Re: Advice sought from Men of the World

On 2010-08-14 11:50:28 -0700, Buck Turgidson <deppitybob@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> said:

Even though we disagree on many political topics, I'd find myself very
hard pressed to think of a single point of Objectivism that makes me
think "nope, Buck doesn't believe that." I mean, I could make stuff up
and ascribe it to you, but that wouldn't be very nice.

Hence, I'm asking.

I don't agree with her views on selfishness.

Becaus I represented to you that she holds it as a virtue?! Do you *KNOW* anything about Rand's views of selfishness? Here's the gist of it: If you're dead, you can't give to charity; hence' it's in your best interest to take care of #1 first, *THEN* give to charity.

(NOTE: Wildly paraphrased, but that's the gist of it.)

You disagree with that?!?!

See, Buck -- that's what I'm asking you about. You make a big stink about how everyone's dissing your must-read book based on lack of understanding and Fox-news's reports, then you pull the exact same shit with regards to Rand.

Here's the question:

* Can you name a single thing about Randian philosophy -- a specific thing, not some vague notion that you think you heard that someone read on some liberal blog or in ASC -- with which you disagree?

The funny thing is: even though you probably think Rand is just a generation-later Hitler, you probably agree with about 99.44% of Objectivist philosophy. The main thing that I can think of that you might disagree with is that you might not like how, if one is consistent and honest with one's self, believing the things that you do logically leads to things which you've taken to calling "awful right wing propaganda."

....But that's not the fault of Objectivism -- that's just the consequence of your own demonizing and name-calling. Yeah, happens to me, too, when I get all righteous about Obama being Pure Evil, then find out that he acutually had a halfway decent idea, once.

(Queue Joe Piscopo... ;)


I don't agree that the intelligentsia should lord it over the common worker.

And neither does Rand -- in fact, she's adamantly AGAINST such behaviour and speaks-out quite plainly against it! SEE?!?! There's a part of Randian philosophy with which yo u agree!

I also don't think she can write very well, but that's a different matter.

Her essays are quite good, but I agree that the characters in her novels tend to be quite one dimensional.

I don't like her lack of compassion.

?! Lack of compassion for whom?!?! Cite?!


I also don't believe capital should be the main purpose in life.

Nor does Rand! There's another thing on which you agree! If you knew ANYTHING about Randian philosophy, you'd know that this is a major tenet on which the entire rest of it is based.

(Again, wildly paraphrased) That every man and woman -- rich, poor, black, white, christian, atheist etc. -- should be permitted to pursue those things which make them happy without interfering with anothers [pursuit of] happiness.

You disagree with this?!?!


So I generally don't like Ayn Rand.

I'm pretty sure you don't like an imaginary straw man that you have positioned in your life to represent Ayn Rand, and you know nothing of her work or philosophy.

At least that's what comes across from your bashing of her.

It really is quite comical, given how irate you get when others do the same thing to your guys/gals.

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