Agnostic.com
10 8

Right Wingers and Ayn Rand.

A slight rant, I suppose, but one conservative saintly reference that spills my beans is Ayn Rand.

Heard a woman on CNN recently, I think, mutter about how her parents were "liberals" but when she read Ayn Rand, she heard the call and has been conservative ever since. They've turned Rand into the patron saint of free market religion and a perverse 'screw you pal it's all about me' individualism that has nothing to do with modern oligarchic, authoritarian reactionary conservatism of the modern age.

I read and studied Rand in my political philosophy days at Uni in the 70s. Simplistic drivel, I thought. It's not her they identify with, but the image of her, the myth, like they do with Reagan, or Jesus, for that matter.

I've heard this kind of "Randian" nonsense too often over the years. It's a simplistic kind of individualism that is especially American in nature, but a perverse form of American individualism.

I suppose hard wired conservative people look for intellectual props to validate their view.

Anyone agree or disagree?

David1955 8 Nov 19
Share
You must be a member of this group before commenting. Join Group

Enjoy being online again!

Welcome to the community of good people who base their values on evidence and appreciate civil discourse - the social network you will enjoy.

Create your free account

10 comments

Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.

1

Most of my exposure to her writings are through others who follow her. My experience is her followers are self-aborbed and lack empathy.

K8TE Level 5 Dec 19, 2018
0

I agree with CeliaVL - Atlas Shrugged was confusing, especially true for a kid with dyslexia. I believe that many who claim that Rand was a "true conservative" really did not understand hr philosophy of government or the governed. What most do not remember is that Rand was an agnostic if not an atheist.

SageDave Level 7 Nov 21, 2018
0

I thought 'Atlas Shrugged' was a very confused book and not nearly thought through enough. I have read some of her essays, too, and found them better thought out and more interesting, but I suspect most of the people who claim to follow her theories haven't really read her. I can see that self-centred isolationists would be drawn to her.

CeliaVL Level 7 Nov 20, 2018
0

Years ago I started to read Atlas Shrugged, ...attemptwd to get into it twice but coul dn't stomach it. Waste of my time. A Coursey Wikipedia reading is all A. Rand deserves or will get from me. I would no sooner read a whole book of hers than I would of Ann Coulter.

0

By far the worst DVD I ever picked up was Rand's Atlas Shrugged Part II. What a stillborn work of Libertard propaganda. After mostly fast forwarding through the trash I felt like I should have been paid for putting up with the infomercial brown-nosing and tea-bagging those who own the most top 1% ish. That movie made me research any movie before ordering.

2

Individualism as envisioned by Rand works efficiently within the context of capitalism and fascism. It has no bearing in a collectivist economic system. That is why Reaganomics was essentially Randian economics. Garbage to be sure, all.

Bakunin Level 7 Nov 19, 2018
0

I've heard nothing but bad about her from today's public intellectuals. I watched a YouTube video of a show she did with Phil Donahue and I thought she defended her views very well. That said, I'm a big fan of social democracy.

brentan Level 8 Nov 19, 2018
2

Agreed..

Charlene Level 9 Nov 19, 2018
4

I haven't studied her or even read much about her but have heard references to her enough to understand what she is about.

I also read recently that near the end of her life, she did in fact receive assistance from those programs she so detested the rest of us having

Lucy_Fehr Level 8 Nov 19, 2018

Why does that not surprise me. It's always amuse me that right wing people I've known who hate welfare and public programs and so on and go on and on about it, but if there's a lurk, perk, benefit, subsidy or hand out going, they're right in there getting it. They are always deserving, but no one else is, apparently.

4

I hate her and her philosophy deeply. The philosophy of selfishness and the kind of power for power's sake that is at the heart of fascism. How much similarity do you find between her and Nietzsche?

kmdskit3 Level 8 Nov 19, 2018

Same kind of problem thinking.

Write Comment

Recent Visitors 42

Photos 1,806 More

Posted by KilltheskyfairyNot very tolerant at all…

Posted by KilltheskyfairyNot very tolerant at all…

Posted by KilltheskyfairyNot very tolerant at all…

Posted by KilltheskyfairyNot very tolerant at all…

Posted by KilltheskyfairyNot very tolerant at all…

Posted by KilltheskyfairyNot very tolerant at all…

Posted by KilltheskyfairyNot very tolerant at all…

Posted by KilltheskyfairyNot very tolerant at all…

Posted by KilltheskyfairyNot very tolerant at all…

Posted by KilltheskyfairyNot very tolerant at all…

Posted by KilltheskyfairyI really can’t, can you?

Posted by KilltheskyfairyI hope he doesn’t bail out Trump…

Posted by KilltheskyfairyI hope he doesn’t bail out Trump…

Posted by KilltheskyfairyI hope he doesn’t bail out Trump…

Posted by KilltheskyfairyI hope he doesn’t bail out Trump…

Posted by KilltheskyfairyChoices, choices!

  • Top tags#video #DonaldTrump #politics #satire #world #republicans #hell #humor #government #News #money #comedy #laws #god #vote #media #hope #truth #USA #democrats #children #socialist #reason #death #religion #kids #friends #society #religious #BernieSanders #military #rights #Police #democratic #fox #policy #evidence #book #guns #Christian #WhiteHouse #community #campaign #TheTruth #Texas #florida #progressive #sex #parents #church ...

    Members 2,425Top

    Moderator