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I'd suggest that anybody over 16 who uses Ayn Rand as an explanation (or model) for human behavior should spend a while exploring the humanities.

thrown_22 4y ago
Ayn Rand is a great critic of Stalinism, which was her formative experience. The current woke culture in the West is somewhere between the Stalinist show trials and the Maoist struggle sessions. That the majority of people don't see that insanity outside of twitter and their local HR department doesn't mean it's not a problem. Especially since 10 years ago it was just something that happened in humanities departments in universities.
- MichaelCollins 4y ago
  > The current woke culture in the West is somewhere between the Stalinist show trials and the Maoist struggle sessions. Not yet. There's not as much murder yet. There are certianly parallels though. Kafka-trapping is mainstream; if you deny a political charge brought against you, that denial is seen as further evidence of your guilt. If you deny you're an -ist, that 'proves' you're so thoroughly -ist that you can't even perceive it about yourself. Remember, HR has never been your friend. Even in the purest form of HR uninfected with politics, HR exist to protect the company from the workers. But as you have observed, HR are now becoming political officers charged with enforcing correct political thought.
  - thrown_22 4y ago
MockObject 4y ago
I would have liked to see a substantive criticism or two, instead of this somewhat trite and really quite overused cliche.
- andrewclunn 4y ago
  There's plenty of areas to criticize Rand over (the fact that her rationality based / think for yourself movement became a cult of personality centered around her for example). That's why I tried the "Controversial views aside." In many ways Rand pioneered an effect that Trump would later turn into a strategy: have opponents who are so single-mindedly hateful and spiteful that they make you look better every time they attack you. It makes it so very tough when Rand's writing could inform or elevate a topic. There's just no way to do so that won't inspire an attempt at a flame war. That said, this particular portion of Atlas Shrugged is perhaps the best illustration of what I referenced in my earlier post: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCmJUobwKQk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCmJUobwKQk

thrown_22 4y ago

Ayn Rand is a great critic of Stalinism, which was her formative experience. The current woke culture in the West is somewhere between the Stalinist show trials and the Maoist struggle sessions. That the majority of people don't see that insanity outside of twitter and their local HR department doesn't mean it's not a problem. Especially since 10 years ago it was just something that happened in humanities departments in universities.

MichaelCollins 4y ago
> The current woke culture in the West is somewhere between the Stalinist show trials and the Maoist struggle sessions. Not yet. There's not as much murder yet. There are certianly parallels though. Kafka-trapping is mainstream; if you deny a political charge brought against you, that denial is seen as further evidence of your guilt. If you deny you're an -ist, that 'proves' you're so thoroughly -ist that you can't even perceive it about yourself. Remember, HR has never been your friend. Even in the purest form of HR uninfected with politics, HR exist to protect the company from the workers. But as you have observed, HR are now becoming political officers charged with enforcing correct political thought.
- thrown_22 4y ago

MockObject 4y ago

I would have liked to see a substantive criticism or two, instead of this somewhat trite and really quite overused cliche.

andrewclunn 4y ago
There's plenty of areas to criticize Rand over (the fact that her rationality based / think for yourself movement became a cult of personality centered around her for example). That's why I tried the "Controversial views aside." In many ways Rand pioneered an effect that Trump would later turn into a strategy: have opponents who are so single-mindedly hateful and spiteful that they make you look better every time they attack you. It makes it so very tough when Rand's writing could inform or elevate a topic. There's just no way to do so that won't inspire an attempt at a flame war. That said, this particular portion of Atlas Shrugged is perhaps the best illustration of what I referenced in my earlier post: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCmJUobwKQk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCmJUobwKQk