Ayn Rand's Appeal

Fox News ^ | 21 August 2012 | Onkar Ghate

[Publius]

Paul Ryan is Romney’s pick for Vice President and now Ayn Rand’s name is on everyone’s lips.

Many on the left are pillorying Ryan as an unrealistic “ideologue” because of his Rand connection. Many on the right accede, quickly trying to set aside Ryan’s admiration for "Atlas Shrugged" as youthful indiscretion. “Every young conservative has a fascination with Ayn Rand at some point,” Romney’s strategist Eric Fehrnstrom says dismissively.

But hold on. If we actually consider the essence of what Rand advocates, the idea that her philosophy is childish over-simplification stands as condemnation not of her position but of the many adults from whom this accusation stems.

[Publius]

A better article on Rand.

[Publius]

Ping.

[Uncle Ike]

I suspect the reason is simpler — Libs are thinking it’s unfair to put up a VP candidate that’s actually read a book that doesn’t have pop-up pictures....

[Ranger Warrior]

Ayn Rand was an ardent anti-Communist which is a major contributor to her ideology. Belief in self-worth, creativity, achievement... not such bad things. For some reason, the left loathes these concepts and the only reason I can fathom for their hatred of success and achievement is that the left, i.e. Progressives and liberals, are basically lazy, unmotivated drones.

[AEMILIUS PAULUS]

To not be a Randian at age twenty shows a lack of heart. To be a Randian at age forty shows a want of brains! Apologies to Georges Clemenceau.

[henkster]

I believe that young people gravitate to Rand because she spoke for the independence of the individual, and young people don't want to think of themselves as “lazy unmotivated drones” as you so aptly stated. It is a conundrum that a young person can be attracted to Rand as well as leftist ideology at the same time. I believe it is because the average college student does not have a well-formed ideology, where they have accepted a certain world-view and rejected those things that are inconsistent with it.

When I was a college student at Indiana University during the late 1970s, a very liberal time at a very liberal campus, “Where is John Gault” graffiti was quite common.

[henkster]

I believe that young people gravitate to Rand because she spoke for the independence of the individual, and young people don't want to think of themselves as “lazy unmotivated drones” as you so aptly stated. It is a conundrum that a young person can be attracted to Rand as well as leftist ideology at the same time. I believe it is because the average college student does not have a well-formed ideology, where they have accepted a certain world-view and rejected those things that are inconsistent with it.

When I was a college student at Indiana University during the late 1970s, a very liberal time at a very liberal campus, “Where is John Gault” graffiti was quite common.

[henkster]

I believe that young people gravitate to Rand because she spoke for the independence of the individual, and young people don't want to think of themselves as “lazy unmotivated drones” as you so aptly stated. It is a conundrum that a young person can be attracted to Rand as well as leftist ideology at the same time. I believe it is because the average college student does not have a well-formed ideology, where they have accepted a certain world-view and rejected those things that are inconsistent with it.

When I was a college student at Indiana University during the late 1970s, a very liberal time at a very liberal campus, “Where is John Gault” graffiti was quite common.

[henkster]

Wow. My first triple. Don’t know how that happened. Oh well...

[Dr. Ursus]

Too much of that fine 68’ Uhura,perhaps?

[henkster]

LOL. Or not enough...

[Lou L]

Wow. My first triple. Don’t know how that happened. Oh well...

One would've hoped that by the third time, you would've got the spelling right (John "Galt"), as well as the question posed in the book, Who is John Galt?"

;-)

[whodathunkit]

When I was a college student at Indiana University during the late 1970s, a very liberal time at a very liberal campus, “Where is John Gault” graffiti was quite common.

In fact " where is John Galt " would be the expected question from the liberals mentioned. Rand made it clear that Galt represented the free meal so many had come to expect.

"Who is John Galt" is a much simpler question and forces one to take a clear position, proclaiming loudly either 'I' or 'Not I' !

[mjp]

the idea that her philosophy is childish over-simplification

Ayn Rand’s world view are useful to form a defense against the destructive libtard assault on the consensus of the Founding Fathers, which would be catastrophic for America if it succeeds.

Ayn Rand’s world view is useful to fight the:

Emotionalism
Loss of contact with reality and delusions
Altruism
Collectivism
Statism
Socialism
Keynesian
Envy, resentment against achievement, and hatred of the good for being the good
Redistributionism
Egalitarianism
Pro-dependency & pro-parasitism views
Anti-individual rights views
of the irrational libtard intellectuals.

[uncommonsense]

"I suspect the reason is simpler — Libs are thinking it’s unfair to put up a VP candidate that’s actually read a book that doesn’t have pop-up pictures..."

LOL! I needed that...

I've finally made the time to read Atlas Shrugged. What's so prescient about the story is that Washington has been modeling all of their policies after those of Wesley Mouch, Dr. Floyd Ferris, Balph Eubank, et al.

What's really disturbing is that ObaMao seems to have read the book and concluded that Mouch was on target with his philosophy and policies. The big mistake on the part of the collectivist efforts are:

1) The United Sates is too spread out. What's needed is population density so that social consensus can be regulated. (e.g. UN's Agenda 21)

2) The effort didn't have enough global coordination and control to enforce social justice. (UN's Law of the Sea Treaty (LOST) and Small Arms Treaty, etc.)

3) There were too many individual freedoms. As Dr. Pritchett said:

"But I believe I made it clear that I am in favor of it, because I am in favor of a free economy. A free economy cannot exist without competition. Therefore, men must be forced to compete. Therefore, we must control men in order to force them to be free."

[mmichaels1970]

Many on the right accede, quickly trying to set aside Ryan’s admiration for "Atlas Shrugged" as youthful indiscretion.

Cowards.

[Iron Munro]

I just finished reading Atlas Shrugged for the third time in my life, each many years apart.

If you cut through the pedantic prose and the extended philosophizing it is amazing how prescient Rand was. It becomes easy to understand why liberals express such hatred for Ayn herself, and why they attack and ridicule Ayn's books.

Many of the events and actions she wrote about are now taking place right before our eyes and highlight what liberal government has done to the country.

Just a few:

• The looting and mooching by the masses, encouraged, aided and enforced by the government
• The open criticism of capitalism
• Attacks on the accumulation of wealth as unfair and greedy
• Attacks on the wealthy themselves
• Appeals of leftists to govern by feeling and "social fairness" over logic and reason
• The idea that the perceived needs of the lazy and slothful are justification for the forced redistribution of wealth from the productive and hard working
• The government's policy of rewarding failure, laziness and bad conduct
• The government's policy of punishing success, hard work and morality
• The government demonizing those who do not buy into their wealth redistributionist policies
• The government policy of building its own base of support by paying slackers and moochers off with wealth extorted from critics
• Cities and states going bankrupt through wealth redistributionist policies
• Labor unions driving industries into failure and bankruptcy
• Businesses staggering under ever-growing government rules and regulations that add cost, reduce productivity and create inefficiencies

[GOPJ]

Put up a straw man - knock it down... silly.

[GOPJ]

Ayn Rand was an ardent anti-Communist which is a major contributor to her ideology. Belief in self-worth, creativity, achievement... not such bad things. For some reason, the left loathes these concepts...

Ryan seems to have walked away with the good parts of Any Rand - as most of us who are conservatives have... She wasn't perfect - but she had important things to add to the conversation.

[Sam Gamgee]

I don’t understand why Rand is getting slogged in this article. Rand was one of the new capitalist thinkers that proudly proclaimed capitalism not on the miserable argument that is works better, but that capitalism is morally superior to the alternative. Sure, I disagree with her on many things, but she was proud of America and hated Libertarians who love to hate America, and would have always been on the side of those who advocated force to protect America’s interests.