Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Rand's Gas Chamber
The National Review's Jason Lee Steorts makes a good catch - and perhaps finds the underlying inspiration for Whittaker Chambers' infamous "To the gas chamber - go!" remark in his original review (Greg revisits Chambers' review here). He points out that "Atlas Shrugged" does in fact contain a gas chamber - the ghastly Winston Tunnel scene, where those who are unfortunate enough to hold the wrong philosophical premises get death by asphyxiation, their final moments approvingly illuminated by the torch of Randian justice.
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Hmmmmmm...still prefer Whittakers review to this one. This current one is a bit choppy and uninspired and certainly does reach the heights that Chambers did. But this current guy commits the unforgivable sin of actually enjoying a 'novel' by Ayn Rand...but what I found too hard to take was that he actually tried to make us believe she wrote some interesting characters in the Fountainhead!
Though to get back to Whittaker Chambers original point...how did the looters come to power? I have asked this of an objectivist and it goes like this :
Q: How did they come to power?
A: Because the philosophy of indivdualism collapsed.
Q: What caused it to collapse?
A: When the men of wisdom(!), philosophies defenderds abandoned it.
Q: Why did they abandon it.
A: Because...wait for it...Kant convinced them to.
Which conjures up the image of Kant, running round the universities, gentlemans clubs, parliaments of the Englightened World, personally seeking out these men of reason, logic and the philosophy of individualism and brow-beating them into adandoning it.
- Steven Johnston
I still want to know where all the people in North America went. They couldn't have all been on that train.
Few people seem to notice Rand's Malthusianism versus virginity theme in Atlas. Generally the philosophically defective breed, while many of the Objectivists scarcely experience sex. Many of the heroes go long stretches of their lives without it, even if one of them got lucky with a girlfriend early on, like Francisco d'Anconia. (After Francisco and Dagny drifted apart, he then had to pretend he had game as a playboy. How sad.)
So I can see why Rand thought the world had too many philosophically undesirable people, like the "people of the abyss" H.G. Wells complained about and wanted to eliminate in his utopia of the efficient. She must have thought the the spread of Objectivist sexual deprivation and sterility would help to bring this about.
See the review of the review of this article at Solopassion...it is a riot. Written by the big man Perigo himself and commentary from his band of loyal half-wits. A couple of delights...well he starts his review with the titles his post, ironically one presupposes 'The Greatly Ghastly Rand' and if that is not enough starts with the statement "Someone named Jason Lee Steorts...". Quite why he writes "someone named" is beyond me as that is the chaps name. Tne go on to say that Chambers article was nonsense and slanderous, when in actual fact it was neither. Then proves that he did not actually pay attention when he was reading the article as he states that Mr Steorts did not actually finish the book! When in actual fact what he did say was that he did not finish re-reading it.
Then takes a clowns tumble with this, his silliest rant ever and that is saying something
"Run a mile from those who maintain it's despicable to despise the despicable. And realise they're everywhere, including right here. The more I see of what's going on in the world, the more I'm convinced that this—hatred of hatred of the hateful—is the lowest and most lethal form of betrayal."
Wow, suck on that Mr Steorts!
Of course they lap this drivel up at his site, one of the comments has some of the worst poetry you will ever read and one even has the cheek to quote Oscar Wilde!
But after reading this I have to ask, Lindsay Perigo, a suitable case for treatment?
- Steven Johnston
That thing about Steorts " confession" tells you all you need to know about Perigo's totally awesome intellectual stylings.
"That thing about Steorts " confession" tells you all you need to know about Perigo's totally awesome intellectual stylings."
In his defence, he is a busy fellow, waging war on mediocrity and the welfare state in NZ...whilst finding time to listen to and explain classical music to his followers.
Then he reads something like this over his 16th bigmac and is lucky he does not choke to death.
Actually that is not fair, I have been there and their cunning plan is now to bring objectivism to NZ and this will act as a beacon to the rest of the World. How will they do this? Erm...your guess is as good as mine.
- Steven Johnston
But reading Perigos peice is frightening...just goes to show that objectivists would have no qualms about rouding up and putting all the 'despicable' people in a field and bombing the b******s! Then using AS to dance on their graves and then they say we are the scum of the earth!
- Steven Johnston
Steven:
>..their cunning plan is now to bring objectivism to NZ and this will act as a beacon to the rest of the World. How will they do this? Erm...your guess is as good as mine.
The latest strategy appears to be:
Step 1: Re-post misc. romantic clips from Youtube to their site
Step 2: ?
Phase 3: Objectivist Utopia!
Step 2: Call everyone who disagrees with you a humanity dimisher?
He even has a few folks on there he terms "brandoids" who allege to be followers of Rand but who are the recipients of his bile. I guess he hates them more than he hates the collectivists/looters.
- Steven Johnston
I'm not sure but I think "brandroid" is meant to be people who think the somewhat unflattering portrait of Rand portrayed by the Brandens is mostly accurate.
I think "Brandroid" or "Brandenroid" is meant to imply that people who think the Branden account of Rand is mostly accurate are on the same level in their devotion to the Brandens as Peikoff, et al. are to Rand.
-Neil Parille
Clearly in objectivist circles it is clear that the looters and their offspring must DIE!
Any objectivist that shows sympathy to their plight is to be considered even worse than a looter, would you say?
- Steven Johnston
"This reviewer says that all the heroes in Atlas Shrugged talk alike. That's pretty much true -- but they mostly talk with intellectual profundity, fiery vividness, and stylized brilliance!
As for the conservative critic being turned off by the train annihilation scene -- I think those guys on board pretty much all deserved their fate. If I had been the novelist, I probably would have written that scene even more explicitly and harshly. Such is my view of mankind -- including him."
This one from of Lindsey's followers that goes by the name of Kryel Zantonavitch. Crazy name, crazy guy. Bet he's a laugh after a few beers eh? Scary stuff indeed. What is the difference between him and Eichmann?
Btw the masthead at Solopassion reads "Rational Passion and passionate reason". I would not have thought this was either. But I guess there is room on that train to the gas chamber for all of us, socialists, libertarians, collectivists, conservatives and the religious alike. What a pity, for Kryel that is, that we've got the guns and the numbers.
- Steven Johnston
"Scary stuff indeed. What is the difference between him and Eichmann?"
Eichmann was probably appreciably more competent.
"Eichmann was probably appreciably more competent."
Absolutely. These individuals will never, ever, ever be given the keys to the castle.
What is laughable is that clearly this individuals thinks he is a giant when he clearly is a foot soldier of mediocrity.
But I hope you agree with me that his words I quoted show a sick mind. A very sick mind indeed. The irony is that is that upon reading these words it is us, the rest of humanity that will look down on him.
- Steven Johnston
"But I hope you agree with me that his words I quoted show a sick mind."
Not having personal acquaintence with this individual, I can't say for certain whether he has a sick mind. Oftentimes, the bark of such individuals is a great deal more offensive than their bite: indeed, they turn out to be rather toothless curs. Saying such things on the internet doesn't prove much. Would he say such things at his place of employment (assuming that he works for a living), or to his customers (if he is self-employed)? Would he say such things to strangers in a bar? If so, he's a greater idiot than I have taken him for. I've known individuals who were seriously injured in bars for saying less offensive stuff.
One of the problems with Objectivism is that it tends to exaggerate, rather than mitigate, the natural tendency for mediocre individuals to want to regard themselves as extremely important. But when the world doesn't reaffirm their sense of immense self-importance, they get angry and resentful. Fortunately, such individuals are nearly always lacking in courage, so they pose no real threat to anyone. They take their revenge on the world
by having a scathing contempt for it, which they express from the safety of their miserable hovels over the internet. They are like the little boy who threatens to cut of your head with his plastic light sabre. Other than a minor nuissance value, such individuals are of negligible importance, and are best ignored. Impotence combined with an overweening sense of self-importance is truly an unedifying spectacle.
I suppose so Greg...you've had more experience of trawling the objectivist sewers and having the dubious pleasure of uncovering individuals like him.
I suppose I was just too shocked to take a step back and realise it was he was just an internet tough guy. I accept that he would never talk like this in the real world.
I accept that the men and women on that site don't add up to much...I know problem with Mr & Mrs average. It's just that when they consider themselves one of 'natures aristocrats' they move into the realm of the annoying.
Are for him having a sick mind...well, heck I'm sure he loves him mother and buys her somethng nice from time to time.
- Steven Johnston
"One of the problems with Objectivism is that it tends to exaggerate, rather than mitigate, the natural tendency for mediocre individuals to want to regard themselves as extremely important. But when the world doesn't reaffirm their sense of immense self-importance, they get angry and resentful. Fortunately, such individuals are nearly always lacking in courage, so they pose no real threat to anyone. They take their revenge on the world
by having a scathing contempt for it, which they express from the safety of their miserable hovels over the internet. They are like the little boy who threatens to cut of your head with his plastic light sabre. Other than a minor nuissance value, such individuals are of negligible importance, and are best ignored. Impotence combined with an overweening sense of self-importance is truly an unedifying spectacle. "
I certainly get that impression from the guy that runs the site. It is as if he is angry with the voters of NZ for rejecting him at the ballot box. Plus an anger at the world for not seeing the 'genuis' of his idol; Rand.
- Steven Johnston
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