Comments on: INSTITUTIONALIZING SOCIOPATHY

By: Me

Me — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:42:05 +0000

Oh the folly of you liberals is not even amusing anymore.

If I cant teach you to fly, I will teach you to fall faster!

By: Tiger

Tiger — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 23:33:42 +0000

I would have to agree with some others before me, that is to say that "politics" and emotions are a bitter mixture. Also, Ayn Rand did not approve of her following political groups. Furthermore, it seem like generalizations like these don't really solve anything, this is just an opportunity for venting. Lastly, I would say that I enjoy reading novels about futurism such as Rand and Orwell, but it can be up to personal interpretation. It doesn't mean you should piss on others and take everything you can, its about making your own decisions, selfishly or selflessly.

By: editec

editec — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 19:46:01 +0000

When I was a 14 year old boy, Atlas Shrugged truly rocked my world.

Of course it did.

What emotionally healthy 14 y.o. isn't in his heart of hearts, narcisstic enough to identify with that self-agrandizing, bearly post pubescent philosophy?

Then life happened.

Life informed me that other people matter.

It taught me that if my neighbors are in trouble, that's not a good thing for me,

Thanks to the current economic meltdown, we are getting a taste of unbridled ourcomes from people who do worship at the alter of Ayn Rand.

Our last chairman of the FED claimed that "Atlas Shrugged" rocked his POV when he was in his 40s!

Uhappily, his Randianeque mismanagement of money matters were instrumental in leading us into the current economic crises.

" I trusted the bankers" he testified before Congress.

By: Cal

Cal — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 23:45:10 +0000

Did I see correctly that someone here said Satanists get laid? If anyone who has passed the age of puberty still believes Satanism isn't a load of shit is probably not the kind of person that anyone else would consider a person. As far as it's relation to objectivism, they're essentially the same thing, only objectivism uses prettier words and satanism is pretty up front about it's "Me first" mentality. Both are clearly the product of the disillusioned rich and indulgent attempting to make they're life styles of waste and uselessness into a legitimate philosophy. If you've ever read the "Satanic bible" (although what Satan has to do with anything I will NEVER know) with any kind of critical thought, you'll realize that the book basically doesn't need to exist. As much as the book suggests what you should do and why you should do it, it suggests just as equally that you don't have to. LaVey could have just as easily written "Do what ever the fuck you want" on a piece of paper, copied it a thousand times, and handed it out to people for basically the same effect. Of course, he wouldn't have made as much money that way, so clearly that wasn't the route he was going to take.

By: Marti

Marti — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 21:34:30 +0000

Vorant, your short jab at the intellects of anyone who opposes Rand does nothing but enforce the opinion that Randians are name-calling whiners. At least go on at length as to why we are intellectual midgets.

By: Space Monkey

Space Monkey — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 02:00:31 +0000

If Ayn Rand had developed a better sense of humor, people would have taken her more seriously.
Personally, I think she would have made an outstanding on-call dominatrix for unemployed humanities professors. alas she decided to write philosophy and fiction, so we have to settle for intellectual punishment instead. Like most S&M it can be enjoyable, especially if you were raised Catholic.

Over the years I've found that her philosophy is, at best, the most useful means of annoying the hell out of my Hippie College friends. Think about it, there is nothing more antithetical to hippiedom than Objectivism. That alone is a good reason to study Ayn Rand. LOL!

By: Mark Johnson

Mark Johnson — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 09:24:22 +0000

Every critique of Ayn Rand (that I've found) attacks her as a person or attacks her writing style, but no one directly discusses her ideas. Just because an author is dislikable doesn't mean their works should be discounted.

In fact, the lack of good balanced criticism of Ayn Rand makes me think her critics have nothing of importance to say. Calling someone a sociopath is an attack ad hominem, it is a fallacy, it is not an argument.

By: Indeed

Indeed — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 02:37:50 +0000

Condescendingly calling someone a "shitty writer" is an irony almost too good. But yes, actual commentary: there are a fair number of decent ideas to be gleaned from a reading of Atlas Shrugged or the like- but sans willingness to do so, those points will be missed. (Hint: the good ideas are not the ones that concern how to treat your fellow man). Overall, this was truly admirable invective for a pinko lobotomized chimp. That is who wrote this, correct?

By: Captain Awesomeface

Captain Awesomeface — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 23:45:16 +0000

For more information on the damages done to society by the rampant growth of mid- to late-20th century narcissism, check out the BBC doc Century of the Self. The ideas discussed there as well as Rand style philosophies of selfishness and cruelty have effectively divided us all for easier manipulation. It's fascinating to me that a social animal, evolved in tribes dependant on communal action for existence, has warped into such a greedy distortion of itself over time. I can still find hope for us all in the fact that, according to a 2003 Johns Hopkins Center for Civil Society study, worldwide global charity is the globe's 7th largest economy at $1.3 trillion, and employing 39.5 million people. That beautiful fact in addition to the success of Nash's Equilibrium in modern economics can be held as candles in the dark. But the massive greed and forced consumerism so perverted and pervasive in our society make me shudder yet. Divided we fall.