Has Anyone Else Read “Atlas Shrugged?”

Do you have an example of anything I got wrong, either in the post or the video?

 

Very well put! It's a best-seller that nobody reads!

 

"Hundreds of hours"? It should take no adult with decent reading skills of a high-schooler that long to read that book.

 

I didn't watch the video, admittedly. From your post, I saw no reason to.

As for as your question, I quoted a post of yours in my previous post. Many high-schoolers read it of their own volition and it was on my public library's summer reading list, so I know of many folk who have read it, and done so in less than "hundreds of hours."

That said....

No, many high-schoolers have read it as well.

Three items are incorrect here:

1) Yes, Limbaugh and Santelli have both "noticed" it promotes atheism. In order to agree with specific philosophical ideas, one does not have to agree with the philosophies in which those ideas are contained in its entirety. Neither men are full blown Objectivists, from what I understand. It is like Progressive: the agree in the Marxists idea of income distribution, but that doesn't make the mMarxists per se.
2) The book does not promote promiscuity (and indicator that you should probably re-read, or haven't read it and are only going by the typical Progressive rants you've seen elsewhere
3) The book is not against family values, unless you think a prerequisite of family values is belief in God?

Hmmm..it would appear you need to further research some classic literary devices, such as the the use of the heroic ideal. it is apparent you do not understand their use.

From here, I snipped the rest of your post, as it is just subjective drivel. I would propose that you read about the items I have referenced. In addition, read the use of a literary device called the fictional parable, and how it can convey ideas that pertain to real world societies and human interaction. Many seem to be lost in this concept as well.

Enjoy your reading Jeff!

 

Rand's aggressive atheism may be troubling for those who proclaim themselves religionists but are captivated by her fictional musings. What what they need to come to grips with is her scoffing at decent folks' forming an enlightened society with a moral dimension that strives to

Feed the hungry
Give drink to the thirsty
Clothe the naked
Shelter the homeless
Visit the sick
Visit those in prison
Bury the dead​

Selfish and humourless is no way to go through life.

 

By "form an enlightened society" you mean what specifically? I don't want to put words in your mouth. The things you list (Feed the Hungry, Give drink to the thirsty, Clothe the naked, Shelter the homeless, Visit the sick, Visit those in prison, Bury the dead) can be done by anyone at any time of their choosing but I suspect you are not referring to voluntary charities but to government programs financed by taxes. Many people of good will rightfully reject the use of force to achieve noble ends.

 

Indeed, Rand's writings and those concepts are not mutually exclusive.

 

I think that admirable mission was expressed concisely by Hubert Humphrey:

"It was once said that the moral test of government is how that government treats those who are in the dawn of life, the children; those who are in the twilight of life, the elderly; and those who are in the shadows of life, the sick, the needy and the handicapped.
​

I agree entirely. And when those human needs of one's fellow citizens are adequately addressed solely by private initiative, there will be no need that such humanitarian imperatives be addressed as a communal responsibility. Until then, unfortunately, the need is obvious, and the community's moral duty must still be be addressed.

I have no idea to what extent Ayn Rand's fictional characters harboured the milk of human kindness. They could all well have been saints in the closet, but she placed them in a grim fantasy world which few would actually wish to emulate. I prefer kindness as a guiding motivation, and find her imaginative confections sorely bereft in that regard.

 

I've read it cover-to-cover; although it's been a few years. A pretty good description of how the engine of capitalism works....and how the risk takers need incentives to take those risk....or eventually they won't. More importantly, they need government to get out of their way and stop being so intrusive. It's a great book and relates very much to the things that are happening today.

 

Looks like you have problems with reading comprehension. I said no one has read it from “cover to cover.” You have no proof that anyone did. And the fact that no one, not even YOU, knows what's in the book bolsters my belief. Lots of high schoolers have checked the book out for the parts involving Dagny Taggart's promiscuity, which you apparently didn't notice.

That's strange, considering that she is the main character and her affair with another main character, Hank Rearden, is central to the plot. Did you notice her unmarried dalliances with two other main characters, Francisco D'Anconia and John Galt? Maybe your copy had some pages missing.

The atheism issue is more important than all others to the conservative base. Next most important is family values. It's doubtful that conservatives mention these parts of Atlas Shrugged in their endorsements, or if their audiences would approve of a book that goes against their two main concerns.

In Atlas Shrugged, and in Ayn Rand's cult of Objectivism, nearly everyone is childless. The only child mentioned by name in the book is eight-year-old Millie Bush who was brutally attacked and had all her teeth knocked out. An assault that Rand minimizes by saying that the girl was ugly!

Being childless, immoral, atheistic, promiscuous, and having selfishness as your highest ideal is hardly compatible with the concept of family values.

And I guess you think that Rand's use of Aryan-stereotype heroes as a literary device is excusable?

The fact that you refuse to watch the video, which makes up 90% of my message, shows that you aren't concerned with discussing the facts.

 

I am edified by the compassion of the American people whose moral commitment gifted Ms Rand (who had incurred the ravages of lung cancer as a consequence of her denial of the dangers of smoking, a self-indulgence to which she was heavily addicted) with both the Medicare and Social Security she sought when the needs arose, despite her having vehemently opposed both.

Her imaginary, ideal society would not have exhibited such decency toward a foolish, unpleasant woman.

 

If you re-read the book you will see that Ayn Rand was wrong about almost everything. One thing she got right, and I mention it in the video, is John Galt letting only HIS message get out by rigging radio broadcasts so that opposing views couldn't be heard. Kind of like talk radio today and how its conservative monopoly tricks people into supporting the GOP.

Rand learned economics from her most famous follower, ALAN GREENSPAN! Fact-based economists have named him the person most responsible for the economic meltdown, partly for his efforts in encouraging the government to GET OUT OF THE WAY!!

And what is so great about RISK-TAKING? Few things are riskier than spending all your money on lottery tickets, but it certainly doesn't help the economy.

 

No, no problems at all. I know everything I stated is based on fact, but I have have danced this dance with others (as I said before, your contrivance isn't at all original) and know of the skewed perceptions that ideologues such as yourself like to carry on about regarding Rand. While I do not integrate all of her philosophies in my belief system myself, I do at least comprehend them (as I stated I have read the book cover to cover on at least two occasions and it holds a place on my shelf of philosophical writings) and attempt to do so in an impartial mindset, at least as much as possible. While her writing do have some flaws, none of them are the straw-men that you are attempting to build. But I could recommend some recorded lectures by some well known Professors on the topic, if you would like to listen to them. SOme of them may even shed some light on your misconceptions about the book.

 

I'd say the moral test of government is to resist it's perpetual temptation to interfere in the lives of citizens. The purpose of government is to preserve our rights. Nothing more!

Oh yea, yes I've read Atlas Shrugged. Rand was brilliant!

 

A. The book was boring as hell.

B. You either didnt read it, or you have horrible reading comprehension.

 

Fortunately, Americans assign it a far more noble pursuit: expressing the moral values of the community by helping one another when the needs arise - as they, inevitably, do.

You need not escape into your fiction, either. You have the record of the widespread human misery of the "Golden Age" - unbridled capitalism at its best. Fortunately, progress happened, and retrogression to such a state is now only entertained in fictive fantasy.

The Medicare and Social Security benefits that the banal novelist sought when she was forced to confront reality are here to stay.

 

"...the record of the widespread human misery of the "Golden Age"..."

Taxcutter says:
The people of the time thought it a huge improvement over previous times.

 

Ayn Rand wasn't perfect. I take issue with some of her social stances. But most of what she wrote about was just common sense. The fact that anyone can disagree with it just blows my mind. Her basic message was just work hard and be yourself. I think ignorant and emotional people try to project way too many other things into it because they want to see it as bad.

Straw man #1

Straw man #2

True, but it also explains the proper value and context of selfishness. Selfishness in and of itself is not inherently bad, contrary to popular liberal opinion. It really depends on how it is used. Ironically, most liberals hide behind altruism to behave selfishly in virtually everything they do.

And?

How so?

Godwin's law.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godwin's_law

Such as?

The fact that you think she's evil proves that you didn't actually understand any of what you read. The only thing that could be considered evil about anything Ayn Rand believed was her stance on abortion. Which is shared by most leftists.

 

Atlas Shrugged is full of positive references to smoking. The movies must look like cigarette commercials if they are true to the book. Here are some references from my notes:

p275 dagny and hank smoking / 353 best cigarette/ 332 tasty cigarette/ 332 dagny and hugh akston/ 382 cigar stand man couldn't find origin of special cigarette./ dag cig 440/ 447 destroyer smoked cig with $ sign/ 550 dagny/ 551 dagny/ 612 Dagny// 633 dagny/ 643 dagny and hank 651 cafe customer/ 664/ 683 dollar sign on cigs/ 684 smoking philosophy/ dagny and kellogg 690/ 714 dagny got cigs from galt/
726 Mulligan Tobacco Company, Dr. Akston also runs it/ 730 dagny thinks of money saved on electric bill used to buy an extra pack of cigarettes/ philosopher Akston ran a cig factory at galt's gulch 738/ 741 lighted cigs in room/ 741/ 758 Ragnar/ 775 dagny lighted cigs/ 'click of a cig lighter' from galt 781/ the plane looked like a cigarette 799/ / 892 jim / 946 dr. ferris blowing smoke rings / 1111 galt / 1119 chick morrison /

Ayn Rand loved smoking. When she was diagnosed with lung cancer she couldn't believe it, as it was incompatible with her Objectivist beliefs.

 

Well I am 90 minutes into the film and the only reference to smoking is an extra smoke butt in an ashtray to signal two people were in a room when a wife suspects her husband having an affair.

 

You are certainly in the minority. When Atlas Shrugged came out it got nearly unanimous bad reviews. Events have proven her wrong about nearly everything. The seven biographies I read all had bad things to say about Rand, her followers, and her books.

 

Either give some specific examples or just stop with this nonsense.

 

From the biographies we learn that Rand was a slow reader who was bad at Scrabble and may not have had a high IQ!

 

She expected fuel costs to be so high the only affordable long distance travel is by train.

 

Satanic High Priest Anton LaVey based his SATANIC BIBLE on Atlas Shrugged. I rest my case.