MovieChat Forums > The Fountainhead (1949) Discussion > Why would Tea Party claim Ayn Rand ?

Why would Tea Party claim Ayn Rand ?

posted 13 years ago by JustMammal
14 replies | jump to latest

After all, Tea Party & much of Republican party, is a traditional, God-fearing bunch. Ayn Rand, as Fountainhead clearly shows, is anti-traditionalist. While liberals may want people to start paying taxes, conservatives pressure people to sacrifice themselves in different ways like in the so-called "ultimate sacrifice", i.e. joining the military and possibly dying in the war. And all those church donations... Besides conservatives fear the "brave new world" of stem-cell research & "playing god", whereas that is the way of the future in the medicine.

You can hear this pressure from conservatives in Tea Party, directed against the President Obama, that he is acting opposite to the will of the people. But why should he care about the will of the people, if he has his own vision ? Wouldn't innovations in laws, be akin to innovations in architecture ? And all this talk about "strict constitutionalism" is junk, according to Ayn Rand ? Or if laws can't be innovated on, because they are abstract ideas, so can't financial instruments, but I bet no follower of Ayn Rand will oppose financial innovations (as opposed to legal one). Would they ?

Holding laws of our "Founding Fathers" as ideals in law, as Tea Parties like to, is like holding colonial houses from the time of our "Founding Fathers" as ideals in architecture.

So, in summary, Tea Party & Ayn Rand are no more compatible, than Socialist Party & Ayn Rand (and maybe less)

[–] 13 years ago

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[–] phantom2-2 13 years ago

the tea party "claims" rand because they're not especially deep thinkers and rand's superficial fantasy "philosophy" of selfishness has enough truthiness about it to satisfy them. they don't understand what she says, but they figure you don't either so they can say whatever they want and you'll assume it's right because "a famous person said it" and you'll be too lazy or otherwise busy living a real life to check it out.

[–] 13 years ago

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[–] phantom2-2 13 years ago

another lazy, content-free, vaguely insulting post from you. do you have any positive contributions to make?

we're talking about ayn rand and objectivism here, so "real life" isn't relevant.

KABOOM!

[–] 13 years ago

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[–] phantom2-2 13 years ago

another lazy, content-free, vaguely insulting post from you. do you have any positive contributions to make?

[–] Bilwick1 13 years ago

Does the Tea Party "claim" Ayn Rand? If so, in which way? Do you mean many people in the Tea Party movement (even Christians) have been influenced in a pro-freedom direction by Rand? Or are you just regurgitating the Soros party-line that was making the rounds on the Internet in early June?

[–] 13 years ago

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[–] UrielDagda 13 years ago

Ayn Rand wasn't promoting individual rights, she was promoting base animal instincts, stripped of everything that makes a human being different from a wolf or a grizzly bear. Her model of the perfect person was a sociopath, a serial killer.

If we really tried to live to the ideals Ayn Rand espoused, the human race would come to a bloody end at our own hands, as we turned into nothing more than predatory animals feasting on each other.

[–] Bilwick1 12 years ago

"Ayn Rand wasn't promoting individual rights, she was promoting base animal instincts, stripped of everything that makes a human being different from a wolf or a grizzly bear. Her model of the perfect person was a sociopath, a serial killer."

What's predatory is statism, genius.

[–] LesterFester 9 years ago

by UrielDagda » Mon Oct 17 2011 01:49:47 ... If we really tried to live to the ideals Ayn Rand espoused, the human race would come to a bloody end at our own hands, as we turned into nothing more than predatory animals feasting on each other.

Yes, I hear what you are saying but if we agree to 'live by the ideals Ayn Rand espoused' and live where no one has the right to initiate force against another... Who is it that throws the first stone?

'Three can keep a secret ... if two are dead'

[–] aciolino 11 years ago

It surprises me to hear that the Tea Baggers, uh, Tea Party-ers, have taken on Rand. I'm shocked that the read at all. Anything.

Since Tea Baggers, uh, Party-ers are composed primarily of the unwashed sheep who watch Bill O'Reily and World Wide Wrestling, their choice of Rand seems, wonderfully appropriate.

[–] atlasmb 9 years ago

I don't want to write a book in response, but I will say that the "Tea Party" is a collection of people with diverse, sometimes contradictory, opinions. Or did I miss their approved party platform with a clear listing of principles?

I think you are right that many of the self-described Tea Partiers quote Rand, because some of her quotes support their beliefs. But few of them understand her philosophy as a cohesive whole, so she would never claim them.

[–] 9 years ago

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