Rachel Maddow Sums Up Atlas Shrugged

Posted by khalling 11 years, 1 month ago to Philosophy
76 comments | Share | Flag

An older article brought to my attention by the Gulch's Fuguewriter. I am interested in makers you have met who, although not a Rearden or a Galt, impressed you as Pat Logan impressed Dagny.


All Comments


Previous comments...   You are currently on page 3.
  • Posted by $ stargeezer 11 years, 1 month ago in reply to this comment.
    I think we too often get caught up in evaluating success by a individual by their position on the corp. ladder, when most people are not even on a ladder - successful or not. Most people (according to SBA numbers) work for businesses with fewer than 50 employees. That number is changing as we move away from small (even micro) business to large mega corps.

    Ayn Rand described a driver of a city bus "expertly maneuvering the large vehicle" in glowing terms. It seems that she saw that any position in life could be aspired to. That any position in life could be so expertly worked that the workman should glow in the performance. And it seems to me that she would see such expert workmanship having it's own reward, quite separated from the payscale. After all, a expert garbageman who goes to great lengths to stand my cans upright and put the lids back on correctly would be a great employee and great for the customer, but I doubt they would ever earn what a CEO will.

    I know many craftsmen who excel in their hand work and trade. Some earn fare livings, but others just get by. While they may be expert craftsman, most are not expert businessmen.
    Reply | Permalink  
  • Posted by terrycan 11 years, 1 month ago
    A very good article. Everyone will not be a Galt, Rearden, Franciso, or Dagny. Anyone who does their job well and produces value is good for the world.
    Reply | Permalink  
  • Posted by 11 years, 1 month ago in reply to this comment.
    ok, the humble part I'm not buying because it keeps you in the dark. Even if I truly appreciated your art-and I've seen pictures and I do-do you see how you are different from Pat Logan? I'll ask you the same question. If you had Dagny's ear, and you were present in her appreciation of Logan's talents, would you only be acknowledging of that? hmmm, if you had Dagny or Rearden's ear...
    Reply | Permalink  
  • Posted by $ stargeezer 11 years, 1 month ago in reply to this comment.
    I'd like to claim a piece of that pie, if I may. As a potter, I'm far from high on the corp. ladder (unless you consider being self employed as being on the corp ladder). There's just something about working in mud that keeps you humble. lol
    Reply | Permalink  
  • Posted by 11 years, 1 month ago in reply to this comment.
    Oh no. You are different. When Dagny was appreciating and identifying with Pat Logan and if you were right there next to her, maybe with her ear, like Eddie, what would you be telling her?
    oh, you are different....
    Reply | Permalink  
  • Posted by richrobinson 11 years, 1 month ago in reply to this comment.
    We have a shoemaker in town. A young guy but he is kind of a throwback. He does shoe repair and fixes other things as well. When I talk to him I can tell that he enjoys what he does and takes great pride in doing a good job. Have to respect someone like that.

    Reply | Permalink  
  • Posted by 11 years, 1 month ago in reply to this comment.
    I have met a skilled baker- Euda! He comes highly recommended. His sourdough loaves are so good people order them here in the gulch to be overnighted
    Reply | Permalink  
  • Posted by 11 years, 1 month ago in reply to this comment.
    my husband's first job was night janitor at a pathology lab. He had to throw away lots of limbs.:(
    I have met many as well. But now we spend so much of our time with entrepreneurs running companies, that I was interested in some of these producers that have impressed gulchers.
    Reply | Permalink  
  • Posted by overmanwarrior 11 years, 1 month ago
    There are some great points in that article.

    "It is the left that divides up the world into “the rich” and “everybody else.” Rand doesn’t think in those terms.



    Atlas, for instance, includes rich heroes (Hank Rearden, Francisco D’Anconia) and non-rich heroes (John Galt, Quentin Daniels), as well as rich villains (James Taggart, Orren Boyle) and non-rich villains (the Starnes heirs)."

    The novel is all about productive and unproductive, and that is a big difference. Those who hate the novel are generally unproductive. It is very unlikely that a hard worker would find Atlas Shrugged bad literature. Because they can relate to it. Those who are lazy, can't.

    Reply | Permalink  
  • Posted by iroseland 11 years, 1 month ago in reply to this comment.
    go meet a skilled baker. While not very high up the corp ladder, the ones who get the word skilled used to describe them pretty much epitomize concentration and pride in work. I have not met one, I have met loads of them. To tell the truth, I meet people like that all the time. Even the evening janitorial folks... I learned a long long time ago that while most folks treat them like furniture, they are the eyes and ears of any organization. Ok, I cheated.. Back in college I worked in janitorial services for a bit and it was there that I learned that as soon as I changed in to work uniform I would pretty much disappear as a person, back then I thought it was liberating..
    Reply | Permalink  
  • Comment hidden due to member score or comment score too low. View Comment
  • Posted by Robbie53024 11 years, 1 month ago in reply to this comment.
    Just off the top of my head - everytime that I find a handicapped individual - be it Down's, missing limb, sight impaired, hearing impaired, etc., I am encouraged in what they are achieving despite their challenge.

    I have had numerous individuals that have worked for me when I was a manager. Previous managers had pushed some of them to take on more responsibility, or greater span of control. That's not what they wanted. After discussing their objectives, I was happy to support them in being the best - draftsman, mechanic, graphic technical writer, etc. - that they could be and not push them beyond what they wanted to be. We needed good and competent people in those skills, and I was grateful that they were good and competent, and not unhappy or looking for another job because they felt they weren't appreciated for the contributions that they made.
    Reply | Permalink  
  • Posted by 11 years, 1 month ago in reply to this comment.
    can you give me an example of someone you admired for their concentration and pride in their work even though their job may be lower on the corporate ladder?
    Reply | Permalink  
  • Posted by 11 years, 1 month ago in reply to this comment.
    can you give me an example of someone you admired for their concentration and pride in their work even though their job may be lower on the corporate ladder?
    Reply | Permalink  
  • Posted by richrobinson 11 years, 1 month ago
    I have always thought that many people on the left that despise Atlas Shrugged never read it. I am guessing that someone they respect told them not to like it for reasons X Y Z. I think if they could read it with an open mind they might be surprised.
    Reply | Permalink  
  • Comment hidden due to member score or comment score too low. View Comment
  • Posted by Robbie53024 11 years, 1 month ago
    The likes of Rachel Maddow only see the world in their jaded perspective. The wealthy are evil and could only have become wealthy from the exploitation of others. The poor are poor only because they are exploited and but for the "rigging of the system" they would be just as successful as others. Thus, it is the objective of the state to right this inequity by taking from the rich, who gained it immorally, and giving it to the poor, who have had it withheld from them through immoral action. All the while keeping a little bit for themselves because they are doing "good works."
    Reply | Permalink  

  • Comment hidden. Undo