The Political Thread

[Ancient Otter]

Oh yeah did any of  the U.K board members hear that Geroge Galloway is crowdsourcing for Tony Blair: The Movie?

[Frank]

Oh yeah did any of  the U.K board members hear that Geroge Galloway is crowdsourcing for Tony Blair: The Movie?

£127, 865 pledged towards their £50,000 goal - dumb communists can't count. It does demonstrate the strength of feeling Blair engenders, even all these years and other criminal acts by different warmongers later.

[JayzusB.Christ]

Speaking of Republicans, I've just been discussing Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead with my friend.  We both came to the conclusion that the hero is a bit of a cock, and that the natural conclusion of Ayn Rand's philosophy is dictatorship at worst and Thatcherism at best.

I have to admit I didn't finish it; but it really seemed to be a case of championing intellectual snobbery and general misanthropy.  Perhaps, though, hindsight is a luxury that I have:  As far as I can see, the elitist approach to architecture taken by Rand's antisocial ubermensch of a protagonist holds very little appeal to the normal people who actually have to inhabit 'machines for living in'.  Outside of the field of architecture (which itself is not much more than a vehicle for Rand to express her Objectivist views), the general view seems to be that most people are too stupid to know what they like, and certain intellectual overlords have to free themselves from the mediocrity of the commoners.

Or have I got the wrong end of the stick completely?  As a loony liberal who tends to like and get on with most people, I suppose it's not written for the likes of me anyway.  But at least I've avoided Godwin's Law - believe me, it hasn't been easy

[Definitely Not Mister Pops]

I've heard that the only reason to read Rand's work is so that you may have an informed debate with objectivists. Which is something I doubt anyone actually wants to do.

[Frank]

I haven't read any Rand either, but the Objectivist philosophy sounds like the kind of whiney special pleading they despise in others.

[Ancient Otter]

Coincidentally, I read Daryl Cunningham's biography of Ayn Rand on Sunday, interesting to see a critique of her by a libertarian in the book: It's free to read on Act-i-vate. Looks like a prelude to a graphic novel he's doing on the financial crash of 2008.

[JamesC]

I saw a documentary about Ayn Rand and thought she sounded like a pain in the arse.

[TordelBack]

I can actually feel bile jetting from my liver and causing my gallbladder to swell up like a red-hot golfball whenever I see, hear or imagine Ayn Rand's name.  Almost everything I hate in all of humanity encapsulated in one person's turgid output and its pompous cheerleaders. BAD CESS TO THEM ALL!

[Charlie boy]

I think I may have posted this before but
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_j56IiLqZ9U

[JayzusB.Christ]

Coincidentally, I read Daryl Cunningham's biography of Ayn Rand on Sunday, interesting to see a critique of her by a libertarian in the book: It's free to read on Act-i-vate. Looks like a prelude to a graphic novel he's doing on the financial crash of 2008.

Thanks! That was massively interesting, and confirmed my suspiction that Ayn Rand was indeed a colossal pain in the bollix.  I realise, of course, it's written from an anti-Rand viewpoint, but it's still very informative.

[JOE SOAP]

For every sensible thing Rand ever uttered it is immediately followed by something diametrically moronic (the reason for such epic face-palming). For some reason admirers only ever consider the first part and ignore or excuse the latter. Still, at least those declaring themselves 'Randian' or 'Objectivist' serves as good short-hand for getting their measure.


I'll still read Steve Ditko, though.

[TordelBack]

As Hitchens (no angel himself) remarked more than once, who knew that people needed a whole movement to help them be selfish.

[JayzusB.Christ]

As Hitchens (no angel himself) remarked more than once, who knew that people needed a whole movement to help them be selfish.

While it's a bit rich coming from the late Ego King himself, he makes a good point.

[Modern Panther]

I haven't read the doorstop of Atlas Shrugged, but i have made it the way through The Fountainhead, which she wrote several years before.  It is, frankly, badly written shit.  Rand thought that she had come up with these inspiring, heroic characters, but is unable to develop them much beyond two dimensions.  Once she's introduced these characters, she seems unable to come up with anything interesting for them to do, so has them stumble from one hateful adventure to the next, stomping all over unions, the homeless, liberals, and other scumbags.

The most telling part of the whole book was the intro, in which Rand essentially says that anyone who doesn't think she written a great book and who agrees with everything she says is a useless idiot.

Oh, and she's also the only author I've ever read who uses "humanitarian" as an insult.  the Tories are well on their way there.

[TordelBack]

I'll still read Steve Ditko, though.

That's what Mr. A said.