Good morning, This posting was an amazing wake-up for me. Here’s why. I’m a retired used bookseller and real estate developer. These two endeavors made me a reader and a researcher, but not a deep philosophical thinker. I sold many of Rand’s books, but I couldn’t read them. The plots were like something a screenwriter would develop, because that is what she did to learn her craft, but the prose sucked, so I just sold her books whenever I could buy them for pennies and then sell the crap for dollars. But, I’ve read a lot of non-fiction about thé Koch family. I know a lot about them, and their thievery. I never connected how the Rand libertarian philosophy slowly influenced today’s MAGA voters who went on to almost cause the overthrow of democracy by enjoying the reality performance rallies of Trump, the Rand reader creation. Your clear presentation scared the hell outa me. I’m just happy that Rand induced greed influenced Paul Ryan to exit DC after his electoral defeat so he could keep his campaign treasure chest and go home to his wealthy family a richer crook and become a GOP pundit. My face is still stinging from your “Snap out of it, you jerk” posting. Thanks.
Thanks for the reminder of Reagan's "Greed is good" roots, Thom. I am connecting that base, selfish, human inclination to Trump's popularity and even our recent midterm elections. I am connecting some dots here with your recent topic of the Fourth Turning--our roughly 80-year cycle of human meltdown & conflict. How is it, I am wondering, that roughly half of our country couldn't see Trump for who he was--a narcissistic, greedy, sociopath--back in 2016 when he first ran for President...but the other half of us did? Why after 6 years was this midterm election still such a squeaker when the choice was plainly between choosing what's best for our country vs. what's best for my (MAGA-hat) group? Is it that roughly half of Americans subconsciously identify with Ayn Rand, the materialistic, rich girl who had all her cookies taken away....leaving her in a total rage against all fellow humans (because she had no other connection?) like a spoiled child throwing a tantrum? I find the problem we have is not so much in our politics or economics but in our personal psychology as cleverly crafted by our universe. Everyone in the USA is free to construct their own view of reality--so what drives half of us to believe that the Earth is flat while the other half of us know for a fact that it is round? And why is it virtually impossible to reason with MAGA-hatters / Republicans? They seem to be on a different planet. Or in a different psychological realm. I think you put your finger on it, Thom, when you pointed out that Any Rand's real-life "hero" realized he didn't want just the $1500 ransom--the material goods--, he wanted to vent his anger....his hatred....and did so by murdering his 12-year-old hostage in the most horrible, cold-blooded way possible--repeated in recent years by the Saudi "bone-saw" prince. Isn't it a coincidence--or perhaps more than one--that "anger" and "hatred" is the fuel that Trump used to hook his followers to catapult him into the White House...eh? Isn't it also the key strategy of the Republicans for decades to "divide & conquer" or simply manipulate their followers to vote against their own best interest? Trump even used the straight-out "gaslighting" technique--and millions bought it ! Who does that technique speak to most strongly?
The weak-minded. The true-believing, unthinking followers. The gullible. And those who have a reservoir of suppressed anger and hatred....just waiting to be released by the permission & leadership of a "strong man." And here I come back to the Fourth Turning--when the suppressed, smoldering anger & hatred of roughly half our population found release and showed up in person--as on Jan. 6th. But this time around, it appears that our current Fourth Turning--at least here in the States and not including the heavy, horrible price that Ukraine is paying at the hands of Putin--may be resolved via the ballot box instead of the gun and a huge, devastating war. That would be quite novel...and spectacular, evolutionary progress...yeh?
Beautiful article. I've hated the Rand view from the beginning. I saw the corporate raiders under Reagan, destroy good community American business, then form monopolies, then travel to Argentina and elsewhere to do the same targeting their Social Security and privatizing all their resources, finally returning to a job starved America with the intention to do the same. I was horrified when W Bush imported the guy from Argentina who had destroyed their Social Security as I am that Rick Scott who stole millions from Medicare announced his plans for the same, was re-elected just now.
Libertarianism is not civilized. It is that simple. Ayn Rand should have had psychological treatment for the trauma she experienced from the Bolsheviks.
Good morning, This posting was an amazing wake-up for me. Here’s why. I’m a retired used bookseller and real estate developer. These two endeavors made me a reader and a researcher, but not a deep philosophical thinker. I sold many of Rand’s books, but I couldn’t read them. The plots were like something a screenwriter would develop, because that is what she did to learn her craft, but the prose sucked, so I just sold her books whenever I could buy them for pennies and then sell the crap for dollars. But, I’ve read a lot of non-fiction about thé Koch family. I know a lot about them, and their thievery. I never connected how the Rand libertarian philosophy slowly influenced today’s MAGA voters who went on to almost cause the overthrow of democracy by enjoying the reality performance rallies of Trump, the Rand reader creation. Your clear presentation scared the hell outa me. I’m just happy that Rand induced greed influenced Paul Ryan to exit DC after his electoral defeat so he could keep his campaign treasure chest and go home to his wealthy family a richer crook and become a GOP pundit. My face is still stinging from your “Snap out of it, you jerk” posting. Thanks.
Thanks for the reminder of Reagan's "Greed is good" roots, Thom. I am connecting that base, selfish, human inclination to Trump's popularity and even our recent midterm elections. I am connecting some dots here with your recent topic of the Fourth Turning--our roughly 80-year cycle of human meltdown & conflict. How is it, I am wondering, that roughly half of our country couldn't see Trump for who he was--a narcissistic, greedy, sociopath--back in 2016 when he first ran for President...but the other half of us did? Why after 6 years was this midterm election still such a squeaker when the choice was plainly between choosing what's best for our country vs. what's best for my (MAGA-hat) group? Is it that roughly half of Americans subconsciously identify with Ayn Rand, the materialistic, rich girl who had all her cookies taken away....leaving her in a total rage against all fellow humans (because she had no other connection?) like a spoiled child throwing a tantrum? I find the problem we have is not so much in our politics or economics but in our personal psychology as cleverly crafted by our universe. Everyone in the USA is free to construct their own view of reality--so what drives half of us to believe that the Earth is flat while the other half of us know for a fact that it is round? And why is it virtually impossible to reason with MAGA-hatters / Republicans? They seem to be on a different planet. Or in a different psychological realm. I think you put your finger on it, Thom, when you pointed out that Any Rand's real-life "hero" realized he didn't want just the $1500 ransom--the material goods--, he wanted to vent his anger....his hatred....and did so by murdering his 12-year-old hostage in the most horrible, cold-blooded way possible--repeated in recent years by the Saudi "bone-saw" prince. Isn't it a coincidence--or perhaps more than one--that "anger" and "hatred" is the fuel that Trump used to hook his followers to catapult him into the White House...eh? Isn't it also the key strategy of the Republicans for decades to "divide & conquer" or simply manipulate their followers to vote against their own best interest? Trump even used the straight-out "gaslighting" technique--and millions bought it ! Who does that technique speak to most strongly?
The weak-minded. The true-believing, unthinking followers. The gullible. And those who have a reservoir of suppressed anger and hatred....just waiting to be released by the permission & leadership of a "strong man." And here I come back to the Fourth Turning--when the suppressed, smoldering anger & hatred of roughly half our population found release and showed up in person--as on Jan. 6th. But this time around, it appears that our current Fourth Turning--at least here in the States and not including the heavy, horrible price that Ukraine is paying at the hands of Putin--may be resolved via the ballot box instead of the gun and a huge, devastating war. That would be quite novel...and spectacular, evolutionary progress...yeh?
Beautiful article. I've hated the Rand view from the beginning. I saw the corporate raiders under Reagan, destroy good community American business, then form monopolies, then travel to Argentina and elsewhere to do the same targeting their Social Security and privatizing all their resources, finally returning to a job starved America with the intention to do the same. I was horrified when W Bush imported the guy from Argentina who had destroyed their Social Security as I am that Rick Scott who stole millions from Medicare announced his plans for the same, was re-elected just now.
Libertarianism is not civilized. It is that simple. Ayn Rand should have had psychological treatment for the trauma she experienced from the Bolsheviks.
Thank you for clarifying the whole history and appeal of Ayn Rand's philosophy.
Good start. Let's get at it. Thanks