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I Hate Ayn Rand — But Here's Why my Fellow Conservatives Love Her
The Week ^ | July 23, 2014 | Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry

Posted on 07/24/2014 7:25:22 PM PDT by nickcarraway

And no, liberals: It's not because they're greedy jerks who loathe the poor By Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry |

Many of my fellow conservatives love Ayn Rand. And many of my liberal friends love to hate her.

You can understand why progressives enjoy blasting Rand's presumably nefarious influence on the conservative movement. She makes for a convenient punching bag for progressives, because she embodies the caricatured version of what progressives imagine conservatives really think: that egotism and greed are good and that the parasitic weak deserve to be trod upon by the capitalistic powerful.

And then there are people like me: Conservatives who view themselves as Christians first. To us, Rand's worldview is repellent, and the fact that her works are so widespread on the right is beyond annoying.

I hate nearly everything Rand stands for. I find her prose unbearable. But I also, unlike Rand, believe in the virtue of empathy, and have decided to apply it to people who like her work. To that end, here are a few different perspectives on why so many conservatives like Ayn Rand.

1. It's a wish-fulfillment fantasy

In Ayn Rand's books, the main character is typically an implausibly awesome version of the person many conservatives would secretly like to be. Wish-fulfillment fantasies exert a powerful influence on us. There is something in our souls that tells us that we are inadequate, that reminds us of our many failures and the ways the world fails to appreciate our precious gifts. Works of fiction in which the main character unleashes our fantasies touches something deep.

For me as a geeky, bullied preteen, Ender's Game fulfilled this need. Here was a book about a supersmart, supertalented kid who is recognized for it, whose skills are groomed and appreciated, and who eventually goes on to save the world. (Dune was also great for that.) Even now, as I find all sorts of inadequacies with the Ender books, I can't help but retain a deep fondness for them, and will probably recommend them to my teenage kids.

Ayn Rand's fantasy stories work the same way for young conservatives. A figure like John Galt reaches into deep places inside yourself, and produces intense feelings.

This type of fiction is the ice cream of art: Harmless enough if we don't mistake it for a nutritious meal but, if we're honest with ourselves, we probably recognize that we're a bit too attracted to it. And remember, there's almost certainly a piece of schlock that does for you the same things that Atlas Shrugged does for many conservatives, so cut them some slack.

2. It's possible to dissociate a book from its politics

According to my totally nonscientific sense of things, the singlemost popular work of fiction among Silicon Valley geeks is The Lord of the Rings. (And even if it's not the MOST popular, it's still undeniably popular.) Much has been written about the techno-utopianism of Silicon Valley culture. But Lord of the Rings is profoundly and explicitly anti-technology; Tolkien clearly associates the forces of evil with industrial modernity, and his picture of Eden, whether the Hobbits' Shire or the Elven realms, is pre-technological. Peter Thiel, who may be the most techno-utopian futuristic billionaire in Silicon Valley, has also named not one, not two, but three companies after items or characters from Lord of the Rings. How does he reconcile these contradictions?!?!?!?!?!

It's probably very easy for him, because you don't have to love a piece of art's politics to love the piece of art itself.

In the case of conservatives and Ayn Rand, then, if you combine this with point one, a narrative falls into place: A young conservative finds an Ayn Rand book; because it is a wish-fulfillment fantasy, it exerts a powerful pull on her and she starts to love it, perhaps a bit too much; as the conservative grows up and reads more (and better) conservative books, her politics hopefully separate a bit from Rand's extreme and insane Objectivism, even as she retains a great fondness for the books.

3. There are too few works of art in popular culture that have conservative values

Progressives often obsess over the notion of "checking your privilege," and I believe by and large it is a healthy instinct, because many of us are indeed beneficiaries of privilege. But here's one type of privilege I wish progressives would check: The privilege of growing up in a world where the vast majority of culture, both high and low, reflects your worldview.

I was amused when the blogosphere collapsed in a heap of disbelieving LOLs when it was revealed that Paul Ryan (also frequently indicted for his love of Ayn Rand) loves the band Rage Against the Machine. I too love RATM. Tom Morello is a musical genius, and Zack de la Rocha indisputably has a gift from God.

To grow up as a conservative with an omnivorous yet discerning aesthetic palate is to get a never-ending, and I mean never-ending, education in the sometimes-difficult process of appreciating works whose political (if not metaphysical) worldview is deeply at odds with your own. This is an education that progressives (especially if they don't study the classical liberal arts) by and large don't get.

I think the shock that so many progressives experience when they find out a conservative can love RATM and, conversely, the implicit notion that if someone likes Ayn Rand that automatically makes them a Randbot, is due to this form of privilege. There remains a deep strain in left-wing aesthetics of judging a work's value by the politics it promotes. (Case in point: the Academy Awards.)

This dearth of conservative values in popular culture, then, doesn't just mean that conservatives will latch onto comparatively inferior cultural works that reflect their worldview, although it surely plays a role. But even as a conservative's politics deviate from Rand's, she will be more able to maintain her enjoyment of Rand's works, to an extent that may seem inexplicable to a progressive.

4. Rand's work does get at a crucial truth that almost everyone misses

Again, as a Christian and as a conservative, I find Rand's Objectivism, to use a word she so liked, despicable. But I still must recognize that Rand's work emphasizes one crucial truth about the world that almost nobody else does: Free enterprise is key to human flourishing, not just because it enables the most material prosperity, but because it encourages human creativity.

Most defenses of free market capitalism are typically made in a utilitarian lens; partly because it's such an easy case to make and partly because that is the lens of most academic work in economics. And it is most certainly true that, yes, with some important caveats, the freer the markets, the more prosperous the polity.

But that is not the whole truth. The whole truth takes into account that part of our human nature is a deep drive to find meaning through work, productivity, and even creativity, and that the free enterprise system enables this. That makes free enterprise morally, not just empirically, superior. From the Etsy merchant and the blogger to Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos, the free enterprise system, more than any other system that has ever been tried, enables people to express their creativity and flourish by producing work that other people want and makes their lives better.

This means that, much like democracy, capitalism is a deeply morally righteous system.

This discourse is almost never heard in contemporary society, certainly not in the realm of culture. And yet, for all its many shortcomings, it is found in 500-proof form in the works of Ayn Rand. And I think this is a key reason why so many experience her books as a revelation, despite all their shortcomings.


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; Editorial; Extended News; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: aynrand; rand
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To: Misterioso

You’d be surprised who I ‘Knew” - especially in Chicago in the ‘60’s -

I’m not a ‘newby’ re Rand - I was already an ‘adult’ when Rand hit the nation’s attention - and through the Nathanial and Barbara and Frank days...et al

so rest you soul ;)


81 posted on 07/25/2014 8:46:49 AM PDT by maine-iac7 (Christian is as Christian does - by their fruits)
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To: maine-iac7

Ayn Rand didn’t live in Chicago.


82 posted on 07/25/2014 8:52:11 AM PDT by Misterioso
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To: nickcarraway

“The Sociology of the Ayn Rand Cult”

“Written in 1972, this was the first piece of Rand revisionism from the libertarian standpoint.”

http://www.lewrockwell.com/1970/01/murray-n-rothbard/understanding-ayn-randianism/

“...The rereading of Atlas was also important to the cult because the wooden, posturing, and one-dimensional heroes and heroines were explicitly supposed to serve as role models for every Randian. Just as every Christian is supposed to aim at the imitation of Christ in his own daily life, so every Randian was supposed to aim at the imitation of John Galt (Rand’s hero of heroes in Atlas). He was always supposed to ask himself in every situation “What would John Galt have done?” When we remind ourselves that Jesus, after all, was an actual historical figure whereas Galt was not, the bizarrerie of this injunction can be readily grasped. (Although from the awed way Randians spoke of John Galt, one often got the impression that, for them, the line between fiction and reality was very thin indeed.)

Her Bible

The Biblical nature of Atlas for many Randians is illustrated by the wedding of a Randian couple that took place in New York. At the ceremony, the couple pledged their joint devotion and fealty to Ayn Rand, and then supplemented it by opening Atlas – perhaps at random – to read aloud a passage from the sacred text.

Wit and humor, as might be gathered from this incident, were verboten in the Randian movement. The philosophical rationale was that humor demonstrates that one “is not serious about one’s values.” The actual reason, of course, is that no cult can withstand the piercing and sobering effect, the sane perspective, provided by humor. One was permitted to sneer at one’s enemies, but that was the only humor allowed, if humor that be..... “


83 posted on 07/25/2014 9:42:13 AM PDT by Pelham (California, what happens when you won't deport illegals)
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To: usconservative
You've lost me.

Your backhanded insult to Christians prompted my retort.

84 posted on 07/25/2014 10:50:11 AM PDT by itsahoot (Voting for a Progressive RINO is the same as voting for any other Tyrant.)
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To: verga

Yes, it has chapter synopses.


85 posted on 07/25/2014 11:30:11 AM PDT by Publius ("Who is John Galt?" by Billthedrill and Publius now available at Amazon.)
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To: EBH

Glenn Beck is right.

He’s proving that Conservatives are not the heartless racist people that liberals say we are.


86 posted on 07/25/2014 11:45:21 AM PDT by Tailgunner Joe
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To: RipSawyer

“I find so much undeniable truth in what Rand said in Atlas Shrugged that I simply look past anything I might not agree with. I am fairly certain that if I were to reread it now I would be astounded at how closely it describes the situation we are in now.”

A re-read is on my “to-do” list, however I keep putting it off because I am truly fearful of how it will be so very depressing to see the reflection of the progress that the progressives have made in our current society.....


87 posted on 07/25/2014 12:10:02 PM PDT by CSM (Keeper of the Dave Ramsey Ping list. FReepmail me if you want your beeber stuned.)
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To: itsahoot
Your backhanded insult to Christians prompted my retort.

Sounds like you've got a personal problem there. I'm a Christian, there was noting backhanded or insulting in my comment.

88 posted on 07/25/2014 12:15:50 PM PDT by usconservative (When The Ballot Box No Longer Counts, The Ammunition Box Does. (What's In Your Ammo Box?))
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To: itsahoot
I just get tired of Christian's who declare her political, economic and moral objectivism views "irrelevant" because she's an atheist. Those are the folks who've typically not read a single page of Atlas Shrugged.

Clearly you're in the camp of Christians who've not read a single page of Atlas Shrugged.

Now that's an observation. If you really want me to start with the backhanded insults let me know. I'll oblige you. You can consider it an exercise in patience.

89 posted on 07/25/2014 12:20:03 PM PDT by usconservative (When The Ballot Box No Longer Counts, The Ammunition Box Does. (What's In Your Ammo Box?))
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To: nickcarraway

Atlas Shrugged is one of the landmark works of the last century.

It stands strong against the onslaught of socialism and government invasions and restrictions of individual rights and responsibility.

Notwithstanding, the author’a religious beliefs or lack thereof, or her personal behavior and other criticisms of her, the book is still influencing readers to believe in freedom from oppressive government.


90 posted on 07/25/2014 12:27:52 PM PDT by morphing libertarian (Advanced technological development.)
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To: Joe 6-pack

Ping


91 posted on 07/25/2014 1:08:55 PM PDT by definitelynotaliberal (Go, Cruz! Go!)
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To: Joe 6-pack

Oops, I pinged too soon. :)


92 posted on 07/25/2014 1:11:55 PM PDT by definitelynotaliberal (Go, Cruz! Go!)
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To: nickcarraway
"But I also, unlike Rand, believe in the virtue of empathy,..."

Stopped reading there because it's painfully obvious the author is clueless....

93 posted on 07/25/2014 1:15:07 PM PDT by Mad Dawgg (If you're going to deny my 1st Amendment rights then I must proceed to the 2nd one...)
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To: Publius

What again?

We already bought it. We’re going to ask JimRob to sign it when we go to the Texas
Cowboy Memorial Shoot in October, since he will be there at the same time.

;-)


94 posted on 07/25/2014 2:35:36 PM PDT by TheOldLady
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To: usconservative
Clearly you're in the camp of Christians who've not read a single page of Atlas Shrugged.

Mind reader now as well I see. I read it, liked a lot of it, do not like Ayn period, but that doesn't mean all her observations were wrong, she was very right in most of her writings. It is just wrong headed to proclaim there is no God because bad things happen.

95 posted on 07/25/2014 3:27:21 PM PDT by itsahoot (Voting for a Progressive RINO is the same as voting for any other Tyrant.)
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To: Publius

Yeesh, everyone makes loving Rand such an either/or proposition. Either you like Rand OR you are a Christian. I am a lifelong Catholic, yet have read Atlas Shrugged at least 4 or 5 times, and have listened to the audiobook twice during my commute. Taking wisdom about economics from her does not mean I have to embrace every word she ever wrote, or every opinion she espoused.

The scene where the hobo describes what happened when the 20th Century Motor Corp. went full communist should be required reading. It shows very clearly what will happen if it truly is “from each according to ability, to each according to need.”. That story is the best in the book, IMHO.


96 posted on 07/25/2014 4:01:12 PM PDT by Explorer89 (And now, let the wild rumpus start!!)
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To: TheOldLady

If I were there, I’d happily autograph it. (JimRob’s autograph is probably worth more than mine, anyway.)


97 posted on 07/25/2014 5:01:43 PM PDT by Publius ("Who is John Galt?" by Billthedrill and Publius now available at Amazon.)
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To: nickcarraway
Again, as a Christian and as a conservative, I find Rand's Objectivism, to use a word she so liked, despicable.

Indeed.

Jesus Christ: You can’t impeach Him and He ain’t going to resign.




98 posted on 07/25/2014 5:22:10 PM PDT by rdb3 (Get out the putter, this one's on the green.)
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To: Publius; Billthedrill

Worth more? No, dear Publius. It’s a real keeper, and I won’t be selling it ever. If we ever go
to the same FReep, perhaps you can autograph it then, and maybe Btd will be there as well.


99 posted on 07/25/2014 6:43:54 PM PDT by TheOldLady
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To: rdb3

Yes. The only thing to remember is she grew up in a terrible system, and she never totally left that behind.


100 posted on 07/25/2014 7:44:59 PM PDT by nickcarraway
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