With Friends Like These


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With friends like these who needs enemies?

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704402404574525702581182272.html#articleTabs%3Darticle

An op-ed which claims that interest in Ayn Rand is bad for advocacy of the free market.

Edited by jeffrey smith
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Jeffrey:

Trust me, it will only encourage folks to read her more.

Illinois Policy Institute

http://www.illinoispolicy.org/content/?section=&section2=463&page=463

This is their board/staff

Adam

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These are no friends of Rand. Rather, they are William F. Buckley retreads. What a disgusting bunch of nay-sayers. A reverand was one of the bozo's quoted, for God's sake 8-)

Her legacy is not in her debunking, but rather in the Objectivist philosophy as a whole, and in her "works of art." And once again her hero's were alluded to be Neitzschean Supermen. People who immediately go from Atlas Shrugged, to Athiest, to ascerbic, to Cult, to Nietzche, are out to smear Ayn Rand. They left out the artistry, the vision, the benevelence, and the philosophy.

They mentioned a TV miniseries in the works. It would be good to see a twenty-four hour long rendition of Atlas Shrugged with Jodie Foster in the lead. If it were on Showtime like "Spartacus" we might see Jodie's bosoms. Sigh.

Peter

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I'm annoyed by those sorts of people who know nothing but to nurture hate and envy in their souls... I haven't seen such barefaced lies in quite a while.

Peter, I agree on you with that 24-hour mini-series (because you shouldn't skip a beat of it!). Also, Jodie would make a fine Dagny Taggart (I don't like Jolie that much especially in characters who are required to do significant dialogues).

On a related topic, I don't think the movie of the Fountainhead did justice to the book. It was so abridged that what happened there didn't made sense to me (since I was comparing it with the book) and especially if I was in the shoes of someone trying to understand Objectivism or Rand's work for the first time. Saving grace: Roark's Cortland trial.

Edited by David Lee
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Gentlemen:

I never met a critic who built a bridge!

First, quoting a religious figure as to an issue is perfectly credible. This effete self destructive echo chamber that many Objectivists want to create, in order that they can howl into the void is, frankly boring.

You empower their banal attacks with those kinds of "criticisms."

David: The Fountainhead had many difficult censor issues to smash through. Remember it was made in the early 40's (??). However, the trial did make the film have a more cohesive plot line.

Philosophy on film has its drawbacks.

Are there major American films that basically dealt with a developing philosophical system?

I doubt if their are many.

Adam

Edited by Selene
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I have always thoughts that a good remake of We The Living would be the best thing before doing AS. It would be shorter and clearer with a terrific plotand pave the way for an interested public.

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Gentlemen:

I never met a critic who built a bridge!

First, quoting a religious figure as to an issue is perfectly credible. This effete self destructive echo chamber that many Objectivists want to create, in order that they can howl into the void is, frankly boring.

You empower their banal attacks with those kinds of "criticisms."

David: The Fountainhead had many difficult censor issues to smash through. Remember it was made in the early 40's (??). However, the trial did make the film have a more cohesive plot line.

Philosophy on film has its drawbacks.

Are there major American films that basically dealt with a developing philosophical system?

I doubt if their are many.

Adam

Have to remember, The Fountainhead, truncated as it for some seems to be, was still a two and half hour movie, long in general in those days, and still a good length movie today - to give it the full treatment would had meant one the length of Gone With The Wind, not a likely event...

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Wait, I thought Jodie Foster was gay. I mean I don't care about that a lick, and furthermore find her a great actress. But doesn't that mess it up for some of these O-Guys I know? Maybe not; maybe they can suspend disbelief and do the vicarious experience thing.

Actually, I wish they would do more of that anyway because it would be good, and, fun to watch.

rde

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Jeffrey,

I agree with Adam that Ms. Wilhelm's piece is unlikely scare anyone off Rand. If anything, it will increase her appeal, because readers will wonder how someone whose ideas are alleged to suffer from crippling flaws has managed to be so influential—and why a thinker who is dismissed as an incompetent marketer wrote books that are still selling in quantity.

Those who know a bit about libertarian-land will also wonder whether Brink Lindsey, if asked about Murray Rothbard, would have a significantly different take on him than he did on Rand.

Robert Campbell

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We already had a thread for discussing this article:

http://www.objectivistliving.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=7937&st=0

While negative, the author doesn’t engage in rank misrepresentation or smearing, so I don’t think this article is so bad. Count your blessings.

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Do you think AR would roll over in her grave if we created little red stickers to wear on our shirts that say "I (heart) Ayn Rand"

??

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Do you think AR would roll over in her grave if we created little red stickers to wear on our shirts that say "I (heart) Ayn Rand"

??

Chris:

Actually, does anyone know why she was buried rather than cremated?

Frank also.

Adam

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Chris:

Actually, does anyone know why she was buried rather than cremated?

Frank also.

Adam

Interesting question. Why might you think she would have preferred cremation?

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Chris:

Actually, does anyone know why she was buried rather than cremated?

Frank also.

Adam

Interesting question. Why might you think she would have preferred cremation?

The athiest I have known seemed to prefer it.

I find graveyards great places for history, picnics, grave rubbings and Halloween walks with kids.

However, it is not a place for my remains. I was thinking of having a taxidermist and some motorized action stuff, but cremation seems more sensible to me.

Adam

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