Gothamist: Paterson Quotes Rand, Urges State Stimulus Package

jbinchin

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 13:24:36 -0500

Abiguous/vague attack characterizing Rand's novels or readers as creepy (inducing chills). Great Flood, great depression - opinion understood and granted, even though many non-randians consider _The Fountainhead_ a worthy novel; the problem with AS is, to them, that it's not easy to mash a philosophy into a work of fiction. Douches and douchebags.. aloof.. self righteous.. In other words those who are either not popular or believe in something are of lesser metal than you. Yes, those irrational Women, I'll tell ya... The bitch.. yep, more ad hom. More ad hominem.. It is unfortunate that Rand chose to use the word selfish which carries so much connotative baggage. Rand makes clear that it is about doing what makes *you* happy and thus it is about setting your own values. To the extent that you wish to set others' values for them (necessarily by force), you are at odds with anyone who values liberty, such as hundreds of economics, philosophy and history professors here: http://mises.org/faculty.aspx It is a falacy that famous people or numbers should sway some argument; this is true. However, it's also a falacy that your opinion on field x is equal to that of PhDs in field x. Keep in mind that the Keynsian government spending economic ideas were adopted by, surprise, government officials during the 20th century despite the existence of the rival Austrian school - Menger, Hayek, Mises. Precocious tribalism.. no different from any other exuberant collective. Mobs are mobs. Are those fanatical about environmentalism and animal rights exempt to your judgement? Try this: Rabid (GROUP) supporters of (NOUN); how is this strange?Are mobbing poor demanding redistribution better representative of a sustainable value system? He did not mention Atlas Shrugged; As a novel, it is said that The Fountainhead is a better novel. "F% you buddy" - not quite. Some reading Rand are Republicans. Others are not. AS *is* a good introduction to the dangers of government. It is also strikingly realistic. The events of the book seem nearly plagiarized out of the history of the first half of the 20th century - the "Organizations" that formed to try to squeeze out competition and control prices through government force. And I believe it was Rearden's bracelet of the 'cool' metal. Any way that you funnel money to the state (read: government), you expand the power of the governement and increase its ability to make war (AND IT WILL), regardless of your intentions.

hitlerbaby

Fri, 31 Oct 2008 09:09:58 -0500

quotes rand and then says gives us some money? well i don't have a particular angle on this issue, but i am sure that Rand could be used to justify NOT giving out any money (wouldn't offering a stimulus package amount to charity and providing money for people that didn't EARN it). But Rand, now, is just a bitter Russian immigrant whose family was downgraded by the Bolshevik Revolution. So she comes to America and idolizes the perfect venture capitalist, big fucking surprise. And all these young republican prigs reading it in high school are just doing it so they can write the essay to enter the yearly scholarship contest. Rand's philosophy is no more than a cult of personality with people like John Galt as the frontsman. The only thing i got out of reading Atlas Shrugged is that i wanted to have Galt's bracelet (wow that metal sounded cool).

rasputinsghost

Fri, 31 Oct 2008 07:33:15 -0500

Randism is the selfish philosophy of 'fuck you buddy, I got mine.'

NannyState

Fri, 31 Oct 2008 00:29:37 -0500

And its unsustainable value system reveals itself in the precocious tribalism of its adherents: witness the strange phenomenon of rabid young male supporters of Sarah Palin.

starrygordon

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 22:21:53 -0500

Snoopy

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 22:20:44 -0500

I guess the ultimate question is, "I swear--by my life and my love of it--that I will never die for the sake of another man, nor ask another man to die for mine?" That is more realistic and honest.

jijack513

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 22:10:44 -0500

I try to live by John Galt's oath (From Atlas Shrugged): "I swear--by my life and my love of it--that I will never live for the sake of another man, nor ask another man to live for mine."

Snoopy

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 21:05:38 -0500

I saw Ayn Rand at a lecture series at Pratt back in the sixties and the word "erotic" is not in the vocabulary to explain anything about the woman. She was the most beat up looking vengeful looking woman I have ever seen.

sinisterteashop

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 20:59:36 -0500

Aw, c'mon, Kate Moss is still beautiful and now she looks like she has a meal from time to time.

gimme

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 19:35:44 -0500

no longer righteous or erotic: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1081823/Kate-Moss-shows-age-heads-flight-scrap-makeup.html

Snoopy

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 19:17:46 -0500

"The Virtue of Selfishness: A New Concept of Egoism" oops someone forgot that series of essays in proclaiming the bitch righteous.

sinisterteashop

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 17:55:05 -0500

what is it with women and ayn rand? Her vision of aesthetics and politics is erotic.

Quidnam

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 17:40:31 -0500

Well, that's one way to inoculate yourself against charges of socialism...

matty

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 17:36:25 -0500

what is it with women and ayn rand?

Anna_Merkin

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 17:18:26 -0500

I appreciate the essence of Ayn Rand's philosophy which is (as I understand it) a celebration of humankind and our capabilities, when we do not compromise our own self-worth for misdirected versions of charity. Such a philosophy would probably have never rightly led to the sort of excessive greed and chicanery that have driven the asset bubbles of recent history.

gimme

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 17:11:31 -0500

anyone remember in high school those douches that got into ayn rand maybe too much and acted real aloof and self-righteous? i'm sure some of those douchebags are working on wall street now and are responsible for this mess i swear, take any ayn rand quote and it's tailormade for a corporate motivational poster, send up here: http://www.geocities.com/beautyhub/motivation.gif

FrankMartin

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 17:01:11 -0500

got thru Atlas Shrugged, pretty interesting. Expecially when you consider the era and her background And no chills, except when thinking about the length, over 1000 pages. "Pride is the recognition of the fact that you are your own highest value and, like all of man’s values, it has to be earned. " Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged

fakenewyorker

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 16:58:28 -0500

great as in 'great flood, great depression, great chicago fire, etc.'

NannyState

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 16:55:18 -0500

Wall Street is up: application denied.

Mike B.

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 16:50:46 -0500

Paterson began his remarks by saying, "The great novelist Ayn Rand Does that send chills down your spine, or does it?

MT

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 16:49:51 -0500

Ayn Rand also pointed out in that same book that America is a mob that doesn't think for itself and will swallow anything a tabloids will feed them just to prop up their self-righteous attitudes.

Tgirl

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 16:47:42 -0500

in other words, can we get a bit of that 700 billion before its all gone? let the feeding frenzy begin!