A voice from the past.

I'm not sure how I arrived at these videos in my surfing habits this evening, but I found this interview with Ayn Rand absolutely riveting in the context of today's issues.

Part 2 is almost spooky.

Whatever you think about Ayn Rand, she was a remarkable figure.

Ayn Rand Mike Wallace Interview 1959 part 1


Ayn Rand Mike Wallace Interview 1959 part 2


Ayn Rand Mike Wallace Interview 1959 part 3


What did you all think?

So far I watched only part 2. I have never heard of this woman.

Spooky? HUGE UNDERSTATEMENT

Amazing stuff. It sounds just a bit familiar to what Ron Paul often talks about.


She is dead right IMO.

Both parties are socialistic.

Great find loam...thanks for posting!

S & F

reply to post by David9176


It is interesting that you mention Ron Paul. He acknowledges being strongly influenced by her in this video. (Link.)

Here's more on the Objectivist philosophy she founded.



[edit on 7-2-2009 by loam]

Down right contemporary stuff.

AYN RAND's message to the GOP CANDIDATES


Where are voices like this today?



[edit on 7-2-2009 by loam]

This is very good stuff. I didn't know there was an "objective' philosophy. I often tell myself to be objective, especially with politics. As a matter of fact, I often state that in my posts and encourage others to do the same. So often I see people who have fallen into the trap of accusing/defending Republicans and Democrats. When you step outside and see them together, they are really one in the same.

Thanks for posting all the videos. I haven't watched them all yet but i'm in the process of doing so.

Watch the videos people...you are missing out!

Wow...in the GOP video...she makes conservatives look like fools because in reality they aren't really conservatives at all, at least based on the constitution.

Eye-opening. It's amazing that someone was stating this back in the 50's. I'm guessing many people thought she was nuts as they do Ron Paul.

BTW...thanks for posting that video of RP. That explains why I was making the connection.

reply to post by loam

Ayn Rand was a political GENIUS and all of her writings should be studied. "Atlas Shrugged" was, is, and will be a classic for all time. Her depiction of Soviet Russia in "We the Living" was downright chilling. Ayn Rand should be required reading every high school student everywhere. She is one of my intellectual idols.

Her torch has been picked up by a radio talk-show host out of Denver, you can check him out at www.850koa.com, go to "shows", then check out Mike Rosen. I highly recommend him if you like Ayn Rand.

Why do people always seem to pass up the good threads?

This is must see stuff IMO.

reply to post by David9176

Friend, it's much more warming to hear about someone's anal probe inserted by aliens, how ghosts are tickling someone's guess what, and how the NWO has kicked off it's greatest fund raiser.

I have her books, I've read them, and there is a small group that from time to time discuss her concepts.

Thus, my description of myself as not a Republican, but a conservative.

She states clearly in the third clip what our current problem is.

I had read her books, but was unaware until now that these clips existed.

Thanks to the OP.

reply to post by dooper

Friend, it's much more warming to hear about someone's anal probe inserted by aliens, how ghosts are tickling someone's guess what, and how the NWO has kicked off it's greatest fund raiser.

I had never heard of this woman until now. It's amazing that a woman born in Russia is stating what is wrong with this country. I'll be reading more information on her as well.

It shoulde be noted that Alan Greenspan was one of herinner circle followers...

I have every book Rand has written....Objectivism has it's positives, but ,if followed the way Rand instructs,it can lead to a very cold, robotlike outlook on life...

reply to post by David9176


I find her to be cold and detached. Her whole philosophy extends around the individual, and the individuals rights to "happiness" as a moral purpose.

She is the epitome of particle based thinking as in "take it when you can, while you can". She describes caring for you neighbor or having "we values"as "whim-worship".

Keep in mind that Alan Greenspan was part of her thinking group during the writing of Atlas Shrugged, he was an extremely close friend of hers as is reflected in his "might is right" attitude.

The "Golden Rule" is the only way. For example, Can you lift yourself? Can you put your arms below your knees and "lift yourself off the ground"? NO.
But.. Can you lift someone around you? Yes.

The only way we can rise up in this world is through lifting up the people around us and hoping (not expecting) they return the favor.

Ayn Rand mistakes upwards motion with "the illusion" of upwards motion. Her philosophy involves lifting the individual up by pushing the others around you "down". Its only the perspective of moving upwards and as you all know as the rich in this world have gotten richer, we have gotten poorer.

You go out there to any Neo-Con or "might is right" politician and ask them what books were influential in their lives and I bet half will say "Atlas Shrugged".

Don't fall for it, remember that "the road to hell is paved with good intentions".


Peace






[edit on 8-2-2009 by TheRealDonPedros]

[edit on 8-2-2009 by TheRealDonPedros]

Her argument is antiquated because there wasn't the stronger integration of industry and government there is today. The military-industrial complex and National Security State had yet to reach its pinnacle of (dark) influence (which I believe it achieved with 9/11) in 1959. Absolute and total laissez faire is a fantasy anyway. If she were a character on the former (sci-fi) TV series ANDROMEDA, she would surely be a Nietzschean (not human).

And she believed, like the vast majority of people today, that economies will always, eternally be based completely on money rather than resources. I'm wagering it will be quite the opposite; at least eventually. Truth is we have the ability to provide (only) the most essential care and necessities for everyone without becoming anything resembling a Stalinistic dull-drab factory society with monolithic government.

I agree with some of what Ayn Rand says. I really like her anti-monopoly stance (in the 3rd part). I believe in a REAL free market, and back in '59, people could still dream of it while having a rational enough basis.

Some things to consider about Ayn Rand (sorry about taking this thread in a different direction but I really despise this lady).

*all this info is availiable online. GOOGLE*

Paraphrased from: Nathaniel Branden's "My Years with Ayn Rand" and Barbara Branden's "The Passion of Ayn Rand".


-----------------------------------------------------
She despised "average" people, whom she regarded as ugly and stupid and irrational, while viewing herself in exalted terms as the greatest writer in history and the greatest philosopher since Aristotle.

She was concerned with no one's needs or wants or suffering except her own. She was able to claim in print that no one had ever helped her, when in fact she had benefited for years from the charity and goodwill of relatives and business associates and friends.

She exploited young, emotionally vulnerable people and frequently sabotaged their self-image with her vindictive cruelty. She claimed to love her husband but carried on an affair with a younger man right in front of him, a situation that drove her husband to alcoholism.

-------------------------------------------------------

A common theme for "Objectivists" is sociopathic and narcissistic tendencies and she had them in spades.

Peace

"Run for your life from anyone who tells you that money is evil" - Ayn Rand

Absolutely must viewing/reading.

It’s going to take more than a once through to absorb all she has to say, to mull it over and come to my own conclusions.

I’ll have to find a way to get a hold of her books also, but until then I’ll go back to the videos and say thank you for posting these videos.

peace

I have always been able to see her point of view as having some validity in terms of individual freedom to exercise one's own free will. The founding fathers of America, I believe, wanted every person to have an opportunity to pursue "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" in his or her own way without state shackles holding the person back contingent upon persons not interfering with the rights of others. In its purest form, this is the ideal of America.

Having said that, I am repulsed by what can only be called a depraved lack of compassion in Rand's philosophy. Selfishness promotes greed. Greed is one of the sickest downfalls of society (we can see it all around us today).

I urge everyone to read at least one of the books by the current Dalai Lama and think about the positive effects of compassion versus selfishness and greed. I understand Rand's position of every man for himself, sink or swim. She, apparently, went through tremendous hardship fending for herself and struggling to make it on her own, so I see where she is coming from, but her over-arching mistake is being devoid of compassion.

I am not for a welfare state or anything resembling Soviet style government controls. If these United States would simply get back to the original U.S. Constitution and combine that with compassion for family and neighbors, we could rid ourselves of many unnecessary layers of excesses. Ask yourself what Jefferson, Franklin, Washington and the others really envisioned for this country. It would not be a system like we have now wherein people are taxed to death, the Fed owns everything, credit card debt shackles the middle class, education costs a fortune, you cannot be a freelancer or start your own business without being so heavily taxed you can't get off the ground, and so forth and so on.

That's just my two cents worth.

Very informative and intriguing post. This has prompted me to look into her books.

Thank-you for this, great find!

reply to post by helpmefindtheway


Thank you very interesting indeed, I am definitely going to share this.

In the beginning years of America, and well into the 19th century, there were barn raisings. Young families starting their homesteads would need a barn and the neighboring farmers would all join in and build the barn with free labor. This was done for practical reasons but also out of a sense of compassion. Under the philosophy of Rand, no one would help build the barn unless he got a tangible profit out of it (a profit young families could not afford to pay). In that example, compassion helps make a society strong.

On another note, if Ben Franklin were starting out today as a young man and wanted to freelance to earn a living (just as he did in the 1700s), he would be subject to a burdensome and unconstitutional self-employment tax. Ask any freelancer (a sole proprieter attempting to make it just on his own) what the worst thing about freelancing is and I'll bet you he or she says the worst thing is the heavy self-employment tax.

If the Republicans were really as conservative as they say they are, they would get busy abolishing the self-employment tax, also the unconstitutional inheritance tax, and tax the living daylights out of the huge corporations instead. We live in a country where everyone is expected to be a wage slave to a big corporation that rules lives. It is like a prison sentence in that you get a few hours of "freedom" after your work day and a couple weeks freedom called "vacation" but other than that you are a wage slave. It is this form of slavery that is ruining the world. The founding fathers would be appalled.
Franklin would say no to the self-employment tax because it is the very reason people sought to escape the taxation of England.

Someday I hope people will wake up and realize that they should not owe their lives to big corporations in order to have food, clothing and shelter.

Congress should abolish any taxes or penalties that are blocking the way of freelancers and if anything, laws should be in place prohibiting companies from becoming slave masters. As a freelancer, in whatever skill you develop, you are in control of what jobs you accept and at what rate and you are in control of how much you work and how much time off you take. So, with control over your part of the trade, you are not a slave, but it is very difficult to succeed because of the evil self-employment tax.

Holy cow!

Great post OP.

She says: "Depressions are caused by Government interference, and their solution is more of the poison that caused it."

Can you say Government Bailout? Pumping more and more money in to the economic problems we face today is exactly what she is talking about. Welcome to Hyperinflation.

The dollar is a cooked goose. Logic and reasoning.

Don't force me to give up my hard earnings, and decide how to spend it. Interesting indeed.

S&F