[Mr. Jeeves]

Her hostility to the idea of any moral obligation to others led her to argue that, while helping a friend in need is fine, doing so at the expense of something it hurts you to give up is “immoral.” In her fiction, even private charity as a vocation is despised; so, mostly, is family.

You know, it would be nice if those who try to find things to criticize about Rand to seem "balanced" in their analysis would actually cite examples from the books instead of just making sweeping generalizations that can't easily be supported by her actual prose.

[FredZarguna]

In her fiction, even private charity as a vocation is despised;

No, not the charity. The guilt-trip which the vocational lay upon others is what is despised. There are plenty of places where you can find Rand sympathetic to charity. What she was unsympathetic to was con men pretending to be righteous.

so, mostly, is family.

I would love some backup for this claim. But in all my reading and re-reading of Rand I can think of none.

[ronnyquest]

"You know, it would be nice if those who try to find things to criticize about Rand to seem "balanced" in their analysis would actually cite examples from the books instead of just making sweeping generalizations that can't easily be supported by her actual prose."

Or simply read the books. Most of these jackasses are getting the Cliff's Notes version as published by their leftist buddies. I always marvel at people who cannot understand a given work, yet manage to criticize it, anyway.

Considering the sheer volume of hate levied at Ayn Rand's writings and person, she must have been dead on target. Marxists hate it when people think and question what they are doing. Rightly so; marxism is indefensible in any form.