Prickly City by Scott Stantis for March 30, 2009

Great, another politician. And judging by their smiles, those two are buying his line.

Or a writer named Ayn? But I don't really see those words in her mouth.

I’m hoping this is not an Ayn Rand reference. Some of her fans have the attitude that any publicity is good as long as they pronounce the name right (rhymes with “mine”), but I disagree.

Ayn Rand is subject to attacks from Left, Right, and Center, and all that negativism distracts from the fact that she’s the greatest advocate of Reason since Aristotle, of Freedom since Locke, and of Individualism since ever.

I’ll be very disappointed with this strip if it turns against her. If it does, expect to hear a lot more from this 40+year Objectivist. (Don’t let anyone tell you Ayn Rand is a phase the young grow out of. Truth doesn’t get old.)

The only ones who “get over” Ayn Rand are those who never read her, those who just parrot what their friends say. At least, that is what John Galt told me.

Ever consider the possibility that the vulture is a reference to the RAND Corporation (no affiliation with Ayn)? Here’s a little something from their website:

“The RAND Corporation is a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decision-making through research and analysis. Across a broad range of subjects, RAND research is characterized by its independence, objectivity, and nonpartisanship; its empirical foundation; its high quality, scientific rigor, and interdisciplinary approach; and its dedication to improving policymaking on the major issues of the day.”

Sounds to me like a lot of self-congratulatory hot air, making it a fine object of ridicule for a political cartoonist. Ayn Rand devotees take note: Not everything is about her (or you), as wrong as that might seem.

To cfortunato: Can you tell me exactly which of AR’s principles you outgrew? Is it adherence to Reality? Is it Reason? Freedom for the individual? Self-reliance? Certainly you “out-grew” the idea that ideas matter, which is why you resort to ill-disguised insults.

To jbmlaw: I have seen people attack AR just because they’ve heard others do so, but the greater problem is those who can read her carefully reasoned arguments and then dismiss them. I suspect this is because thinking takes effort, and non-effort is easy. But life takes effort; dying is easy too. It’s everyone’s choice.

To JuneBugMom: Your guess about the RAND Corp. is as good as any at this point, so maybe you are right–but I’m not betting on it.

As for “not everything is about her (or you)”, almost everything *IS* about philosophy, whether it’s the false philosophies that have caused so much destruction throughout history, or the nearly-correct philosophies that gave rise to acheivements like the founding of the United States, or the anti-philosophal philosophy of Pragmatism that rules our politics today. And Ayn Rand’s Objectivism has the only answer to all the compounded errors of history.

If anyone’s first response to this is automatic rejection and you have not read “Atlas Shrugged”, then you don’t know what you are missing or how important it is to you.

McNally?

Can someone “synopsize” Ayn Rand or her novels? I’ve heard how “Atlas Shrugged” explores how rich people would take all their money and leave the rest of us to flounder in our own muck. Am I right? Then it saves me having to read another tedious tome. I can see already that it doesn’t apply to our current situation because of the actions of the elite in the last six months. When they were faced with losing their “profit” they went straight to the authorities and cut a deal with both sides…with free-market principles their chief sacrificial offering…Granted this could be an “olive branch” of generosity extended to the poor sweating masses before they have to retreat to their villas and mansions nestled all over the world…But doesn’t this mean in the end that the powers-that-be are accountable only to themselves and that the best way for middle-class Americans to retrieve some of that power is to demand an extra-market income re-distribution in the way of higher taxes and greater federally-funded programs designed to improve and maintain our standards of living?

Rand, the Ca. Condor, assured of survival, no matter which choice you make.

To BowWow: That’s an awful lot of bad guessing about what “Atlas Shrugged” is about from someone who hasn’t read it (and doesn’t seem willing to).

“Atlas” HAS been synopsized; there are study guides from Cliff Notes and others, but I expect you won’t read them either.

Yes, it contains characters who run to the government for help; they are among the novel’s worst villains. It is this kind of resemblance to our current clime that has caused sales of “Atlas” to triple recently.

But “Atlas” is not primarily about politics or economics. It is about replacing thousands of years of self-sacrificial ethics with a new moral code. And as a bonus, it is a terrific mystery.

(But this is an awful lot of guessing about what the bird might mean.)

The biggest problem with Atlas Shrugged is the entire concept.

In the Atlas Shrugged world, there are two different types of entities: The “individual” and the “government”. She sees the “individual” as the protagonist and the “government” as the antagonist who frequently, without rhyme or reason, seeks to impede the life of the “individual”; that, if the “individual” were to be left alone, that society would flourish.

This is wrong on so many fronts that I can’t even BEGIN to tackle them all, so I’ll try a small inroad by asking a question:

Why do governments exist and what are they made of?

Blood, sweat, tears, and the hope sand dreams of it’s people.

Well, that'll teach me to open my big mouth.

Well, at least someone tried…Doesn’t sound half as good as a Max Brand western…I’m just sayin’…

To Daniel: I can’t tell whether you have actually read “Atlas Shrugged” or not (tho I’m guessing not), but you certainly haven’t read Ayn Rand’s “The Virtue of Selfishness” or her “Capitalism, the Unknown Ideal”. In both of these she analyzes why a government that protects your rights is a blessing and a requirement of civilized life but a government that violates rights is a curse to everyone. Thinking that Rand is anti-government is simply not true.

It’s everyone’s right not to agree with her. I just wish people would know what she actually said before they disagree.