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Capitalism's Wicked Witch
- Thread starter ArghMonkey
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OK, that comment makes sense for something that is called "The Daily Beast". But what is your view of Ayn Rand? Have you read her writings? Specifically what is it that you don't like about her writings, or has this posting more to do with wondering what other people's thinking about her writing is and whether they agree with The Daily Beast?
Well I usually wait for someone to post their thoughts, then, if I agree, I may or may not add to the comment but if i disagree i usually post a response.
I have only read a few Ayn Rand books and I have "Atlas Shrugged" and "Capitalism: the unknown ideal" to prove it, I should really just toss them or give them to a book store, they are silly half thoughts. There is a reason first year university students read this crap, its because it only works when your world view is very narrow.
As for what I dont like about her, I think society has evolved past the idea that only I matter, her ideas dont include any benefits that sharing bring and she basically twists and turns to try to justify selfishness and greed, this is why conservatives like her, well except for the parts where she bashed religion.
This author gets it right, she was a small minded, short sighted, mean, dumb, selfish bitch *L* and she worked hard to justify reasons why she was actually virtuous *L* its insane, in certain circumstances we would say shes sociopathic and showed mental illness.
I have only read a few Ayn Rand books and I have "Atlas Shrugged" and "Capitalism: the unknown ideal" to prove it, I should really just toss them or give them to a book store, they are silly half thoughts. There is a reason first year university students read this crap, its because it only works when your world view is very narrow.
As for what I dont like about her, I think society has evolved past the idea that only I matter, her ideas dont include any benefits that sharing bring and she basically twists and turns to try to justify selfishness and greed, this is why conservatives like her, well except for the parts where she bashed religion.
This author gets it right, she was a small minded, short sighted, mean, dumb, selfish bitch *L* and she worked hard to justify reasons why she was actually virtuous *L* its insane, in certain circumstances we would say shes sociopathic and showed mental illness.
The comments by the author to me said more about him, than it did about Ayn Rand. I definitely thought that he went a bit overboard in his criticism, almost like he really wanted to kill her thoroughly. I thought her books were very well written, and very idealistic. She offered a philosophy of individualism, that I thought was a little impractical to follow. It was just a philosophy. I rather enjoyed her books, read "Atlas Shrugged", "Fountainhead" and "We the Living" more than once. Content was quite intense and passionate. But definitely not a product of a sociopath or someone who is mentally ill. That was ill deserved, most unkind and probably belongs more to the author who criticized her, than Ayn Rand herself.
You are a lot nicer about it but her poorly thought out ideas hold as virtue some of the worst points of the human race, selfishness and greed.
The satanic church (as much of a theatre joke it really is) says the same thing.
A sociopath sees nothing wrong with selfishness and greed, most normal people feel that greed and selfishness are not higher ideals and they are universally held as baser human traits, which they are! lets be clear, this isent relative, being selfish and greedy is not a good thing as a rule.
Ayn Rand may earnestly believe these things and go to lengths to call the traits virtuous and she may write well and she may tell an engaging story but at the end of the day her ideas were very poor and they collapse under simple scrutiny.
A nicer and more complete response to her writing would be to say she deserves to slip into obscurity.
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I see her as a novelist first, and a very good one at that, and a philosopher secondly. How people choose to interpret and apply her philosophy really make or break their own views and is a reflection of their own actions. They have to take responsibility for their own actions. I genuinely can't see her as a sociopath. Perhaps conflicted in a way, one would expect that that would go with their territory. Like Socrates. There are many people who thought he was quite a philosopher, especially the dialogs he used to conduct, and then there are others, especially contemporary critics, who see him as an out and out idiot and drunk. That is what I mean by saying that possibly how we interpret someone else's character could be a reflection of our own thinking, more than who they really are.
Woah, hold on, what Ayn Rand was trying to say is fairly clear, she has spelled it out in so many words, lets not play the "well its all in how she was interpreted" game, we KNOW what she was trying to say, in interviews she said as much.
I dont think shes a sociopath *L* but she holds ideas that are part of a definition that would fit sociopaths, although if I wanted to get into it I can talk about the detachment she had with others in her personal life, but either way I wouldnt say shes definitely a sociopath, I dont think she fits that well enough but I know some people do call her sociopathic.
I can meet you somewhere in this conversation and say there are people that like her and people that dont like her and people who will work harder to justify her ideology and others who says its irrelevant given better information.
I thought what I said had said just that. Her philosophy is very clear. What she thinks is very clear. That is what makes her a good novelist too. How people choose to interpret her character though, does not belong to her though. I also find it pretty futile to call her a wicked witch. Just does not sound appropriate at all to smear her character like that. Criticism is completely OK, but then I would be more impressed if the criticism is what she had to say, not picking her character apart.
Poor Margaret Thatcher.I don't know much about Ayn Rand, except for the basics, so i couldn't possibly comment.
I would hypothesise that the title "wicked witch" is reserved for Margaret Thatcher. I gather that Ayn Rand has a similar ideology to that nutter, Friedman?
I miss the old gal.
Poor Margaret Thatcher.
We don't.
When she dies, we'll dance on her grave.
Hell, we'll pay for the funeral if they bury her alive.
We don't.
When she dies, we'll dance on her grave.
Hell, we'll pay for the funeral if they bury her alive.
I thought she was dead!
She was very supportive of the US you know.
I thought she was dead!
Yes, i realise that's why you like her. The thing is, she repressed the British People (and foreign nationals) something horrible. This included a war against unions and the merciless suppression of the miners, which we just didn't stand for.
Economically, she destroyed the British manufacturing base, unemployment tripled, wealth inequality leapt upwards, wages dropped through the floor, poverty doubled and child poverty got considerably worse.
She also set up the economy in such a way as to make this recession quite a terrible affair for Britain. Her reckless privatisation (often at well below value) and deregulation of the market set the country up for a storm of a recession.
Unfortunately, she's not dead yet.
Yes I guess you are right. But ya had to see her in those sexy jeans riding horses with Ronald Reagan to understand how special she was then.
Yes I guess you are right. But ya had to see her in those sexy jeans riding horses with Ronald Reagan to understand how special she was then.
Maybe that's why some people actually like her?
To be honest, it's just about only young people in Britain that like her. The rest of us know better.
Wow Dodge and Dirk, what wonderful entertainment this has been. :giggle:I'm almost certain that the reason for all the criticism of Maggie is that during her period as Prime Minister she had been more of a man as a woman, than all of the "men" together in her Cabinet. I really liked her. Can imagine that Reagen would have liked her too. I'm sure they must have spoken the same language.I thought she was dead!
Back to Ayn Rand, this is a good description of her philosophy in Wikipedia:
Want a crash course on Thatcher?
Check out Adam Curtis film "The Living Dead" Part 3 - "The Attic"
http://www.documentary-log.com/d298-the-living-dead/
Check out Adam Curtis film "The Living Dead" Part 3 - "The Attic"
http://www.documentary-log.com/d298-the-living-dead/
Sorry, I didn't get it. You will have to explain to me what the connection is between Thatcher and your link.
Check out Adam Curtis film "The Living Dead" Part 3 - "The Attic"
http://www.documentary-log.com/d298-the-living-dead/
Part 3, is all about Thatcher ...
Thatcher was teetering on totalitarianism.
A very watered down example - it excludes the scenes of pigs beating the crap out of peaceful protesters.
A very watered down example - it excludes the scenes of pigs beating the crap out of peaceful protesters.