From: Olga Bourlin (fauxever@sprynet.com)
Date: Mon Jun 03 2002 - 19:43:54 MDT
From: "Max More" <max@maxmore.com>
> I can see that continuing this would be fruitless. Olga, you seem to
> dislike Rand because she wasn't suffering from poverty and wasn't focused
> on those worst off. Her lack of concern may be a shortcoming, but not a
> good reason to reject her ideas as a whole.
You assumed I knew nothing of Ayn's immigrant past, and now you're assuming
that it would be fruitless to keep discussing this with me. Tsk, tsk, tsk.
Please observe, it was you who brought up the subject of why my use of the
word "luxury" in pertaining to Ayn was not apt. (So, are we in agreement,
then? That Ayn one of the privileged in our society?)
BTW, the example I used about black children, white children, and a swimming
pool had nothing whatever to do with poverty or those who were worse off.
Nothing. (We were talking early 1960s, in many parts of the USA.) The fact
is, the poorest white kids, or the most impoverished immigrant "white" kids
who were not U.S. citizens, even - could hop into a swimming pool with the
richest Rockefeller kiddies (let's assume the Rockefellers were playing
"Slum-for-a-Day," and were using the FREE public pool). But NO amount of
money could have "earned" entrance for a black kid. Black millionnaires in
America in the nostalgic "good ole' days" of the 1950s (Happy Days my ass) -
were just as relegated to the back of the bus in the South. This was not
all about poverty, by a long shot.
As to rejecting Rand's ideas - I really can't reject "her" ideas because
virtually all of the ideas attributed to her were not her own (and,
typically, she was not wont to give credit to the authors and philosophers
who influenced her). E.g., I was an atheist before I read anything by Rand,
so to say that because both she and I are atheists and that therefore I
don't reject this or some other aspect of her outlook - doesn't mean that by
default Ayn gets credit for my atheism.
I would if I could, but I don't respect Ayn. She worried too much about the
morality of Corinthian columns on certain buildings instead of on the
immorality of being a child, say, and being insulted every day of your young
life because of the color of your skin (to use one example familiar to us).
And now she's dead, Jim, and her only legacy seems to be: she smoked
ciggies from a perceived oh-so-elegant holder, while cities burned.
Dislike her? Naaaah ... somewhat of a non-entity, she's hardly worthy of
dislike. But it makes me sad to see intelligent people sing her praises.
There are so many other worthier people to admire - so many genuinely heroic
people. Who is Ayn Rand?
Olga
>
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