Your president, Barack Obama, previously alluded to Ayn Rand with his infamous "I don't know when they decided they wanted to make a virtue out of selfishness." And now, in the current Rolling Stone magazine, he outright addresses her, in regards to Paul Ryan's supposed "obsession" with her (HAH!). I don't care to either quote Obama, or to link to Rolling Stone on this (however, I will quote Neil Schon, of the band Journey: “The only thing I use the Rolling Stone for is toilet paper when I run out.”)
Hmmm...I have already published this elsewhere, years ago, but just realized I hadn't posted it here, yet, so... Ayn Rand is mentioned several times in a book from 2006entitledEndless Enigma: A Musical Biography of Emerson, Lake & Palmer by
Edward Macan. Macan briefly mentioned Rand in his previous book, Rocking the Classics: English Progressive Rock and the Counterculture, in relation to the band, and he is not unfavorable towards
her, unlike authors of similar books on progressive rock. This is also
notable since the author took part (pdf) in a JARS symposioum on Rand and
progressive rock featuring writers both friendly and hostile towards
Rand. (Notable also that Chris Sciabarra, with his piece "Rand, Rush, and Rock" that led to the sysymposium, is acknowledged in the opening
of Endless Enigma.)
The book itself is long (over 600 pages) and pricey ( I can't believe
I bought it!). For those not interested in the whole book, here are the
relevant Rand passages: p. xvi:
(On another author's misrepresenting Rand), criticized Paul Stump for
calling Rand a "Canadian philosopher" and relatedly, for criticizing
the band Rush for their Rand-inspired lyrics based on Stump's
misrepresentation of said lyrics: "Philosophers and plowmen each must
know his place" instead of "know his part." (Stump labeled Rand and Rush
as Fascist.)
p. 248-249 references "Project X" from Atlas Shrugged, in relation to themes of
technological misuse in ELP albums as well as religion and
counterculture:
"So the agnostic musing of 'The Only Way'-although , as
Ayn Rand has already demonstrated, right-wingers could be atheists, too,
while among the counterculture, atheism was much less popular than a
kind of gauzy monism that syncretically blended elements of a number of
different spirtual traditions."
(THIS is interesting in light of the
Peikovian argument against the religious right...)
Chris Sciabarra is mentioned on pg. 253:
"...Sciabarra...points to the Ayn Rand-influenced libertarianism that is
so evident in the music of Rush...as proof that not only does Randian
objectivism adapt comfortably to the progressive rock style, it
addresses a number of concerns that have traditionally been assumed to
be the province of the Left. I do not argue that a strain of
libertarianism analogous to Rand's was probably present in in incipient
form in the hippie movement [though Jeff Riggenbach might; see In Praise of Decadence]; I would caution that it was not fully evident until
after the disolution of the hippie movement around 1970..."
p. 123:
"Inherent in 'The Barbarian' and explicit in 'Knife-Edge,' is the vision
of technology gone spectacularly awry in the hands of oppressive,
totalitarian regime, a vision captured with considerable power in three
great dystopic novels of the thirties, fourties, and fifties,
respectively – Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, George Orwell's 1984,
and Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged-that strongly impacted the hippie movement
of the sixties."
Macan's work and style overall is a systematic approach to the
underlying factors that contributed to the formation of progressive
rock, integrating economic, cultural, sexual, and other factors in a
manner not unsimilar to Atlas, so it's no surprise that Rand is
mentioned and defended, especially more admirable when you consider that
progressive rock, despite its better attributes, is, at its worst, and
at its base, an example of eclecticism in art, a fusion or hybrid of
rock, English classical music, jazz, and eastern styles, not
necessarily systematically approached but juxtaposed, what might be
categorized as "misintegration." (For example, see my piece on the Avatar/Prog Rock connection). The better bands did develop their own
style, but so much of the genre is a result of "filling in the grid",
mixing musical genres, instead of developing an integrated body of work.
At any rate, I was glad to see at least one writer address Rand's influence in a fair way, as well as countering the smears of Paul Stump and Marxist criticisms of Bill Martin. Chris Sciabarra deserves credit for getting the ball rolling on the symposium, and for getting her serious attention (with the help of people like the JARS symposiumcontributor Durrell Bowman, who recently co-edited Rush and Philosophy: Heart and Mind United. I hope to see more, starting with my own contribution, "The Rand-Rush Connection", which goes in-depth inside um...the Rand-Rush connection...
"Simply put, there is NOTHING a woman can do that a man can not do
better and with far less drama and headaches (excluding pregnancy). And
yes, one day a better philosopher than Rand will come along and correct
her mistakes. That day can't come soon enough (as I keep saying, he will
be taken more seriously than Rand).
"BTW, that doesn't mean that I don't love Rand. I do. Its just that I
never forget that she was a woman and that has meaning because all women
are insane. Its their nature."
-Doug Bandler's recent posting, out of many similar misogynist and racist posts, on solopassion.com (because one Elijah Lineberry wasn't enough...what is it about that site that attracts these people? In the name of Objectivism, no less?)
"Before we get into specifics when it
comes to Tuesday’s all-new episode of “Sons of Anarchy,” we have to take
a second to comment on just how phenomenal of an episode title “Orca
Shrugged” really is. It has almost an Ayn Rand sort of feel to it thanks
in part to the last word, and it is the sort of title that makes up
want to know just what is going to be coming up next."
Never watched the show, myself, so I couldn't tell you a thing about it, but I just may have to check this one out. And I don't know if the "anarchy" refers to a political anarchy, or the colloquial association with chaos. Either way, I do, however, have to imagine a minor "earthquake in Valhalla", given Rand's antipathy towards anarchism. (Oh well, even she couldn't get it all right...)
I've been on an indefinite blogging hiatus, even with all of the Ayn Rand sightings in the news, but being that today marks the 55th anniversary of the publication of Atlas Shrugged, I'd be amiss if I didn't say something...so, happy 55th anniversary to Atlas Shrugged! The date makes it that much more appropriate that the second installment of the movie will appear in theaters Oct. 12. And, to show just how vital Atlas is at 55, check out some of the latest headlines (mostly involving "is he/isn't he a Randian?" Paul Ryan). He may have shrugged, but the influence isn't ready for retirement, yet... (My favorite has to be the claim that it was Rand's fault for the recent NFL controversy...damn, Objectivism may not be "winning", but it's certainly getting under their skin...) From salon.com: "How Ayn Rand Is Wrecking Football" "Paul Ryan's beloved Packers were robbed last night--because the owners are putting the 'moochers' in their place" From HuffPo: Paul Ryan Obsession With Ayn Rand 'Disturbing,' Says House Challenger Rob Zerban
