• Rat_in_a_hat@lemmy.ca
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    19 days ago

    Sooo many criticisms of Atlas Shrugged! The irony is that Rand ended up being broke and living off the goodwill of others and social services - the same type of “socialism” that she advocated against for decades.

    • Leon@pawb.social
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      18 days ago

      That’s because in her worldview, she was morally good and so deserving of it. She was born rich, and then bad people took her family’s money so she was, per her definition, what we now jokingly say “temporarily embarrassed millionaire.”

      She makes it super clear in her book that (morally) good people have money, the fact that they possess money means that they’re (morally) good, equally so, good people are beautiful. You can’t be a beautiful evil rich person, because if you’re rich and beautiful you’re automatically good.

      It’s a nonsensical idea, for obvious reasons, but that’s ultimately what her objectivism idea was about.

      Later in life she had a meltdown when her protege/almost-son-lover Nathaniel Branden rejected her sexual advances because he wasn’t into her anymore. It became a whole big thing. She was the Ayn Rand, he had to be attracted to her because she was the face of objectivism, and good people are automatically attracted to other good people. Thus she cast him down because if he wasn’t attracted to her he’s not a good objectivist.

      It’s such a dumb cult.

      • Rat_in_a_hat@lemmy.ca
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        18 days ago

        Lol! This additional context is really adding spicy tea to my morning coffee.

        It truly makes you question the intelligence (and sanity) of every person who says they like that book.