Over the past year, I've been reading and reviewing Ayn Rand's massive paean to capitalism, Atlas Shrugged. If you're not familiar with the novel, it depicts a world where corporate CEOs and one-percenters are the selfless heroes upon which our society depends, and basically everyone else — journalists, legislators, government employees, the poor — are the villains trying to drag the rich down out of spite, when we should be kissing their rings in gratitude that they allow us to exist.
Rand's protagonists are Dagny Taggart, heir to a transcontinental railroad empire, and Hank Rearden, the head of a steel company who's invented a revolutionary new alloy which he's modestly named Rearden Metal. Together, they battle against evil government bureaucrats and parasitic socialists to hold civilization together, while all the while powerful industrialists are mysteriously disappearing, leaving behind only the cryptic phrase "Who is John Galt?"
Atlas Shrugged is a work of fiction, but as far as many prominent conservatives are concerned, it's sacred scripture. Alan Greenspan was a member of Rand's inner circle, and opposed regulation of financial markets because he believed her dictum that the greed of businessmen was always the public's best protection. Paul Ryan said that he required his campaign staffers to read the book, while Glenn Beck has announced grandiose plans to build his own real-life "Galt's Gulch," the hidden refuge where the book's capitalist heroes go to watch civilization collapse without them.
Reading Atlas Shrugged is like entering into a strange mirror universe where everything we thought we knew about economics and morality is turned upside down. I've already learned some valuable lessons from it.
1. All evil people are unattractive; all good and trustworthy people are handsome. (more at link)
2. The mark of a great businessman is that he sneers at the idea of public safety. (more at link)
3. Bad guys get their way through democracy; good guys get their way through violence. (more at link)
4. The government has never invented anything or done any good for anyone. (more at link)
5. Violent jealousy and degradation are signs of true love. (more at link)
6. All natural resources are limitless. (more at link)
7. Pollution and advertisements are beautiful; pristine wilderness is ugly and useless. (more at link)
8. Crime doesn't exist, even in areas of extreme poverty. (more at link)
9. The only thing that matters in life is how good you are at making money. (more at link)
10. Smoking is good for you. (more at link)
Complete story at - 10 Things I Learned About the World from Ayn Rand's Insane "Atlas Shrugged' | Alternet
Rand's protagonists are Dagny Taggart, heir to a transcontinental railroad empire, and Hank Rearden, the head of a steel company who's invented a revolutionary new alloy which he's modestly named Rearden Metal. Together, they battle against evil government bureaucrats and parasitic socialists to hold civilization together, while all the while powerful industrialists are mysteriously disappearing, leaving behind only the cryptic phrase "Who is John Galt?"
Atlas Shrugged is a work of fiction, but as far as many prominent conservatives are concerned, it's sacred scripture. Alan Greenspan was a member of Rand's inner circle, and opposed regulation of financial markets because he believed her dictum that the greed of businessmen was always the public's best protection. Paul Ryan said that he required his campaign staffers to read the book, while Glenn Beck has announced grandiose plans to build his own real-life "Galt's Gulch," the hidden refuge where the book's capitalist heroes go to watch civilization collapse without them.
Reading Atlas Shrugged is like entering into a strange mirror universe where everything we thought we knew about economics and morality is turned upside down. I've already learned some valuable lessons from it.
1. All evil people are unattractive; all good and trustworthy people are handsome. (more at link)
2. The mark of a great businessman is that he sneers at the idea of public safety. (more at link)
3. Bad guys get their way through democracy; good guys get their way through violence. (more at link)
4. The government has never invented anything or done any good for anyone. (more at link)
5. Violent jealousy and degradation are signs of true love. (more at link)
6. All natural resources are limitless. (more at link)
7. Pollution and advertisements are beautiful; pristine wilderness is ugly and useless. (more at link)
8. Crime doesn't exist, even in areas of extreme poverty. (more at link)
9. The only thing that matters in life is how good you are at making money. (more at link)
10. Smoking is good for you. (more at link)
Complete story at - 10 Things I Learned About the World from Ayn Rand's Insane "Atlas Shrugged' | Alternet
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