tmidgett wrote:

Linus Van Pelt wrote:Nietzsche is bad in his way, but not as bad, I don't think, as Rand. For one thing, he's a hell of a lot more interesting to read, because he's really all about a completely revolutionary new way of thinking. It's a pretty dumb way of thinking, but at least it's crazy. "Might makes Right" doesn't really describe it - any discussion of "Right" is kind of out of place with Nietzsche. Anyway, I recommend it; a lot of his reputation is undeserved, I think.

nietzsche was a brilliant writer. and his philosophical constructs were tight.

i don't take his shit to heart, he was crazy there for a while at the end, and he was and continues to be an unfortunate influence on many people. but it's great shit. and as i have said before, often truly if unintentionally funny.

That's pretty much what I meant.

I think there are folks out there - I won't say stupid, but I will say impressionable - that if you give them a book of someone who is confident and sounds intelligent, whether it's Nietzsche, Rand, Marx, or whomever, they'll really take those ideas to heart. And that can be very unfortunate. And to those people I don't recommend Nietzsche.

Also, I think Nietzsche is often intentionally funny.

I think there are folks out there - I won't say stupid, but I will say impressionable - that if you give them a book of someone who is confident and sounds intelligent, whether it's Nietzsche, Rand, Marx, or whomever, they'll really take those ideas to heart. And that can be very unfortunate. And to those people I don't recommend Nietzsche.

si

they are like the people who take acid and think they have opened a door into another world, a world just as valid as the one in which they are used to living

tmidgett wrote:

I think there are folks out there - I won't say stupid, but I will say impressionable - that if you give them a book of someone who is confident and sounds intelligent, whether it's Nietzsche, Rand, Marx, or whomever, they'll really take those ideas to heart. And that can be very unfortunate. And to those people I don't recommend Nietzsche.

si

they are like the people who take acid and think they have opened a door into another world, a world just as valid as the one in which they are used to living

Because I'm paranoid and have stupidly, though honestly, stated that I agree with a small part of Rand's schtick, I feel like I should point out that I am not one of these people. I am not as unintelligent as my previous comment apparently made me look.

I'd heard of Ayn Rand before, but didn't really know much about her other than Rush had written some songs based on her novels. I had no idea about this objectivism business, and looking at some Ayn Rand websites didn't make it much clearer, but those of you who have posted in this thread have presented it in a more understandable manner, so thanks. Doesn't sound much good to me.
All this talk of Nietzsche is making me feel right out of my depth, so I'll post the writings of another famous philosopher

Kid Rock wrote:Ayn Rand couldn't stand me, so she banned me.

But how did she do that if she died in 1982? Did her writings predict and proscribe Kid Rock?

Oh, Crap...

placeholder wrote:Because I'm paranoid and have stupidly, though honestly, stated that I agree with a small part of Rand's schtick, I feel like I should point out that I am not one of these people. I am not as unintelligent as my previous comment apparently made me look.

No no no no no! That wasn't what I meant to imply! There are people who can read something with an open but healthily skeptical mind, weigh it carefully, and come out as a Marxist, a Conservative, a Buddhist, or, in your case, a partial-Randite. I wasn't criticizing that kind of thing. What I was talking about was something else, and I didn't mean to suggest that that was what you were about. Actually, I did have a specific person in mind, an ex of mine who seemed really intelligent, but basically sympathized with whatever she read. It got out of hand when she read Gone With the Wind...

If it makes you feel less lonely: I, too, agree with a (very) few of the things I've read by Rand.

stand up for yourself, placeholder! don't get defensive! du wisst woher dich stamme! ungesattigt gleich der flamme!

night_tools wrote:Did her writings predict and proscribe Kid Rock?

If the answer turns out to be "yes", I'm gonna have to change my vote.

Bump!

I'm having-it-out with a bandmate that wholeheartedly subscribes to this doctrine... of Rand and Objectivism.

It's difficult.

I need help.

Fuck this cunt. Fuck Ayn Rand. Fuck her.

TheMilford wrote:I'm having-it-out with a bandmate that wholeheartedly subscribes to this doctrine... of Rand and Objectivism.

Is he Canadian? Is he your band's lyricist? Does he also play a 360-degree drum kit?