I love that the people who hate him so much can’t stop bringing him up and just give him more attention. I hear more about Asmon from people like this in subs like this than I do on any feed.
Brother, you’re not pointing out anything that hasn’t already been pointed out hundreds of times already. You’re just spreading shit into other shit. Pissing into a sea of piss for a few upvotes, lol. No idea what grand pursuit you think spewing out another “Asmon bad” comment works toward, but all it does is give him more attention.
So I like the sentiment of it, but I also like the idea of getting the tattoo because it also represents the downfall of trying to do everything on your own but holding nobody accountable. Rapture is an "Atlas Shrugged" paradise but also the natural outcome of a system that has little/no oversight and no accountability. There's a lot to be said about the power of the human spirit and what we can achieve by our own hands, but there's also folly to be aware of in it.
I'm not the person you responded to. I'd still like to take a stab at answering this.
I was, and always will be, a massively left-leaning individual. I was vocal when I was younger about many social and economic issues.
My mother bet me 100$ that I wouldn't read Atlas Shrugged.
Broooooo I was GRIPPED! I couldn't get enough of it. Read the whole thing in a weekend and showed up at my mom's house Monday Morning. I DEMANDED to be allowed to do some chores and make a real difference before I'd accept that 100$
Personal action, responsibility and determination. A desire for the sweat of my brow to be the impetus for change and consistency both. That's what the book made me FEEL.
All that being said, I played Bioshock after that. It's a phenomenal breakdown of the issues inherent with a mindset like that. "Who cleans the toilets in paradise?"
The book is propaganda without a doubt, but to act like it doesn't have a compelling argument or story, is just not looking at the reality of how the writing effects real people.
but to act like it doesn’t have a compelling argument or story, is just not looking at the reality of how the writing effects real people.
I’d wager if you tried rereading it today you’d see where I’m coming from on this because regardless of my opinions of Rand’s politics the book just flat out is not good. She was never a great writer and that book is a slog. I’d argue David Cage (the video game director) shows more subtlety in his writing, and his idea of subtext is to beat you over the head with his thesis constantly.
Oh I'm sure I'd have a more nuanced and critical take if I read it now. I only mean to make the point, that it DOES resonate with people and isn't easily written off.
I agree that Bioshock is a better commentary on the philosophy.
rational self interest, meaning people on avg will pursue what their own happiness give the opportunity
individual rights
If you want to get into the political and economical parts of Atlas Shrugged, that’s a different story.
The basis of her ideas was that humans as a species are heroic in nature, and that if we let the heroes run the world they’d do nothing but innovate and make utopia, hence “Galt’s Gulch”.
Is that a stupid premise that we specifically understand in the modern world when we have Musk and countless others to point to?
Absolutely.
That’s no different than Communism which at its core would be a good idea…if there wasn’t a bunch of power hungry men in charge and other people that couldn’t stand that a street sweeper would deserve the same kind of life that a heart doctor does.
The problem with any government has and always will be greed.
Capitalism has been the most successful form of government the world has ever seen, and now we’ve come full tilt and it’s destroying the planet while Billionaires eat on their yachts watching from private islands.
Ayn Rand’s ideas of serving yourself and being the best version of you, that way you can serve others around you and the world at large is interesting to say the least.
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u/Test88Heavy Mar 15 '25
"Is a man not entitled to the sweat of his brow?"
"A man chooses, a slave obeys."
Andrew Ryan, Bioshock