Horror File of Objectivist Living


Recommended Posts

Horror File of Objectivist Living

Do you know of any recent cases of philosophical cultural depravity?

Go ahead and post them here.

I got this idea from a recommendation Joe made on a different thread:

Perhaps Michael would put up a "Horror File" sticky here on OL.


Obviously, this thread echoes the original "Horror File" in The Objectivist Newsletter and The Objectivist, but I have no pretension of making it a formal extension.

Rand is Rand and OL is OL. Setting aside the problem of differing member agreement and disagreement on issues, there is a structural difference. Rand published a newsletter where she (and for a good part, Nathaniel Branden) exercised total editorial control. Objectivist Living is an Internet discussion forum, so the publication standards are different. People publish as they wish (within the posting guidelines and spirit of the place). They do not submit material to a gatekeeper.

Thus, I don't expect people to mention an item of philosophical horror they read or came across somewhere in the culture and not discuss it. Discuss it by all means.

But if this "Horror File of Objectivist Living" starts going too far off the rails like with a flame war, or even a long-winded and deep discussion of an issue, etc., I will probably peel the respective posts off and start a new thread with them, or delete them if they are totally without content except snark.

That said and bearing in mind this file is inspired in the original "Horror File," not a continuation of it, there's no harm in quoting the words the first time the "Horror File" appeared in the June, 1965 edition of The Objectivist Newsletter. I presume they are Rand's, but the publication doesn't say.

(For those who may have wondered whether the intellectual level of today's culture is as low as we charge, the following documentation should prove illuminating. From time to time, we will offer additional documents of this kind.)

I hope we keep to this spirit, not strictly, but within reason after taking into account the flexibility inherent in public forums (like herding cats, for instance :smile: ).

If you do post an item, please source it and/or provide links. And please do not quote entire articles. Just the passages that are horror-inspiring and your thoughts.

Let 'er rip and enjoy, folks.

Michael

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 121
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

My god Michael, that was quick.

You're a good consiglierie...top shelf!

Thank you

-Joe

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Michael:

Can we just post the item in this thread and if anyone wants to discuss it, it should be their obligation to start a new thread.

You have enough to do.

Therefore, the power of the thread will only be horror after horror which is why it was so powerful.

It is similar to the Armed Citizen column in the National Rifleman, just story after story of citizen who stopped rape, robbery, assault, etc. by being armed and willing to defend their fellow citizens, their property etc.

A...

Joe:

Yes, damn impressive. Quick little devil ain't he!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Adam,

I like that idea, but it's hard as hell to get right on a forum. (Believe me, I've tried similar stuff. :) )

How would you guys like to help me out here, though?

Just inform folks if they start going off the rails and maybe help them open a new thread (and maybe link to it) if they seem reluctant. I would appreciate that.

I don't think readers will mind two or three (or so) posts between entries at times. It will still flow.

Later, if this turns into something worth improving, we can put up a separate thread with only the entries.

Michael

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Adam,

I like that idea, but it's hard as hell to get right on a forum. (Believe me, I've tried similar stuff. :smile: )

How would you guys like to help me out here, though?

Just inform folks if they start going off the rails and maybe help them open a new thread (and maybe link to it) if they seem reluctant. I would appreciate that.

I don't think readers will mind two or three (or so) posts between entries at times. It will still flow.

Later, if this turns into something worth improving, we can put up a separate thread with only the entries.

Michael

Agreed Michael.

Joe, I think you and I just got deputized!

A...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

OK.

Geez, I opened a can of worms or

as AR would say: "Brother, you asked for it"

Send an invite to Peikoff....perhaps he will contribute...no wait, Peikoff belongs in the "Horror File"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

OK.

Geez, I opened a can of worms or

as AR would say: "Brother, you asked for it"

Send an invite to Peikoff....perhaps he will contribute...no wait, Peikoff belongs in the "Horror File"

Now Joe, we have to start a new thread on that disgusting thought.

A...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here's something pretty horrific. One of the greatest enemies and destroyers of freedom of the present moment seems to be economist Thomas Piketty and his new book Capital In the 21st Century. I haven't read it, but it seems to be a magisterial and powerful argument for socio-economic equality and against political liberty. Here's a rather glowing and ghastly tribute to it, complete with attacks on libertarianism and Randian ideology: http://www.alternet.org/economy/how-pikettys-bombshell-book-blows-libertarian-fantasies.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Kyrel,

Let me add to that. I actually watched this entire thing (and the sound really sucks). But it is recent and I wanted to get a gist since this book is getting a hell of a lot of media attention. I am actually going to read that book.



I wrote to a friend about this. Here are a few copy/pastes from that email:

He wrote a book that is being hailed as the new economic Bible of Keynesian economics, not that it proposes anything Keynes said, but that it allegedly vindicates it.

. . .

Present at this talk were Heather Boushey, Executive Director and Chief Economist of the Washington Center for Equitable Growth, Josh Bivens, Research and Policy Director of the Economic Policy Institute, Robert M. Solow, Professor Emeritus at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Betsey Stevenson, Member of the White House Council of Economic Advisers--all Obama people except for Solow, who used to work for Gerald Ford.

Now imagine this. People from the Obama administration, which is tanking the economy big time, and a Ford dude who, back in the day, tried to deal with inflation with badges and party-hats with WIN (Whip Inflation Now) printed on them. You can imagine what they discussed.

It all boiled down to one thing for them: There are folks who have a lot of money and we want it.

Piketty is very clever in some of his arguments. For instance, the population in the USA has increased dramatically over the last two centuries as opposed to, say, France. This impacts "distribution" of wealth re comparing the two countries because of inheritance and so on.

And then there is that double-edged sword they are using, which is a word with two meanings: distribution. In one sense, distribution simply means who owns what wealth, how much is where. In another sense, it means there is a central "distributor."

I could go on, but I watched this damn thing because, frankly, I couldn't take my eyes off the parasites. It was like out of Atlas Shrugged, except the jargon was different.

One of the ladies even went so far as to say that she has data that an increase in money for a person means a better life, implying that the deal is for the government to give the poor folks more money, but admitting that a decrease leads to a worse life. Now here's the kicker. She said this even applied to rich folks.

They (rich folks and poor folks) get sad if they lose money and happy if they get more.

Before you say, "Well duh!", for some reason that scared the shit out of me. These are top-level Obama people. Maybe it's because I already lived in a hyperinflation economy. Believe me, that is no fun. That is how to turn and entire country into a pack of liars and scumbags. If you owe someone some money, you lie to them and hide from them. If they owe you, there is nothing you won't do or stoop to in order to get it. And everybody juggles indexes.

It's horrible.

Hopefully, I just watched some wishful thinking amidst the death throes of a failed economic policy instead of some really sleazy (but Ivy-league educated) bad guys brainstorming on what propaganda talking points they can come up with to dupe people and take their money.

I got the book because I believe it will need some kind of rebuttal, even if it is only a point or two. I'm also going to try to get some of the brainiacs on OL to discuss it and start to spread the issue to other places.

A really cool thing I believe might be possible with this book. From what little I have read about it, and heard in this discussion, Piketty did one hell of a great job compiling historical data. And, as weird as this may sound, I believe that data might be able to be used to help the arguments for laissez-faire capitalism. In other words, use the same facts as the left, but with a different interpretation of them. With some simple examples and powerful arguments, that might turn this book into the left's worst nightmare.

One of the cool things I heard in the talk is that everyone was on board with keeping capitalism around. No one wants to replace it or extinguish it. They just want it to be under the boot of the government and jumping on command like a trained dog.

Any brainiacs want to pile on? Or even non-brainiacs?

:smile:

Michael

Link to comment
Share on other sites

One sherrif votes for making this a new thread, it deserves it.

My understanding is that it is # 1 on Amazon.

A...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nice video, Michael! :smile: I watched the first 22 minutes. It's intelligent and high-minded, but also pretty bland and tiresome, featuring poor sound quality, as advertised; plus a bad French accent from the speaker. The worst part so far occurs at 10:55 where Piketty calls for more "progressive" (i.e. punitive) taxation. Still...

As far as I can tell, there has been a medium-size growth in income inequality in the past 40 years or so. And inequality in the US evidently did decline from 1910 to 1970. In the post-war, post-1945 period all this took place despite the growth of unions and union power, minimum/prevailing wages, the (WW II) GI Bill with its education and housing (Levittowns) subsidies, the interstate highway system, etc. Welfare statists would argue that income inequality wonderfully declined because of all this state expansion and intervention. They would also say that the radical growth of gov't during the 1930s New Deal beautifully equalized things as well.

My quick argument and counter-speculation is that this growth of income equality occurred in spite of welfare statism. More importantly, once the Great Society of the late 1960s and early 1970s kicked in -- with Medicare, Medicaid, Welfare, increased regulation, newly complex tax codes, etc. -- then broad socio-economic trends reversed and inequality noticeably started to grow. The laws and gov't programs became elaborate and super-complex. Thus the gov't and welfare statism, as always, are the problem -- not the solution. Freedom and capitalism aren't failing today. Probably the rich folks know how to manipulate and control the system -- with all its tricky "protective" regulations and tax "shelters" -- in ways the middle and lower class don't.

It's pretty sad to see all those pseudo-free enterprise and pseudo-libertarian "tax cuts" and "tax holidays" for millionaires and billionaires ever since Ronald Reagan and the 1980s. Pretty much every time a big company wants to open a new factory or business, or threatens to move an old one, it negotiates giant tax cuts for itself from the state gov't. Major sports team owners are generally showered with subsidies. There are now a plethora of wretched and farcical "enterprise zones" in most major US cities. Basically, all kinds of benefits are bestowed upon the politically-connected upper class. And all this anti-liberty nonsense is done in order to "spur growth" and "get gov't off our backs" and encourage "capitalism" -- usually with conservatives, libertarians, and Objectivists cheering.

What a joke! This is all just charity for the mega-rich. I call it "monopoly kleptocracy," while most label it "crony capitalism." Those "Occupy Wall Street" and "We are the 99%" folks had a point. Mitt Romney and his fellow investor plutocrats pay less than 15% in income taxes because this the official US rate for stock dividends or capital gains.

Meanwhile, the poor are also showered with welfare state benefits, so that they have a huge incentive to stay poor and little motivation to climb out of poverty. Thus the middle class suffers while those at the top and bottom exploit the system, profiteer from it, and grow in relative population size.

No wonder there's growing income inequality in the West!

But along with all this illegitimate growth in wealth inequality -- ironically enough -- there may be something proper and virtuous going on as well. Maybe as our world becomes more specialized and detailed in its division of labor, we are becoming "a world of experts." Thus there's a great call today, unlike 40 years ago, for highly-educated specialists in isolated fields; those who are this, and can do the tricky difficult work needed, get paid a comparative fortune. Meanwhile, those who are vocational generalists and blue collar workers are progressively less needed and valued in today's economy. Also: thinking, creating, innovating managers, executives, and bosses may be more necessary and important than ever, while braindead factory workers and laborers are quickly becoming less valued and important -- and thus less well paid. Robots and automation seem to be driving down their wages. Also considerably increased "outsourcing" and "third world", "the world is flat" competition. So today's world, interestingly enough, may also be displaying a partial growth in income/economic justice and morality. In other words, the hated "top 10%" and "top 1%" folks who are prospering these days may genuinely be productive workers who are earning more for their companies and so deserve more in pay. Thus a fairly large minority of growing income inequality today also seems to be based on merit.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

One sherrif votes for making this a new thread, it deserves it.

My understanding is that it is # 1 on Amazon.

A...

+1

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here's the horror: The growing global ideology is becoming less concerned with "compassionate re-distribution" of the wealth - and only purportedly about "equality". Anyway, those conditions are old hat, the status quo, today. But they provide a sickly-sanctimonious cover for these 'new intellectuals' in preparation for the last act to be accomplished. Which is punishment. Like ultra-environmentalists who would happily rid mankind from the Earth to achieve their insane goals, the radical egalitarian-nihilist doesn't want only to strip wealth from the wealthy, or to "level the playing field between rich and poor", he wants to destroy them together with their wealth. We've been through the Age of Envy, and the Age of Hatred of the Good for being the Good, I think next is the Age of Retribution. The greatest sin is merit. No amount of sacrificing of others - or even self-sacrifice - will be too great, as long as it ensures that the hubris of the individual's mind and ability is forever wiped out.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Along that same topic...

(Washington Post)

US BUSINESSES ARE BEING DESTROYED FASTER THAN THEY ARE BEING CREATED

The American economy is less entrepreneurial now than at any point in the last three decades.

entrepreneurs.png

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2014/05/05/u-s-businesses-are-being-destroyed-faster-than-theyre-being-created/?hpid=z5

Link to comment
Share on other sites

One sherrif votes for making this a new thread, it deserves it.

My understanding is that it is # 1 on Amazon.

A...

Adam,

I'll likely do this later. Not enough time right now...

Michael

Understood.

Joe and I are working this out right now, so relax...we can handle this.

A...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Along that same topic...

(Washington Post)

US BUSINESSES ARE BEING DESTROYED FASTER THAN THEY ARE BEING CREATED

The American economy is less entrepreneurial now than at any point in the last three decades.

entrepreneurs.png

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2014/05/05/u-s-businesses-are-being-destroyed-faster-than-theyre-being-created/?hpid=z5

Sadly, I'm beginning to believe that the status quo is even worse than it was back in the Vietnam War era, which includes LBJ's Great(?) Society the draft & the hippie culture.

-Joe :-(

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Joe writes:

Sadly, I'm beginning to believe that the status quo is even worse than it was back in the Vietnam War era, which includes LBJ's Great(?) Society the draft & the hippie culture.

-Joe :-(

I believe you're right, Joe.

I'm pretty certain that trend could be logically extrapolated into the past. I started my business in 1980 when dissolved businesses were over 10% but there were a lot more business startups back then because it was way easier than it is today. I started a hobby/business in 2012 and so far it's breaking even so I really can't complain.

Greg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Along that same topic...

(Washington Post)

US BUSINESSES ARE BEING DESTROYED FASTER THAN THEY ARE BEING CREATED

The American economy is less entrepreneurial now than at any point in the last three decades.

entrepreneurs.png

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2014/05/05/u-s-businesses-are-being-destroyed-faster-than-theyre-being-created/?hpid=z5

Adam,

The above post (if I'm reading your PM to me correctly) could be placed in a new stickie called "Business" if MSK initiates it.

In addition to relevant articles, posts of personal experiences in business and/or recommendations (business start up,management, promotion, etc.) could be placed there.

Just a thought.

-J

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Joe writes:

Sadly, I'm beginning to believe that the status quo is even worse than it was back in the Vietnam War era, which includes LBJ's Great(?) Society the draft & the hippie culture.

-Joe :-(

I believe you're right, Joe.

I'm pretty certain that trend could be logically extrapolated into the past. I started my business in 1980 when dissolved businesses were over 10% but there were a lot more business startups back then because it was way easier than it is today. I started a hobby/business in 2012 and so far it's breaking even so I really can't complain.

Greg

Greg,

It's sad to know that "breaking even" with a business is criteria for not complaining. You should (rightfully so) complain!

I dissolved a very busy export business in 2000, which I started in 1991. The increasing regulations were hand-cuffing me.

My customers were upset but understood it just wasn't worth it. Screw the regulators. I shrugged.

-J

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sadly...both of you are perfect examples of why we had .01% growth through the first quarter of 2014.

As to your point Joe...essentially we should move everything from this thread other than Michaels first post so as to re-set the purpose of the horror file.

Michael's point was that a few followup posts would be ok.

Well, he and I were wrong because here we are drifting away fron the sole purpose of the "horror file," which is verified post after post of verified stories in the culture that are:

horrifying

No discussion, versus a few posts and then you and I/Michael are to separate the thread to a worthy separate a new thread.

Otherwise, it is to be a file, as I compared it to the Armed Citizen of the American Rifleman, e.g.,:

http://www.nrapublications.org/index.php/11310/armed-citizen-18/

At least that was my concept.

The presentation in the NRA section appears thusly:

When a gunman entered U.S. Rep. Leonard Boswell’s home, attacked his daughter and demanded money, Boswell ran to the entryway and attempted to disarm the suspect. “When you see one of the people that you love very much, you see they’re in that kind of danger, why, you have to do something,” Boswell said. Perhaps the intruder would’ve picked a different home had he known Boswell is an NRA A-rated Democrat. As Boswell struggled with the man, his 22-year-old grandson retrieved a shotgun and trained it on the intruder. The suspect fled the home. (FoxNews.com, 07/17/11)

Police raced to the scene of a burglary in progress following the homeowner’s frantic 9-1-1 call. Officers were not able to arrive fast enough to prevent the crime, but fortunately the homeowner had a backup plan: armed self-defense. The burglar entered the home, but his progress was stopped by several gunshots. When police arrived, he was already dead. (CBS Los Angeles, 08/04/11)

A 68-year-old grandmother was lying in bed when she was startled by the sound of someone breaking in. So she got up and grabbed her .410 shotgun, a gun she’s kept for self-defense for many years, a gun she was never sure she could actually use on a human being and didn’t want to find out. However, when her French doors flew open and her burglar alarm went off, that was all it took—mortal fear—and she fired upon the three men. Her first volley of bird shot struck one suspect in the face and a second suspect was struck in the chest. All three men fled and are in police custody. At least one had been armed, as police found his handgun’s magazine in the yard. The woman received many calls and e-mails cheering her actions. “One of them said ‘Go Granny Go’,” she recalled. “I don’t consider myself old, but apparently everyone else does.” (WTVF-TV, Nashville, TN, 08/01/11)

Upon stopping at an intersection, a motorist noticed a man approaching. Before he could react, the man reached through the window and punched him several times. Stunned by the blows, the motorist reached for his handgun, for which he has a permit to carry. As his attacker reached behind his back, as if for a weapon, the motorist drew his gun and fired a shot, striking the assailant in the upper torso. The suspect will be charged following his release from the hospital. (WJXT-TV, Jacksonville, FL, 07/15/11)

It goes on.

It is sourced. It is national/cultural. It's weight is it's factual.

We can slide into the space inbetween.

However, any concept/story that has legs, should you, Michael, or, the poster, start a separte thread to address the issue.

A....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Greg,

It's sad to know that "breaking even" with a business is criteria for not complaining. You should (rightfully so) complain!

Oh, no... I didn't mean to convey that at all! I'm not a victim. :smile:

The business I've had for 34 years makes money so that I get to play around on the side with the little business that offers all of the excitement and adventure of being an innovative manufacturer... just on a very tiny scale.

I call it microbusiness.

I come up with creative concepts for aftermarket automotive performance parts. Then the designs, then prototypes, then dyno testing, then small production runs, and then sales. When I recover my R & D and production costs, the money gets recycled into the next project. I've funded three projects so far by using the same initial capital over and over and they've all paid for themselves through the profit from sales. Business is more than just making money, It's also an art form... the creative expression of personally manifesting your moral values in the real world.

I dissolved a very busy export business in 2000, which I started in 1991. The increasing regulations were hand-cuffing me.

My customers were upset but understood it just wasn't worth it. Screw the regulators. I shrugged.

I totally understand your position. When you reach a certain scale in business, you end up with a big red bullseye painted on your back.

I also shrug... and very selectively. I'm totally happy to shrug the government system, the education system, the credit system, the debt system, the insurance system, the healthcare system, the legal system, and the union system. :smile:

Greg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Greg,

It's sad to know that "breaking even" with a business is criteria for not complaining. You should (rightfully so) complain!

Oh, no... I didn't mean to convey that at all! I'm not a victim. :smile:

The business I've had for 34 years makes money so that I get to play around on the side with the little business that offers all of the excitement and adventure of being an innovative manufacturer... just on a very tiny scale.

I call it microbusiness.

I come up with creative concepts for aftermarket automotive performance parts. Then the designs, then prototypes, then dyno testing, then small production runs, and then sales. When I recover my R & D and production costs, the money gets recycled into the next project. I've funded three projects so far by using the same initial capital over and over and they've all paid for themselves through the profit from sales. Business is more than just making money, It's also an art form... the creative expression of personally manifesting your moral values in the real world.

I dissolved a very busy export business in 2000, which I started in 1991. The increasing regulations were hand-cuffing me.

My customers were upset but understood it just wasn't worth it. Screw the regulators. I shrugged.

I totally understand your position. When you reach a certain scale in business, you end up with a big red bullseye painted on your back.

I also shrug... and very selectively. I'm totally happy to shrug the government system, the education system, the credit system, the debt system, the insurance system, the healthcare system, the legal system, and the union system. :smile:

Greg

Understood. Good luck to you.

-J

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Canadian government says guilty, even if you are not at fault....and grant themselves more "power".

I'm also reminded what AR wrote (Atlas Shrugged). "When you see that in order to produce, you need to obtain permission from men who produce nothing....... you may know that your society is doomed.”

http://seekingalpha.com/news/1751853-canada-unveils-new-pipeline-safety-measures-ahead-of-new-projects?uprof=80&dr=1

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Joe writes:

I'm also reminded what AR wrote (Atlas Shrugged). "When you see that in order to produce, you need to obtain permission from men who produce nothing....... you may know that your society is doomed.

That's totally true. Ayn Rand provided an accurate measure.

From where I look at it, it is impossible for society to be all uniformly doomed at the same time. There are always nooks and crannies where you don't need permission from the parasites to produce goods and services. So that's where I go... :smile:

Greg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now