Of Parasites and Men

Have you heard many Republicans and conservatives cite Ayn Rand and her books (Atlas Shrugged, etc.)? Do you wonder why? The title of this blog links to a Mike Wallace interview with her (1959). Her books point to the concept of a "rugged individualist" where the markets are a free-for-all and completely free of regulation. I'll bet many of them (and you) have never read her books, but picked up chunks of information, grabbed them on face value and ran with them.

Here's a link to a video with her and Phil Donahue, when he had the Phil Donahue Show. This reflects her thoughts on religion--she was an atheist who felt God did not exist because there was no proof. She felt that, when conservatives base their political decisions on faith, it shows a weakness to those who base theirs on science.

She also felt a democracy was good only if totally voluntary. a separation of state and economy, free of all regulations. Part 2 of the Mike Wallace interview reveals her opposition to labor and any sort of help by the state to those in need.

I heard Thom Hartmann today and he mentioned that one of Rand's idols was, William Hickman, a seriel killer, forger, and armed robber. This begs us to wonder how much to listen to someone who chooses their idols so poorly.


"At the time, she was planning a novel that was to be titled The Little
Street, the projected hero of which was named Danny Renahan. According to Rand
scholar Chris Matthew Sciabarra, she deliberately modeled Renahan - intended
to be her first sketch of her ideal man - after this same William Edward
Hickman. Renahan, she enthuses in another journal entry, "is born with a
wonderful, free, light consciousness -- [resulting from] the absolute lack of
social instinct or herd feeling. He does not understand, because he has no organ
for understanding, the necessity, meaning, or importance of other people ...
Other people do not exist for him and he does not understand why they should."
(Journals, pp. 27, 21-22; emphasis hers.)"1

Citations: 1. Michael Prescott, http://www.michaelprescott.net/hickman.htm.