Shrugged. If you're not familiar with the novel, it depicts a world where corporate CEOs and one-percenters are the selfless heroes upon which our society depends, and basically everyone else — journalists, legislators, government employees, the poor — are the villains trying to drag the rich down out of spite, when we should be kissing their rings in gratitude that they allow us to exist.

Atlas Shrugged is a work of fiction, but as far as many prominent conservatives are concerned, it's sacred scripture. Alan Greenspan was a member of Rand's inner circle, and opposed regulation of financial markets because he believed her dictum that the greed of businessmen was always the public's best protection. Paul Ryan said that he required his campaign staffers to read the book, while Glenn Beck has announced grandiose plans to build his own real-life "Galt's Gulch," the hidden refuge where the book's capitalist heroes go to watch civilization collapse without them.


(The article is 4 pages long, so you'll have to click to read the whole article)

http://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/top-10-lessons-strange-mirror-universe-ayn-rands-atlas-shrugged
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Ayn Rand - Her mentally ill world where good consists of worshiping the one percenters (Original Post) Sarah Ibarruri Apr 2014 OP
She wrote (badly) bodice rippers for business majors....and idiots. Tierra_y_Libertad Apr 2014 #1
A-hole doesn't begin to describe her. Her "writing" would be laughed out of town today. nt Sarah Ibarruri Apr 2014 #2
Every so often I drag this out - a summary TBF Apr 2014 #3
"HERO If it's heads, I will gaze apathetically. If it's tails, I will laugh heartily. " ROFLMAO! Sarah Ibarruri Apr 2014 #5
Thanks for sparing me the trouble of reading it... flying rabbit Apr 2014 #20
She was so totally simple minded treestar Apr 2014 #4
Exactly! nt Sarah Ibarruri Apr 2014 #6
Yup, you nailed it. nt TBF Apr 2014 #13
The three worst words ever written: "greed is good". Initech Apr 2014 #7
When I was 17 an older friend gave me a copy of The Foutainhead to read. I'd never heard of Ayn Rand octoberlib Apr 2014 #8
I agree. Same thing happened to me. I could barely get through one. Like having a root canal Sarah Ibarruri Apr 2014 #9
I forced myself to read Atlas Shrugged Kath1 Apr 2014 #10
IMHO, calling Rand mentally ill is misleading and a bit insulting... YoungDemCA Apr 2014 #11
My apologies to the mentally ill, for comparing them with an evil a-hole: Ayn Rand. nt Sarah Ibarruri Apr 2014 #15
Clarence Thomas requires his male staff members to read Atlas Shrugged Major Nikon Apr 2014 #12
Every discriminated group has a tiny handful that will sell out the group to the group's enemy - Sarah Ibarruri Apr 2014 #14
Rand was a psychopath Prophet 451 Apr 2014 #16
And her fans are psychopaths. Who can uphold such thinking but a psychopath? nt Sarah Ibarruri Apr 2014 #17
And those who didn't understand her Prophet 451 Apr 2014 #18
Yes. She was an early L. Ron Hubbard. Narcissists & jack-of-all-trades scammers and fraudsters... Sarah Ibarruri Apr 2014 #19
One Problem With This Scenario Is AnnieBW Apr 2014 #21
People forget her other fine works Orrex Apr 2014 #22
"Allen meets a beautiful amnesiac who fears postmen..." lol nt Sarah Ibarruri Apr 2014 #23

TBF

(31,922 posts)
3. Every so often I drag this out - a summary
Sat Apr 26, 2014, 09:45 PM
Apr 2014

This was originally on a blog and it has been reprinted in many places - if anyone knows who the original author is please speak up as I don't have a good cite for it anymore:


Atlas Shrugged (by Ayn Rand)
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
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

Sarah Ibarruri

(21,043 posts)
5. "HERO If it's heads, I will gaze apathetically. If it's tails, I will laugh heartily. " ROFLMAO!
Sat Apr 26, 2014, 10:12 PM
Apr 2014

ATLAS:
(Shrugs)

Perfect! That sums up Ayn Rand's writing.

treestar

(82,383 posts)
4. She was so totally simple minded
Sat Apr 26, 2014, 09:48 PM
Apr 2014

One track, single mind with no room for reality. No wonder it appeals to right wingers.

octoberlib

(14,971 posts)
8. When I was 17 an older friend gave me a copy of The Foutainhead to read. I'd never heard of Ayn Rand
Sat Apr 26, 2014, 10:28 PM
Apr 2014

Worst book ever. I couldn't even finish it. Rand's crappy philosophy aside, she's a horrible writer.

Sarah Ibarruri

(21,043 posts)
9. I agree. Same thing happened to me. I could barely get through one. Like having a root canal
Sat Apr 26, 2014, 10:33 PM
Apr 2014

She was a horrible writer, boring, dull, an idiot who understood human nature about as much as a rock does, and of course the same has got to apply to her followers.

Kath1

(4,309 posts)
10. I forced myself to read Atlas Shrugged
Sun Apr 27, 2014, 12:29 AM
Apr 2014

It was a horrible reading experience. I'm so at odds with her mindset... ugh! Depressing that there are those who share her simple-minded ideology (or idiocy).

 

YoungDemCA

(5,714 posts)
11. IMHO, calling Rand mentally ill is misleading and a bit insulting...
Sun Apr 27, 2014, 12:38 AM
Apr 2014

....to the many good, kind people who struggle with mental illness of one sort or another.

Ayn Rand was not a good person, and that is what matters-promoting vile right-wing ideology through her writings and interviews. Par for the course for the Right and their heroes, though.

Major Nikon

(36,814 posts)
12. Clarence Thomas requires his male staff members to read Atlas Shrugged
Sun Apr 27, 2014, 12:40 AM
Apr 2014

...and his female staff members to watch Long Dong Silver.

Sarah Ibarruri

(21,043 posts)
14. Every discriminated group has a tiny handful that will sell out the group to the group's enemy -
Sun Apr 27, 2014, 04:27 PM
Apr 2014

perhaps there's a psychological term for those few people that engage in full-fledged self-abhorrance?

Anyway, one of those is Clarence Thomas. He fits the bill perfectly.

Prophet 451

(9,796 posts)
18. And those who didn't understand her
Sun Apr 27, 2014, 07:04 PM
Apr 2014

Defending Rand's work to a majority audience requires disclaiming what she actually said. So the only people who agree with her and psychopaths and those who think they understood but didn't.

Sarah Ibarruri

(21,043 posts)
19. Yes. She was an early L. Ron Hubbard. Narcissists & jack-of-all-trades scammers and fraudsters...
Sun Apr 27, 2014, 07:38 PM
Apr 2014

with no sense of morality whatsoever, who tried every which way to get famous by performing as an actor/actress - writing books, creating a religious philosophy, and tooting his and her own horn to get followers for his (and her!) cult. L. Ron Hubbard and Ayn Rand led parallel lives at different times.

She doesn't piss me off as much as her nutjob fans. She was a psycho, and probably could've used some medication and a bit of therapy, but her fans, unless they're narcissistic psychos too, what's their story? Just plain old Repukes?

AnnieBW

(10,350 posts)
21. One Problem With This Scenario Is
Sun Apr 27, 2014, 11:00 PM
Apr 2014

That there are a lot more people with MBAs and business backgrounds than there were in Rand's time. If the CEOs of major corporations decided to "Go Galt", the power vacuum would be less than a hand-vac. There are literally thousands of people who could step in and run companies as well as, or better, than the 1%ers.

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